My job is making my anxiety worse

[mr benn]

I always put my first real bout of Anxiety down to a very stresfull job. I promised myself I would never let a job make me ill again.
Well, due to my job being made redundant, I took up a 1st line Support job, simply to pay the wages. I thought I could cope with the feeling of it being a big backward step. What I cant cope with tho is the non-stop calls , and pressure form the management to just log and flog the calls to keep the queue down. As my anxiety is already high, im really struggling to be able to keep taking call after call - there is just no respite from it. I think I also struggle to keep talking all day with no breaks apart from lunchtime.
The problem is I really cant afford to be out of work for any period of time as our savings have took a hit these last few years. Ive tried explaining to my wife that this job is making me worse and that I will never beat my anxiety whilst im doing this job - but get no sympathy (nothing new there) . She says I will find issues with any job - which I know is part true, but the constant calls wont ever subside , as the management wont get more people in right now.
Im starting to get anxious and stressed just thinking about going back to work tomorrow. I know my anxiety is making this role worse but I know I cant overcome it whilst Im there .
Does anybody else feel like this ?

[neowallace]

Hi Mr Benn

I have worked in around 7 or 8 Call Centres over the last 15 years and they are all the same in my opinion. They are very stressful places to work in. I lasted around 2/3 years in each one then left. I will not be returning to Call Centres. Maybe try asking your boss if you can do another role in your work place that gets you off the phone.

All the best!

[.Poppy.]

Another thing you could do is start applying for other jobs while maintaining this one. That way there's not a major break in working for you to worry about, and it might make your current job more bearable if there is an end in sight.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I've done call centre work myself when I was younger (for about 3 years) and I was fine with the pressure then but I couldn't do it now, it would push my anxiety levels up and I would end up back off work again because of it.

I agree with neowallace, call centres can all be like this. They have high churn rates and low pay because they attract a lot of people who pick them up for a while and move on and the companies often don't care about the pressure they put people under and accept churn from it. I can remember one of my managers tapping on my phone because I was on a problem for three minutes (their highest allotment) and it was complex and needed a good 5 minutes more and what did my manager do...got me to put it on hold and told me to hang up. All he was bothered about was his targets, even when I explained I hadn't helped the customer he just said "they can ring back".

I got out of that work after all that and moved into supporting roles where the call centres called me and it was a lot more forgiving.

Environmental issues are difficult to change. Culture can need a change from the top or a new management team.

I would suggest looking for jobs that you can take for the money to keep you afloat but also look for jobs you want to do to get you back to where you are.

Maybe you could consider a complete change? I know this happened with me, I reached a point where I didn't see any value to what I did. I think in this instance you need to look for something fulfilling. It can mean a pay cut but it can also mean an improvement in how you view yourself.

[mr benn]

Thanks for the replies ladies and gents.

Ive worked far too long in IT Support, and thats the problem - my cv is just full of Support. I have wanted to move into another career, but everybody wants experience.
Im in my early 50s , and dont have the mental energy / skills to go to college to learn anything new.
Id be happy just taking any clerical type role that paid similar money , even a little less, just to help me get out of this anxiety rut. Of course all jobs bring stresses, but its been a real shock to back to 1st line, and for example be told when i can or cant leave a desk. (talk about treating people like kids :lac:)
I am applying for other roles, but not for 1st line where i can help it.

My current work goal is to try and be positive that things wont get on top of me there, and to do more affirmations during the day. Where I struggle is if i feel physically ill becasue of the constant calls. (headache, muzzy or head spinning for example).

[Rachh]

Oh my gosh so glad i found your post.
I have been medically moved to a call centre from another stressful job and i have to say after 6 months of finally starting to recover from being off sick this has made things go to panic attack extreme.
I've been there two weeks and i keep havin panic attacks not being able to concentrate, eye strain from the screens. Everyone's down in there its horrendous.
I've just sat tonight sobbed and had another panic attack. I just dont know what to do for the best really. I am only doin 3 days a week and it knackers my recover for the rest of the week.
Worse still i start thinking that I will never get better whilst I'm there and I'm only 23 i dont want to be a miserable person in this job forever more..

[MyNameIsTerry]

Oh my gosh so glad i found your post.
I have been medically moved to a call centre from another stressful job and i have to say after 6 months of finally starting to recover from being off sick this has made things go to panic attack extreme.
I've been there two weeks and i keep havin panic attacks not being able to concentrate, eye strain from the screens. Everyone's down in there its horrendous.
I've just sat tonight sobbed and had another panic attack. I just dont know what to do for the best really. I am only doin 3 days a week and it knackers my recover for the rest of the week.
Worse still i start thinking that I will never get better whilst I'm there and I'm only 23 i dont want to be a miserable person in this job forever more..

Your employer sounds like a complete fool...or perhaps it was a way of shifting what they saw as a problem to someone elses are? Employers can be mercenary at times.

Call centre work is stressful, they should have looked for something less full on to get you back into work again.

Do they have an occupational health team? Could you speak to them so they can offer a sensible approach?

[mr benn]

Hi Raach. I wonder if you have suffered the same fate as me ? My previous boss at my company seemed to be okay at letting me have time off for doc appts, and longer lunches for my CBT appointments. But what I didn't realise was all the time he was planning to shift me out. They made the excuse of making the role redundant, just to give somebody else a role , plus I believe to move me out without daring to sack me.
Most people have no understanding of how us Anxiety sufferer's are, so I guess why should any manager at work.
Use the frustration of the job to be your motivation to get out asap. I know its hard sometimes to look for jobs, when all you want to do is chill out, but make an hour as soon as you get home to surf the web for jobs. Look at companies close by and search their website as well.

Im not sure what your term 'medically moved' means - but it sounds like a cop out. If your HR dept are any good (Im waiting to find one) they should listen you , and move you elsewhere,. If you really cant take it , can you take any paid sick leave ? Or get the doctor to sign you off for a few weeks, whilst you then madly job search.
If not , then try and plan your day at work. Do some positive affirmations every hour (set reminders). If you can grab a 10 min break , then listen to a relax tape in peace somewhere (I use the toilet !)
Sometimes being in work can be better as you then have less time to think.
Try and think of some positives about the role and write them down. You may find the list of positives do outweigh the negatives.

Let me know how you get on.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I think there is a lot to be said for common sense though when considering how to help an employee and whilst I agree that no one reallt understands anxiety & depression unless you have been through it, managers get training, companies have occupational health teams with many being doctors or nurses and there is enough education out there at employment level to give them the basics to allow common sense to take over.

A manager wouldn't move someone in a wheelchair upstairs if there wasn't a life (although I have heard of this happening, which proves commom sense isn't always there!) and a manager wouldn't ask someone on crutches with a broken leg to walk much further to a desk just because they are changing a floorplan.

I don't believe anxiety & depression are anywhere near as well known but if you think about what anxiety primarily says, in definition form alone, you wouldn't be using common sense in putting them in a high stress role. I would regard this in 3 ways, 1) ignorance, 2) just not caring or 3) constructive dismissal attempts which is another way and so easy with anxiety - just pile on the pressure and watch someone crack.

I also agree on HR...never come across a dept worth existing. They are not all bad but they are not especially efficient and I guarantee you that there "we are here for every employee" & "we are in this meeting to ensure fairness" soon fades when the company is challenged. Been there.

Sounds to me like an attempt at reasonable adjustments with the 'medically moved' however don't they need to be agreed?

Its not just due to medical reasons with managers. Some managers are target chasers or 9-5 types who look towards moving problem staff. Its an old strategy to look to dump problem people into new teams or on new managers joining companies. If anything, to these types of managers the fact something is medical is a hinderance as they have to follow procedures to move people.