Fear that I will be sued, worried about money (long)

[Bluerose]

I have a lot of phobias these days I don't know where to start

As of now I work in a call centre for a phone company. I never liked
that job, well I hate it .I did went to university but after I got a hard time finding work. I got huge periods of unemployment. I didn't wanted to work at a call center but applied anyway thinking that they wouldn't keep me. Then I got a job offer for something that I considered my dream job , but that didn`t worked. I returned working for that call center and been there for 7 years. At this point I don't want to move out of the city I'm in. Even if people over here say that there no work I believe I will find something better someday.

But as of now I have that fear that I will be sued due to a mistake I did at work. I got that fear in the past but it`s worst now. I work for a phone company. If the customers call 911 the dispatchers will have the customers address. I always worry that if I don't spot a mistake and ask for it to be corrected that the customer won't have emergency services sent to them if they cannot speak and they call 911. And I also worry that in the request for correction that I send that I will make a mistake in the address that could put a customer in danger. I fear that something will happend and that a customer or their familly will want to sue me personally. I told my managers about this fears and they told me that a customer would sue the company not the employee. But I fear that I would be named as a defendant. Also that the company would allow a customer to sue me personally. Calls are reccorded but if something happends I cannot remember all the details , I receive hundreds of calls during one month.


That fear got to the point where it affected my work. Just seeing an account that needs correction made me so anxious where I got nauseous and got hot flashes. I would check over and over again addresses on google , google map and Canada Post. To make sure I have the right information. Then I check over and over again the ticket that I submit to have the change done.


I suspect that I have OCD, I got other types of obessessions and compulsions in the past. So far no official diagnosis.I never got therapy until a fee months ago.I went to see a social worker who's a counselor through the EAP at work. I got good advice but that got nowhere and the program was only for 5-6 sessions. I did went to my familly doctor in late May and I requested referral to a psychologist, I went for an evaluation and I'm on a waiting list right now. My doctor did gave me a prescription for Citalopram. She told me that it's up to me to take them or not. I haven't taken them. Antidepressants do help people, but I don't like the idea of taking something you cannot stop right away if it doesn't work. I work to change my lifestyle , eating better , more exercise. As of now I'm on a sick leave, I will see my doctor in early July.


My anxiety was down after I left on sick leave but it got worse in the last week. My compulsions got really bad. I was thinking back on some addresses I requested corrections. It was to the point where I was looking to see how the name of the street is spelled on the street panels you can see on Google Street View. And also at some point I got to go back to work if I want to have some money. But going back to that job just gets my anxiety to a bad point.


I fear getting sued because I fear that I will lose money over something like this and that I will end up poor. That if they garnish my wages that I won't be able to pay anything. Another fear I got over the last few months is fearing that my parents will die and it`s more a fear that they will die before my life is really order. I still live with my parents. I got the intention to move about once I get a better job then the one at the call centre. I find the job at the call center is so stressful that I cannot manage anything else. I'm scared that if my parents die I won't be able to pay the bills to keep the house. That I will have to move in a appartement I hate. We also have a dog so not every appartement building owner accept them.


I know it's a lot of what ifs. It's been a huge weight on my shoulders for months now. I want to help myself for sure, I hope I will be able to find a good therapist who will be able to help me with this.

[LauraJF]

Those sound like legitimate concerns to me and they show that you are a conscientious person. The people that just don't care are the ones that are more likely to make mistakes. As an entrepreneur I worry about being sued also. I'm not working at the moment but I do occasional seamstress work. I used to see seamstresses getting sued on court TV shows and that worried me until I realized that the seamstresses that get sued did bad work and wouldn't refund money. I always try to do my best but I know that there are some people that are litigious and like to sue others and it's still a slight concern.

Your managers are correct that it's the company that would be sued, not the employee. Try to remember that when you start to worry. Also, try talking with your coworkers and get their opinion. Maybe they will help you to let go of your fear. I think you will be able to let go of this fear if you continue to reassure yourself that it's the company that will be sued, not you. It sounds like it's just an obsessive scary thought. Once it stops scaring you your mind will let it go.

[randomforeigner]

You really must change workplace.

Anyway, I can relate to the "Just seeing an account that needs correction made me so anxious where I got nauseous and got hot flashes." because I've worked with accounting issues in the past.

The "I got nauseous and got hot flashes" happened to me when I was supposed to travel to London, that happened about 14 years ago, I had to cancel the entire trip. I had to go to the hospital instead and get an antihistamine injection. I know precisely why this is happening, it's because of two former business acquaintances who live (lived) in London, and meeting with them was such an awful experience I can barely Google their names. Still today, when I see a phone number starting with +44 on my work phone I (without cause) still feel slightly hesitant (while other numbers +45 etc. is no problem). I googled these guys this morning and to my dismay I realized from a director's listing that one of them has the same birth month as myself, I did not know this. I would have thought March. I've worked with trying to get over it but still find it difficult.