Has anybody got experience of starting a new job with non-existent onboarding or support?

Anonymous

May 4,2022 at 2:42PM UTC

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Has anybody got experience of starting a new job with non-existent onboarding or support?

i started a new gig in November last year. Onboarding was a slide deck and prerecorded generic presentations, and all in one week. I was hired to be quite senior so I’ve tried to ask the right questions, but the description of what my roles and responsibilities are have changed at least twice so it’s hard to keep up. At first I was told I was going to be strategic, but two weeks ago I was told I need to be involved in the day to day. Then two days ago that changed again to me being half and half. Five months in I’m expected to run massive projects alone with no support, and I have nobody on the team I can talk to about it - they’re helpful when I ask questions but I don’t feel I can talk to them as a friendly ear.

My manager is nice but always unavailable (always in meetings), and regularly cancels 1:1s to free up their calendar. I had to book them for lunch last week to go through a problem I was having.

I also feel super unstructured and all over the place. Usually my structure and organisation is something I pride myself on but this doesn’t seem to be coming through here as I’m trying to catch all the balls in the air at the same time.

This is such a career low for me and I’m super demotivated, not to mention utterly miserable. I know I can be good at what I do but I’m failing here, and I’m not just being self deprecating - its

not the right environment for me and if I’m not thriving then that impacts the rest of the team too. I know there are other jobs out there, but how to cope with this feeling in the meantime? I’ve lost so much confidence, and I was in the process of trying to build that up again. I dread Mondays like crazy ?

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AnonymousMay 4,2022 at 2:58PM UTC
Yes, and the boss was evil, she was partly responsible for sending me to the hospital and almost dying (no hyperbole, I lost over 60% of my pancreas and it went necrotic and I also developed abdominal compartment syndrome, also highly fatal).
This psycho of a boss would even call while I was in the hospital with oxygen on my nose and mouth, demanding more and more doctor's notes. I had to involve a lawyer. It was a setup for failure but I stuck it through with my health paying the price. It will take everything in me to not wring her tiny stack of dimes she calls a neck if I ever see her in a non-professional environment. I will absolutely let her have it. I was not the only one she was wickedly evil toward. She is definitely personality disordered. Anyway, regarding your situation, mention the no onboarding or initial training. Mention it to the boss andi f she is not receptive, I don't know what to tell you. Leave, force them to fire you, go to HR and they will fire you, or suffer in silence and get another job.
Barb HansenMay 4,2022 at 4:25PM UTC
Here's how I have dealt with working for a less-than-great company in the past, while looking for a new job ...
I think of that company as an ATM that's paying me money and providing benefits every two weeks while I look for another job.
Focused898785May 4,2022 at 6:08PM UTC
It sounds like you are in a big job without a lot of support. I have been in the same situation. Sounds like it’s time to either make a plan to leave, or stay. If you stay, what would need to change?
If you decide to leave, leave. This will be a painful but educational learning experience. It won’t break your career but will be something you never forget.
good luck!
AnonymousMay 4,2022 at 8:14PM UTC
Sometimes you have to be the beacon of change for others to follow. You are definitely on the right track when you said you started asking questions. Continue to ask questions and document them. You may be the person to create that onboarding process for others to follow. The company may have classified you to be a "fixer" and the expectations may have been set for you to fill in those gaps as a leader. So take it with pride and use those high organizational skills to improve your environment. So in other words, don't see it as a negative. Rather acknowledge that you have the bonafide skills and experience to imrpove your work environment. And once you do, you leave them no choice but to move you higher up the hierarchy. Embrace the challenge, go forth and be great!