Workers Drained, Dehumanized by Their Jobs
These individuals across various roles express a deep sense of disillusionment and suffering stemming from their jobs. The core pain isn't about specific tasks, but a pervasive feeling of being drained, dehumanized, and losing their sense of self due to demanding workloads, toxic environments, and interactions that negatively impact their mental and emotional health.
SOURCES (60)
“I'm just 4 months in this job but its already taking a toll on my physical and mental health. For 2 months, I experience having anxiety attacks like vomiting every morning and having palpitations. I just said that I'll just endure it because the job…”
“just to preface, i have no idea if this is the right place to ask, but i really need advice. so i currently work at a grocery store as a cashier & ive been wanting to quit since i got here. i wont go into too much detail or i could go into a rant, but basically the management here has been so greedy & disrespectful to their employees, ive been given way too many hours than i asked for & half the store is basically broken. there is a new store set to open soon & ive been trying to”
“Does anyone else fantasize about working an easier job? Maybe even seriously considered it? Dare I say ACTUALLY DONE IT? I work in corporate finance and summer is my busiest season as we plan for the next fiscal year and prep for numerous exec meetings. The fast pace and demanding tone of the summer is usually ok because winter is usually slower and I get to take a lot of vacation time around Christmas/new years. But in the summer I feel like a hamster on a wheel that never gets to get off. I th”
“This is my first job and I am about to complete a year as Software developer in my current org. And I was going to resign next week ( this was all I can stretch for this job, I am so exhausted). I am also aware of bad job market. Still decided to take this decision without any other offer in hand. Although I am scared what future will look like. Now my current company is updating existing job title to AI based roles. There is rumours that my title will also change in coming days to AI Engineer(n”
“I'm a mom of two little kids, and have always been very committed to my career. Never saw myself as a SAHM. I recently left/lost my job after 6 months due to a bad manager (I was unexpectedly fired on the call I planned to quit on). The role paid me very well but left me feeling VERY burnt out -- wasn't sleeping well, chronic tension headaches, losing weight, constantly agitated or exhausted. Since then (about 1.5 months ago) I've been half-heartedly applying to jobs I'm qualifie”
“I am resigning today after 3 years at my company....without a new role lined up. This goes against every bit of advice I would give someone else, but I am DONE. I don't expect them to walk me out or close me out of any programs or file or anything (other people have quit recently and they've been fine). I am trying to decide if I want to give them a traditional 2 weeks, or something else. This is a big corporate role. I am a project manager leading a large-scale project. I am trying to t”
“I’ve been on leave for 3 months and return to work next week. I can’t get out of this feeling of immense sadness that the dedicated time I had with my baby will be gone and majority of my week will be spent in the office or meetings away from my family. For those who returned to work from leave, how did you mentally adjust to this and leaving your baby for most of the day. It truly sucks and such a hopeless sad feeling submitted by /u/llamasrulr [link] [comments]”
“I work 4 days a week 10-11h a day and eat barely anything. I just feel so disconnected to food that I just want to eat a little big of bread or a little fry from time to time. Eating a full meal at work just makes me nauseous. Even though the restaurant is clean as hell, i just dont feel like eating at all. Yeah, idk how to explain it more lol submitted by /u/mvx0000 [link] [comments]”
“I got my cdl probably 5 months ago now. I went from an OTR no touch position to a semi local food delivery. While some days are cool and just pallet drops and I’m done in 8 hours there’s other days where I’m stressing to the max trying to get done so I don’t have to use my 16 hour day since I try to save that for Friday. The turnover for my route specifically for some reason has apparently had 22 drivers quit in 6 months. Which I don’t even know how that’s possible. I’m also definitely getting s”
You need hobbies, work shouldn't be the only passion in your life
“That's the story of my life. The first five years were a non stop learning and climbing. Now I'm remote, good wage, unlimited holidays, no schedule, people praise my work and I feel like I do just easy stuff and have no will to put more energy that just the bare minimum. Thank God I have a family to focus on. They're, gladly, my energy consumption.”
This is where I am. I just spend my time off dreading my next shift.
“I torched all my bridges. Helped me unload all the stress and toxicity off me and back on them. It’s like leaving myself with a clean slate. I used to believe in “not burning bridges” when I was very young/start of my career then I quickly realized I was carrying their toxicity over to the next jobs. Once I started lighting them and HR up as I exited, I felt complete relief. I always gave immediate resignation too. In my 40 year career no job has been worth it and I’ve worked at some incredible”
“I was recently fired from a part-time beverage attendant position at a private golf club. I know I made mistakes, and I'm already thinking about what I'll do differently in my next job. I can't shake the feeling that my supervisor was against me toward the end, although I could be wrong. My termination letter mentioned multiple coaching conversations, but I don't remember them the way they're described. What hurts the most is that I genuinely loved talking to the members. I w”
“Context - i was doing really amazing jn my old company promotion every 1.5 years then that company decided to close office so i started looking for jobs this year. I joined one company initially i found steep learning curve first two months. But now im bored as hell. I use like 25% of my brain and i still find it boring and not challenging at all. On top of that my motivation to work is zero. I work like 3-4 hrs max per day and im able to do the work given to me. But i feel guilty and miss my ol”
“Hey everyone, I'm an electrical engineer, 32, living in Montreal. I've spent the last year carrying a technical project that I just can't seem to ship. Every time I fix one issue, another shows up. I've got a coworker on the team whose work keeps causing problems, and when I raise specific issues, the explanations I get back just don't hold up scientifically — they don't logically match the symptoms I'm seeing. But instead of a real technical conversation, I get pushb”
“I quit my last job in May without a backup option owing to extremely toxic work environment. After two brutal months of job searching, endless applications, interviews and assignments, I finally got a job in the first week of July. Finalised the offer, joined in the second week. Rejected 2 other offers because this one came with a better title and pay (Brand Manager). I knew the commute would be an issue but had no idea it would be so bad, it turned out to be a 4 hour daily commute. There was no”
“I’m not sure what state you live in, but I went through something very similar. I took FMLA leave, started applying for new jobs, transferred to another unit in the meantime, and got a therapist. You don’t have to suffer. Your life is more important than this job. It does get better. You don’t owe this job anything. If you can’t find something, join a travel agency and take contracts while you look for something so you have a temporary income.”
“I resigned but then they asked me to stay, I did not have any reason to leave a good company, good team but just burnt out with my job and found another company that has more of a slower pace. So now, I have accepted the job and have been working for them for two weeks and my old company still want me to stay and I have been for the past two weeks and friday should have been my last day. But, they expect me to be there on Monday while I’m training with my current job at home.. I want to leave bu”
“Hi everyone, I just got out of a terrible service and I feel like shit. I started at this fine dining restaurant two months ago that is trying to get a Michelin Star. I knew all the people at the place since I worked in another restaurant in the same hotel. One day I got offered a position in this restaurant and I accepted because it felt like a great opportunity to learn and toughen up. So far, I feel like I've learnt a lot, but it still doesn't feel like I'm doing enough. I'm 3”
“I am joining the many women that gave up working in corporate to live more fully. I came to this decision a few months ago because of the constant feeling that I am losing on all fronts. I don't have a lot of time for my son apart from the most basic things of looking after him. I barely have time to play with him and be 100% present in the last 2 years of being in this job. But I asked for a promotion, a raise and it was rejected. Not because of performance but because I am not 24/7 availab”
“I’m a creative director (writer) in the marketing/advertising field. The company I currently work for is toxic beyond words are capable of describing, so that has a lot to do with how desperate I feel right now, but the truth is that I no longer feel ethically aligned with my career path at all. With age I’ve realized that making ads and contributing to our insanely consumerist culture is a net negative for the world. I’m not trying to become Mother Teresa but I just can’t see myself doing this”
“My job is meaningless right now but to be fair it's meaningless for everyone at our company because none of us have anything to do after being acquired. I'm sure it will pick up at some point but in the meantime, I just do my hobbies and stuff.”
“Hi. This isn’t a mental health condition or anything. It’s just something that happened at work yesterday and since then I had a nightmare about it and can’t stop thinking about it. So I’m a workplace first aider. I won’t give the details about the shop, but it’s a very big, 4 storey shop. Yesterday, I was first aid from 9-5, had a couple of minor cuts in the morning, but then around 2pm I had a call to say someone was collapsing. I was there within 20 seconds, she was an elderly lady, she was s”
“Wanna know how everyone feeling today and want to tell everyone that you’re doing great and no matter how bad things are, you are doing good and you’re enough and no job should determine your self worth. Love yourself and give yourself grace. submitted by /u/Sanbikaa [link] [comments]”
“I’m so sorry this is long, but here’s what I’m dealing with 😅: I’m in the middle of making an incredibly difficult decision this weekend. It feels like a sudden decision but I know it’s not and all of what has transpired while working at this place has led to this moment. I filed a complaint against a male colleague for sexual harassment when I was 24 at my job two summers ago and management has been cold and icing me out ever since. I’ve worked a part time job since to help with saving over th”
“Hi everyone! I’m needing some support. I recently started working full time at a childcare facility and my daughter is enrolled there. It’s been about a month of me being back and I’m having several issues. 1) my daughter is constantly having diaper rashes 2) she’s picked up with an uncleaned face 3) I got to go to her class because her hand got caught by the door and thankfully it was okay! 4) a table that was propped fell on her leg and caused a bruise I work at said daycare and I’m trying to”
I’d tell them I wanted more money to be on call 24/7. A lot more money.
“I don't know what your experience level is like and how technically demanding the job is, but if you're competent enough to work without any external support, £40k is not enough to put up with that kind of stress.”
“The only thing that I perform for is based in the hope to not lose my job in whatever phase of layoffs my company is on; then there’s me just trying to stay alive. My work is good but I don’t have the energy to be known as super personable anymore ☹️”
“I got a new job as a data engineer at a fintech after spending 3 depressing years in a dysfunctional workplace, which led to some regression in my skill set(or my life in general, but that's another story). The new company has purchased a GitHub Copilot seat for almost every engineer, and new engineers automatically get one. Cue in trying to beat the impostor syndrome before it even sets in. I created a simple text file giving the frontier agents some structure and direction. It got messy fa”
“Six years in and the passion got quietly replaced by a spreadsheet where the only number that matters is the one that hits my account on the 15th. I'm not burned out, I just feel nothing. Ship the ticket, sit through the standup, nod at the roadmap nobody believes, log off. And the dumb part is on paper I won. remote, good comp, no death march. so what is this. is it just what a career becomes after the shine wears off and you're supposed to shut up and enjoy the money, or did I climb a”
“Like the title says: has anyone else gone through this? My dad died unexpectedly a month ago. I’ve been back at work for three weeks and I still feel foggy. I am at a Director level in a midsized company in a client-facing, billable role. I was already stretched to my limit before all this happened, with two elementary-age kids and a demanding career, but grief has greatly exacerbated it. I’m having a hard time in an oversight role; I feel like I’m missing important details, messing up left and”
“I have come to terms with the notion that the position I have been at for only 5 months is not the discipline I want to go into. Working there also confirmed my passion and willingness to work hard and dedicate myself to a discipline I have a strong interest in and enjoyment-driven undergrad experience. I understand the professional and courteous importance of providing a couple-weeks notice. That being said, the difficult and toxic work environment is no longer an experience I want to participa”
“I work in a warehouse behind a furniture store and there's literally nothing to do all day. I sweep the warehouse and organize the tools and everything but eventually there's literally nothing left to do and the bosses just tell me to sit down and relax. I've been doing that for like 4 or 5 hours every day this week, just sitting down on my phone all day long. I'm so bored. And my knee is hurting so I don't really wanna get up from this chair if I can help it. My coworkers ar”
“Is it just me or anyone feel the same? Cause this happened everytime when i have a job I'm always sad when i get home and always thinking that I'm not doing any good job, this always happen when i made a mistake or not on the job site submitted by /u/Embarrassed-Bite7920 [link] [comments]”
“If you are doing this for fun and are not having fun you really need to do something. Either find what is wrong and fix it, or realize it's not for you and move on. There is no shame in that. submitted by /u/GregLittlefield [link] [comments]”
“I am about 10 weeks into my new grad job and I think it’s really effecting my mental health I do have anxiety to start I am already in therapy and have started a medication but still feeling not great I asked the manager last week to set up more times to meet with the doctor like weekly or biweekly to discuss cases and she said yes and he came up to me later and also agreed to it and said they would set it up I just don’t feel like there is enough good support for a new grad and my patient load”
“I don't usually post personal stuff, but I honestly need to get this off my chest. I'm a full-time website designer and SEO specialist. My actual workload at my job takes around 3–5 hours most days, so I spend the rest of my time learning new skills and taking freelance projects to pay off loans and improve my financial situation. Last year, I took loans to cover rent, daily expenses, and to buy a laptop and phone because they're essential for my work. It wasn't easy, but I kept”
“Been at it about 3-4 weeks after I lost my job. I’ve officially accepted another one for the beginning of August so I can see the light at the end of the tunnel for which I am grateful. Sometimes this job can be dehumanizing… Curious to know what hardcore dashers think of my pay and hours. I’m in the Midwest so a lot of country roads on my routes. submitted by /u/mmpolo92 [link] [comments]”
“I used to do my hair and wear light makeup like concealers, blushes, and light lipstick but today I've decided to stop. This is not a protest but whisper that I will not please them anymore. Nobody will care, like how they never noticed how frail the hardest worker in that room is. Maybe they will notice in the next few days when I walk up to tell them that I quit submitted by /u/6LittleHorns9 [link] [comments]”
“I am looking at a new job that is a better fit for me, but I’m dreading the process of quitting my current one. I’ll feel guilty about leaving people on my caseload that I have enjoyed working with. One of my clients asks at every visit if I’m still going to be her social worker, for example. There has been a lot of turnover at my agency and my supervisor said that they would like 8 weeks notice (not sure that is possible, but I would hope to give at least 1 month notice). How do people manage t”
“I've been a development director for eight years. I weathered COVID and this crazy administration. I've never known this job in a consistent operating environment. But none of that is what is getting me down. It's the constant back and forth with programs trying to convince them why I need these numbers. It's the constant trying to explain to my ED why I need to this or that before I can do that thing that they just know is going to bring in lots of money (plus trying to educate”
“I am gonna steam of here a bit, and maybe certain things are too black and white. I am so very much done with the corporate trap. I am a VP now, but I am so done with all the bullshit. I don't give a shit about titles anymore, I don't want to fly every other week and miss time with my family, I am not interested in afterwork get togethers and licking ass. I am not up for political games, I am not wanting to talk in buzzwords, I don't want to think about work outside of work, I hate e”
“I currently work as a remote ESL teacher. The job pays OK, definitely not what I'm happy with but I've been doing this for nearly 2 years now. The issue is that I haven't been happy with this job and picked it up as something temporary since I've left my previous role, so when I get burnt out, the urge to just drop everything is so strong. Another reason I can't stay is that it's unreliable, students cancel, take weeks off, summer vacation, holidays. It's very unexpec”
“I have always been an early riser but I hit a new high or low, depending on how you look at it, with my new job. I started 3 weeks ago and I walked into a dumpster fire. No fault of current management as the old management retired. I have been wide awake at 4am all week so I have been getting up because I am at an age where if I lay in bed too long my body hurts for the rest of the day. It's just me and the cat up at this hour. I have been using the time to be productive, spend some time jus”
“Hey mommies. 35F here with a 1.5 years old daughter. Postpartum has not been very kind. I am at a senior position in an American MNC. From Jan this year, I strongly started hating my job (while I know I should be thankful). But I want to do something else in life. While I don't know what. Sometimes I just have these random thoughts on helping children etc etc (I also know it's just too random without any vision). Any of you have the same problem? I just want to have fun with my daughter.”
“I've been a massage therapist for 15 years. It's been a great run and while I'm not quite ready to leave, I had something happen earlier this year that did make me want to leave the industry entirely. I tried to apply for Progressive but because I don't have experience with corporate interviews, I couldn't get past the AI interview. I should note that I am diagnosed with both autism and ADHD. The autism is mild and the ADHD is moderate. Recently I had an interview with a gas”
Remember to smile! 😀 I just threw up in my mouth, thanks.
“recently I can’t stop thinking about work, I wake up thinking about it, I think about it while driving, last night I dreamt about it. I hate this so much, and feel like it is making me more likely to burn out. TLDR: high caseload, ADHD, behind on admin work- skip to questions at the end! I purposefully am very busy outside of work, 3x a week I play sport which makes me completely forget about work, I do something social with family and friends at least 1-3x a week. I’ve picked up doing some crea”
“I know this pattern from myself.I'm doing alright as far as my career goes, not great, but okay. Which is disappointing because me and everyone around thought I'd do great, because I/they thought I was a great software developer, since I'm smart and I know my tech and my programming.Unfortunately working as a software developer is a different story entirely, I found many times that my chase for good simple code takes time, and sometimes I overthink things and I don't test properly, and I'm also”