do you feel sure of yourself at work??

I have been working now for 6 weeks and two days (but who is counting ) My job before I was very uncomfortable in because my mother in law had worked there for 25 years with a flawless record and then, i guess went crazy, and stole 17500 dollars after getting dh and I jobs there!! So needless to say we felt like they were pushing us out the door. Ever since then I have just felt uncomfortable! I quit working there and then we home for nine monthes. I have IBS and stress just makes it worse! But I friend of mine called and offered me a job. Her and her husband share an office building so i get to see her everyday. She was my old boss when I worked for a tax place. Well for some reason I feel like I'm just not doing a good job. I don't have that much work to do. Just answer phones and file once in awhile. So alot of the day I just sit and think to myself I really love my friend and her hubby is a really nice guy! I just hope I can start feeling comfortable working again!! I'm going to get my realestate liences so I can be more helpful but in the meantime I feel like a slaker. I think because my old job no matter what I did it wasn't good enough!

Val, sometimes there just isn't a lot of work to do. What might be a good idea is, if you feel there is nothing to do, ask if there is something you can help out with. Or ask them to check your work...This way, they KNOW you're not slacking!

Some days are crazybusy, some are boring and endless.

I ask, and they say no, but i just feel bad

btw we don't talk to mother in law any more...she REALLY made me and rich get off to a ruff start. We had just bought our first home, moe and neo were just little babies and we had to pack up and leave! Move into a house that wasn't ready yet! UGH what a mess!! (just need to vent )

I guess you could try to do busy work. Check and see if forms need to be refilled, dust, water plants, wash windows, empty trash... I know it's kind of junk work, but it shows that you are interested in the business's appearance and customer satisfaction.

See if there are any errands you can run as well, including food runs and photo copy.

I had a volunteer experience like that. But the thing was it was required to graduate from college, so I had to put up with it like it was a job (while i already HAD a job).. So basically I answered phones, was a gopher, and did some organizing and stuff. It got boring. I started cleaning, redoing stuff, really anything to keep busy. I like to make logos and ads for places so I started doing some of that while i was in between busy work. I'm sure you could find some things to do.. And cheer up, I'm sure you are doing a great job, your work self-confidence is down because of your last experience, but I can tell you are a dedicated and hard-working person just from your post.. Good luck

A lot of employers like to see initiative in their employees, so if you feel like you don't have enough to do, talk to your boss. But don't say you have nothing to do, ask what you can do to further the goals and expectations of your position. Hopefully, she'll be able to point out other things that need to be done, that maybe you didn't see. Also, ask her what she expects from you as an employee-that will give you concrete goals to work towards.

On a side note, I suffer from IBS, too, and it gets much worse when I'm stressed. Have you tried adding fiber supplements to your diet? I found that they worked a lot better than any medication. Feel free to PM me if you want to talk about it.

Christy

Val I too suffer from IBS I have three words for you Cracklin Oat Bran right out of the box- no milk.

I thought the thread title said something else when I quickly glanced at it ...

I do love my job though. I have a cool boss, I work 5 min from home and I can play online all day

I have one thing about going to your boss or lead to help out others .. Ya, it shows them you can help, etc... But, then after a while, they think you can do it ALL, and when you get bogged down, Guess what? No one is willing to help YOU out. This is what I am finding out at my job, and it really irritates me.

Hmmmm...

I'm not sure how to respond to this, but I'll try. I think you just have to find something that makes you happy. It may not be what you expect either.

I followed the traditional path. I went to college and graduated with 2 degrees. I moved on to work in corporate America. I put in a few years as an analyst and got promoted to Management. I was busy, but often got bored. Even as a manager, I spent half my day reading email and sitting in conferences rooms listening to people point the finger as to why work wasn't getting done.

Them one day WHAM! I was laid off. After 5 years of work, 2 promotions, and 2 raises, I was out the door carrying boxes of my so called corporate life.

I got super depressed and stressed out. So, I said enough. I started my own business. I took my experience and education, put it to work for me instead of someone else. Yes, its hard and not as easy as a 8-5 corporate job, but its a challenge !! You know what ? I enjoy it. Running my own small company is ten times more fun than reading email for half the day. When I finish work for the day, I feel a accomplished something. ..... That is the key.

Do what makes you happy. Believe me, no amount of money can buy happiness. Find something that makes you happy.

Bob

I've only been on the phones, for two weeks but I think that I've got a handle on this job. Today, I only had to ask for help, twice and others are asking me. As long as I don't has to use the DOS system, I'm fine.

We are divided into 4 teams and I made points with my supervisor, last week. At the team meeting, we were supposed to work together and write a cheer, for the team. Between the "duh" people and the gossipy bunch, noone came up with anything. I wrote one, in less than two minutes. It is now officially our team cheer. Howlers rule!

Val, I love my job. I have been here for 16 years and I basically run the place. My offical title is Administrative Assistant, but I handle everything from the money, our customers, what insurance we will go with, etc. I'm very confident in my job.

I say that to tell you that I wasn't very confident when I started working here. I didn't know anything about the security or financial equipment business. I really felt out of sorts. My boss back then was not a patient fellow.

I take it from what you said about getting your real estate license, that you are working for a Realtor. I worked for a Realtor when I was in my early 20's. One thing you can ask them if you could take over is writing the ads for the properties. This takes up a lot of time. I had on my desk a tickler file for catch phrases like "Handyman's Dream". I would study the properties and all their advantages and I would write about them. It was challenging, because you are limited to the amount of works per each ad. Just a thought.
It probably would be helpful to them if you went through the listings and got to know them.

Val, I'm in about the same position as you, only for a mechanical engineering firm. I have worked for a general contractor and a real estate appraisal firm. The thing I've found is that it takes about 6 months to really get to know the office, how it functions, and what all really needs to be done. Stuff that the owners and managers may not even know needs to be done. That is what I actually start feeling comfortable in my job, after about 6 months.

Initiative is a good thing, let them know you would like more to do and show an interest in the company. By doing this, I'm now doing real marketing which honestly could lead to much better opportunities for me later in life. Sure, it's a lot more work, and I have to learn 3 new and pretty complicated computer programs, but it's a lot of fun. I've also found that once you get good at any given task, adding more to your duties isn't a problem.

I still feel like that and it's been 7 months for me. I used to work here and then everything went to Hell and I quit and moved to Chicago for 2 years. When I came back to town I looked for a different job, but couldn't find one and finally applied here again. It's a different place now, but my boss is still problematic at times. I figure there will be a point at which I can get a different job, but not right now, not with the economy as it is and we can't survive on hubby's salary.

I feel very confident in my ability to do my job. I have worked long and hard to feel that way. I am very busy in what I do, but because I am good at my job I am able to take some time for myself and come here during the day.

When I was a receptionist, I often felt that I wasn't doing enough. I found that if I had info on the company or industry, then I could read and learn more that may make me more helpful.