Temping/contract work

[Annette Curtain]

Sheeeze....

( & am I glad i'm self employed )

Anyway, how old are you ( ish )

Nette:-S

[woodrot]

dont resign.Ever.

If you are truly feeling stressed, then get to the Dr and get some help.

Keep your HR informed at every point

You will be in a much better position to negotiate a subsequent possible release if you document your health.

Temping is a bit hit or miss & I would be careful about entering the market, as it may pose some questions that may affect your suitability.

A more cyncial view would be think about an escape route that will reward you better in the long term & cover your options

[HAL9000]

Sorry, I'm sure it was given in good faith, but I would strongly oppose Zeban's advice: "... anti depressants ... anti anxieties ... Do not be afraid of trying these if the doctor recommends them. they can be life savers for many people."

With all your resolve, try to avoid taking antidepressants and anxiolytics: they have ruined the lives of millions of people.

zeban Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Hi urbanpixie, go to the doctor and talk to them

> about you feeling you are getting ill. They could

> prescribe you anti depressants if they find you

> clinically depressed or anti anxieties, which

> although not really solving the problem of getting

> out of your job, might make your

> depression/anxiety easier to cope with and

> therefore might make you coping with the job

> easier. Do not be afraid of trying these if the

> doctor recommends them. they can be life savers

> for many people.

>

> It can also be something that you could sit down

> and dicuss with your manager. perhap they could

> help to reduce the stress you're under- if it's

> either that and you going on sick leave then

> really they should be willing to give some leeway,

> especially if your doctor has made such

> recommendations.

[zeban]

That's absolute bull Hal and you clearly know nothing about depression. how dare you imply that 'resolve' will solve an illness. depression is an Illness even if brought on by stress. And it's probably all of that 'resolve' that got the OP here in the first place as depression is often the symptom of people having had to be too strong for too long.

seeking help is the strongest thing a person can do and taking medication, together with therapy if the problems are deep rooted, or CBT for a more practical approach to helping you deal ith stressful problems, shows the most amount of strength and resolve IMO. welldone Hal for perpetrating the myth that depression is a weakness that can be solved by having 'resolve' and for scaremongering people about anti depressants. I don't know where you're getting this crap from that anti depressants ruin lives but you only need to go to a doctor to find out the truth. You wouldn't tell a diabetes patient not to take their medicine and this is no different. It doesn't mean you'll be on anti depressants for the rest of your life and they might not even work for you- everyone is different- but don't rule them out because of some idiot selling you lies and scaring you.

[KidKruger]

If you leave your job and do formally address depression, be aware that starting in a new position / temp role you may have to fill-in a from where you tick against illnesses / conditions listed.

If you tick against mental health / depression you may be disadvantaged - however you are obliged to be honest.

[florence nightingale]

Recruitment agencies are definitely not the only route to a new job thank goodness.. Lots of organisations advertise their vacancies in the press as well as on their own websites.

A friend of mine was made redundant but she sat up till midnight every night searching online for suitable vacancies and within a month she had found a new job with great prospects which was actually better than the one she lost.

Here are a few for starters

https://careers.bbc.co.uk/fe/tpl_BBC01.asp?newms=jj&id=42254&returnresource=our-people%2Fsheila-kaur&environment=live

http://jobs.channel4.com/pages/job_search_view.aspx?jobId=2242&JobIndex=5&&PageIndex=1&Number=12

http://www.santanderjobs.co.uk/list.asp?LOV11=6923&LOV14=All&LOV10=6901&LOV20=All&ContractType=All&keywords=&Resultsperpage=10&srcsubmit=Search&statlog=1&ID=QGSFK026203F3VBQB8MV48M6Q&mask=external

http://jobs.goldsmiths.ac.uk/fe/tpl_goldsmiths01.asp?KEY=44248844&C=467158344883&PAGESTAMP=dbrccerbtwqalmjwej&nexts=INIT_JOBLISTSTART&nextss=&mode=1&newQuery=yes&searchrefno=&searchdivision=0&searchtext=PA&formsubmit4=Search+and+Apply

I don't know if any of these will suit you but there are lots of others out there. Even in this climate there are vacancies if you know where to look and people are getting new jobs every day. You need to be very determined.

[Undisputedtruth]

@urbanpixie,

Speak to your HR department to see if they can offer any help but be careful how you word your questions as they usually act in the management's interest rather than staff's. They could offer welfare counselling, training courses on how to further your career (you could use these skills for something else), advice on applying for jobs, etc.

If the job is affecting your health and is due to stress then it's worth reading the HSE's Management Standards for work related stress.

Don't depend on job consultants to help you find work as they can often be unhelpful.

Be careful about accepting mental health advice on this forum. They're not experts and I do agree with Hal to be careful about anti-depressants. According to NICE guidelines GPs shouldn't issue anti-depressants unless the patient is moderate-severely depressed. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4071145.stm

Running away from the problem may not be helpful and by tackling the issues now makes you the better and stronger person in future. However, it's understandable that working with a bunch of tossers, who have cause havoc to this country, is soul destroying.

[Voyageur]

My advice - stay put until you find another job. The job market is worse than abysmal at the moment and it is very inadvisable to jump ship. I have had a couple of jobs that I have grown to dislike in the past, I planned an escape route and worked towards it - I suggest you do the same.

What is it about the job that you detest? The work? The routine? The people? Getting up early? Long Hours? One person? Perhaps you could chat to your line manager to add some variety to your work for the time being until you find something else? Is there an opportunity for flexi-time?

I would try not to jump down an 'off sick with stress' route. If you are feeling low maybe discuss with your GP - they may have some ideas. In addition to that, try and make the rest of your life as stress free and enjoyable as possible - family and friends can be wonderfully supportive. Maybe try and go for a brisk walk in your work break too, weather permitting - exercise can lift a low mood.

Good luck.

[bjani]

hi

read your email...em I've worked in Investment Banks..soul destroying! and if it is making you ill, you've got to get out. But if you are going to temp, give yourself 3months to put some money behind you and hand in your notice, be prepared you might have to sign on ...but something will come long! As one person said do something different, take a job that pays lower, try and temp but make sure you have a little behind you! I've been where you are and left jobs, but in better climates, I have also been out of work and that ain't fun either...but something does usually come along eventually...Good Luck!

B

[Twirly]

I know how you fee, have had jobs like that myself in the past.

Firstly, if you resign with nothing to go to, you will not be able to sign on to claim Job Seekers Allowance for, I think, at least 6 months. So you need to save money before you make the leap, or, bottom line, you may not be able to pay the rent/mortgage and end up homeless.

The other problem is that agencies will only try to get you a job based on the experience you currently have, so you are likely to end up with more of the same. Now if it's a particular person rather than the work itself that's the problem, that might not be too bad. But if you want a change of job, you've got more work to do than just finding another job that will be driving you nuts in six months time for the same reasons. There are various books out there (such as "What Colour is my Parachute") and workshops that can help you look at a change of career.

As for the depression issues, it may be worth seeing your doctor if it is starting to affect your health, but if you decide to take anti-depressants try to remember that they can help, but they are not the answer. If you can manage without it is best to do so, though if it does get very bad your doctor can sign you off work sick - though of course this won't look great to potential employers.

Good luck with sorting this out.

[Undisputedtruth]

Twirly Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Firstly, if you resign with nothing to go to, you

> will not be able to sign on to claim Job Seekers

> Allowance for, I think, at least 6 months. So you

> need to save money before you make the leap, or,

> bottom line, you may not be able to pay the

> rent/mortgage and end up homeless.

>

This is complete misinformation. If you're unable to show good reasons for leaving your last job then you could either lose up to six months of contribution based JSA or receive a reduce amount of income based JSA for up to six months. Leaving a last job doesn't stop you from signing on.

[Twirly]

Undisputedtruth Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Twirly Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

>

> > Firstly, if you resign with nothing to go to,

> you

> > will not be able to sign on to claim Job

> Seekers

> > Allowance for, I think, at least 6 months. So

> you

> > need to save money before you make the leap,

> or,

> > bottom line, you may not be able to pay the

> > rent/mortgage and end up homeless.

> >

>

> This is complete misinformation. If you're unable

> to show good reasons for leaving your last job

> then you could either lose up to six months of

> contribution based JSA or receive a reduce amount

> of income based JSA for up to six months. Leaving

> a last job doesn't stop you from signing on.

OK, I'm not an expert, and you may be right but you would certainly have quite a lot of hoops to jump through. What would constitute a good reason for leaving a job that would still allow you to claim JSA?

[Pugwash]

If you leave employment voluntarilly, you can be refused JSA. My husband was retired on ill health grounds at age of 58, he applied for Employment Support Allowance as he has a recognised long standing mental health issues and had been off sick in past 3 years for 18 months. He was refused ESA and has to sign on fortnightly, but is not eligible to receive any benefits as he has a small occupational pension. The Job Centre, knowing his disability, and have had sight of his medical papers from Maudsley/SLAM/Occupational health, still insist that he looks for full time work even though medical opinion is that any work he might get should be part time. He has been trying for over a year to get a part time job.

You do not give your age but would retraining be an option?. I retrained at the age of 40 and got a professional qualification which has led me into fantastic jobs ( experience wise) I have now been in my present job 16 years and each day is different.

An employer has a responsibility for their employees health and if your work is causing you extreme stress, you need to see if you can change it for another position within the same company in the first instance. Do you belong to a union beacause if the job is that bad, you may need to seek expert opinion.

Try looking at Adult Education - (easier said than done) to see if you can increase your skill base by attending evening classes etc.

[Alan Medic]

Urbanpixie,from your 2nd post it sounds like it's the people you work with/for you want to get away from. The advice of not leaving your job is good advice in the current economic climate, but it must make you feel like you are trapped. Untrap yourself. Other people may seem to be controlling how you feel about yourself but you have the ability to overcome this. Relax. It's a job. It pays the bills. It's not your life. This may be easy for me to write but you have to try to distance yourself from whatever it is that makes you uncomfortable there. It's not you. It's just a feeling you have and feelings will come and go. They don't own you nor you them. Let them go.

[Huguenot]

Sound advice indeed!

[Undisputedtruth]

Twirly Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> OK, I'm not an expert, and you may be right but

> you would certainly have quite a lot of hoops to

> jump through. What would constitute a good reason

> for leaving a job that would still allow you to

> claim JSA?

I think ill health is a good cause for leaving a job. However, it is up to an Aujudicating Officer who makes the decision on what constitute good cause and may want to see medical evidence, person attempting to resolve the issue at work, etc.

[Ridgley]

Hi Urbanpixie

A friend of mind is using an recruitment agency called Huntres is doing well with them hope this helps

www.huntress.co.uk

[Ridgley]

It is difficult out there, as I work in the third sector, charities are one of the first to fill the pinch especially if you are a small charity and quite a lot of your income comes from local authorities and private donations.

[Browncoffee]

You should also be entitled to unpaid leave, at least for a period of time? Take advantage of that, before you make the ultimate decision to leave. At least you still leave that door open. Bear in mind that lots of companies (including top investment banks) are leaning more and more towards direct recruitment, which saves on agency fees, so may not be a good idea to rely on the views on recruitment agencies who are seeing less business than they are accustomed to. Are you on LinkedIn? The bank I work for actively uses LinkedIn to source candidates. I would suggest making sure you have the best CV possible and get on the site.

Not sure what your pay bracket is, but certainly worth registering with online recruitment sites such as TheLadders. I know they offer (or at least, used to) a free (and actually, very thorough) CV review. You then have the option of paying for a more advanced CV review, although I think you will get most of what you need from the free review.

With a top notch CV & the right profile on LinkedIn, you can join a number of groups/forums related to the field you are interested (assuming you decide to leave the industry) and you should be able to make new contacts across various companies.

I know from experience that working in IB can be torturous. If you do decide to stick with the industry make sure you're not dealing with a case of 'grass is greener on the other side'. I have worked for a number of IBs and there are 'things/issues' that are just part and parcel of the industry.

Hang in there (if you can) and if you're truly feeling depressed, I agree with those that have recommended you see a doctor. Stress-related sickness absence is not rare in IB so I have no doubt you wouldn't be the first...or last to get signed off by a doctor.

Best wishes,

BC