What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?

Tammyjane33

In my life I've only had 2 jobs that I really have hated one being a unpaid work placement when I was studying childcare.
I was only 16 and it was the first time I'd worked in a children's nursery. I loved working with children, it was the staff that were awful and looking back now they were very unprofessional and  if I knew then what I know now it may have been a different story.
I used to wake up, dreading having to go to work there but if I didn't go I wouldn't have completed my course. 
It was the worst experience of my life! 

MrAllen1976

Working in a noisy, messy Recycling Plant called Reclaim circa 2008. Mum got me the "job" through a friend, I hated it, it was disability specific so the "pay" was an insultingly low £2 a day because all the clients were on benefits and couldn't earn a lot without benefit sanctions!

Now thankfully such schemes are illegal, I stood it for 3 days before I decided "Sod this, I don't wanna do it" and resigned.

OverlyAnxious

Benefits Claimant - Difficult application process, low job security, extremely boring and huge stigma attached.

I'd rather tell people I made adult movies...in fact I might do that with the next landlord that refuses benefits... 

OverlyAnxious

My real worst job was a self-employed vinyl cutter.  I tried to do custom work from home (stickers, T-Shirts, Hoodies etc) and thought it'd simply be a case of receiving an email brief and then transferring that into vinyl.  Trouble is I struggled to understand and interpret exactly what the customers wanted and massively undersold my time as well.  Found it really stressful and never did make any profit from it.  

leeCal

My last two jobs were the worst I’ve ever experienced and both were due to bullying management. Absolute nightmares both of them and I resigned from both of them and lost money in the process but frankly I wasn’t going to put up with one awful day after the other for long, so so long. At least one of them had the decency to cease trading within a year of me leaving which was the best service to the public he had ever given. 
Bitter? Who me? Never. 

janer1967

My worst job was as an HR advisor for the local council, having worked in the profit sector previously working in public sector was an eye opener.. Totally overstaffed, no idea of productivity. I worked there for 6 months and had nothing to do despite constant requests for more work, I was on a helpline one day a week which was the only day I did any work . Time went so slow and I found less there was to do less you wanted to do 

woodbine

I never had a job I didn't enjoy, I did move around a lot job wise but that was always for more money, I was devastated when at the age of 38 my working life was over.

leeCal

Wow, 38 was young @woodbine, commiserations.

Tori_Scope

I'm sorry that quite a few of you have had negative experiences in the workplace. 

Just a little reminder to anyone reading this thread who might be looking for work that Scope have a Support to Work service, which can help you find and apply for jobs. 

What is your number one thing that makes somewhere a good, or better, place to work? 

leeCal

@Tori_Scope said
What is your number one thing that makes somewhere a good, or better, place to work? 

After my experiences I’d say that managements attitudes filter down fast to the workplace and dictate the whole working atmosphere. Just because you’re in business to make money doesn’t mean you can’t treat your workforce as valuable human beings. Good management should show their human side too, adopt a pleasant firm but fair manner and always maintain a healthy sense of humour.
I’m sure if tests could be done you’d find that a happy workforce is a productive workforce with less days off sick and a sense of loyalty to the company which means they’ll go that extra mile for their boss.

Cher_Scope

@leeCal You took the words right out of my mouth!  Having managers who are human, empathetic and understand that work is not the 'be all and end all' makes a huge difference.  Also, for me, I like places that remain professional but don't take things too seriously and can have a laugh and a joke 

I don't think I've ever had a bad job, touch wood.  I'm sorry some of you guys have 

66Mustang

I’ve heard from family members exactly what @janer1967 says about the difference between the public and private sectors.

In the private sector there is basically an individual giving you their own money in exchange for your time, so they want to make the most of that time by filling it with as much productivity as possible!

On the other hand I have heard the public sector described as “cushty” by several family members.

Tammyjane33

I'm sorry to hear that some of you have  had bad experiences like myself, it really made me lose confidence in the job I was doing even though I got positive feedback from children's parents the nursery was poorly run. All the managers thought about was money and a easy day they didn't care naff all about the safety and wellbeing of the children however I did so they were reported and I left. 

MrAllen1976

OverlyAnxious said:

Benefits Claimant - Difficult application process, low job security, extremely boring and huge stigma attached.

I'd rather tell people I made adult movies...in fact I might do that with the next landlord that refuses benefits... 

The only stigma for benefit claimants comes from Daily Mail and Telegraph readers, who all need to shut up as their opinions are irrelevant.

OK I admit some benefit claimants would rather rely on benefits than ever work, but contrary to the opinion of the right wing press, not ALL of us are that way inclined, if I could walk into Tesco on Monday and get a job on the Tills I would willingly do so.

66Mustang

I think the issue is that there are people that can’t work, and people that won’t work. There are some who tar us all with the brush used for the people who won’t work.

I also have had people say “well I worked despite having [insert disability here]” but they don’t realise that firstly we don’t all have the same disabilities and secondly even the same disability can affect two different people entirely differently. 

I am with you @MrAllen1976, I would get a job tomorrow if there was something I was able to do regardless of my issues. 

roberttaylor570

I think the times I was sent to a security job where there was no way of making tea or getting a hot drink.  The job started at 11am  and the local Cafe closed at 3pm we had to lock up at 11pm.  A one person site after 2pm.

MrAllen1976

roberttaylor570 said:

I think the times I was sent to a security job where there was no way of making tea or getting a hot drink.  The job started at 11am  and the local Cafe closed at 3pm we had to lock up at 11pm.  A one person site after 2pm.

I applied for an SIA badge course the other week, I was supposed to attend an induction the week before last but I forgot because the waste of space company never reminded me.

Besides which, I'm small for my age and physically disabled, so it's unlikely I'd ever get into security anyway plus I don't have £400 for an SIA badge even if I passed the course.