What to Do - Finally Got Federal Job But I HATE It

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone who works in the government, don't be surprised if you ask for help on a task that's due the next day and the person is not willing to drop anything to help you that day. I have a colleague who has a sign on her desk that says "Your lack of planning is not my emergency."

This is OP. I always immediately ask for help because I want the most amount of time to complete it, given that I’m new. When I did this, my “trainers” will push it out a couple of weeks or so eats into my time.

In your original post you wrote
"I will ask for help on a task that is due the next day and instead of responding, my co-worker will schedule a meeting a week or so in advance to discuss what needs to be done to complete a task that is due today"

So either you are receiving tasks at the last minute, which you should discuss with your supervisor. Or you are asking for help on these tasks the day before they are due.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This sounds like my District agency. Most of DC government is like this so don't try for a job here! I get by because I am very focused on the mission of my agency plus I have a lot of hobbies that I can focus on at work.

What hobbies are you able to focus on while you're at work?

Reading and writing, crocheting (only in virtual trainings/meetings, never with live people around), meal and vacation planning, admin/back end stuff for some community groups I'm involved in. Other people seem to play a lot of online games or talk on their phones all day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone who works in the government, don't be surprised if you ask for help on a task that's due the next day and the person is not willing to drop anything to help you that day. I have a colleague who has a sign on her desk that says "Your lack of planning is not my emergency."

This is OP. I always immediately ask for help because I want the most amount of time to complete it, given that I’m new. When I did this, my “trainers” will push it out a couple of weeks or so eats into my time.

In your original post you wrote
"I will ask for help on a task that is due the next day and instead of responding, my co-worker will schedule a meeting a week or so in advance to discuss what needs to be done to complete a task that is due today"

So either you are receiving tasks at the last minute, which you should discuss with your supervisor. Or you are asking for help on these tasks the day before they are due.

+1. I noticed this too. Sometimes people have to look inward to find the root of their problems.

I would say that many large organizations, federal and otherwise, aren't set up to support new employees. That's tough to solve, as a society. Maybe more apprenticeships or term appointments would help?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone who works in the government, don't be surprised if you ask for help on a task that's due the next day and the person is not willing to drop anything to help you that day. I have a colleague who has a sign on her desk that says "Your lack of planning is not my emergency."

This is OP. I always immediately ask for help because I want the most amount of time to complete it, given that I’m new. When I did this, my “trainers” will push it out a couple of weeks or so eats into my time.

In your original post you wrote
"I will ask for help on a task that is due the next day and instead of responding, my co-worker will schedule a meeting a week or so in advance to discuss what needs to be done to complete a task that is due today"

So either you are receiving tasks at the last minute, which you should discuss with your supervisor. Or you are asking for help on these tasks the day before they are due.

This is OP. Sometimes my supervisors will assign tasks with a very short timeline and no direction - i.e., I want this by tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. In those instances, I will ask for assistance. This example is less common than the instances when I have a larger assignment and I reach out to get started and am given a "training date" weeks away.

[Anonymous]

The VA's leadership is incompetent. Classic Peter Principle. I've noticed people become intoxicated by power and become vindictive. Honestly, many are fascists. (I know, the irony right?). They bully you, write you up for things you never did, give you the worst assignments, and actually YELL at you and publicly shame you. I have a doctorate for goodness sake! You are treated like a child, and micromanaged. It's all for their fun and because they can get away with it. There is NO ACCOUNTABILITY. The higher you go into leadership, everyone covers for each other. Employees become demoralized, we joke that "Our salaries are a little higher in lieu of humane treatment." Everyone is afraid to speak out due to retaliation.

I know someone who got hurt at work and had hearing loss. They used a policy that stated a sign language interpreter is a reasonable accommodation. Next thing you know, the policy is updated, and that section is left out. Job descriptions were updated to say "must have x amount of hearing ability." They couldn't even transfer to another position in a 50 county area because of how the job description was rewritten.
All that being said, they say "If you've seen one VA, you've seen one VA." It's the culture at the place you land, and who you are favored by. I'm leaving. Life is too short.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve worked in multiple agencies and have never experienced or heard of anything like this.

Really? This sounds like DH’s office.

Get headphones, OP. Figure stuff out yourself as much as possible, keep your head down, and look for other opportunities.

+1. Sounds like Department of Education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The VA's leadership is incompetent. Classic Peter Principle. I've noticed people become intoxicated by power and become vindictive. Honestly, many are fascists. (I know, the irony right?). They bully you, write you up for things you never did, give you the worst assignments, and actually YELL at you and publicly shame you. I have a doctorate for goodness sake! You are treated like a child, and micromanaged. It's all for their fun and because they can get away with it. There is NO ACCOUNTABILITY. The higher you go into leadership, everyone covers for each other. Employees become demoralized, we joke that "Our salaries are a little higher in lieu of humane treatment." Everyone is afraid to speak out due to retaliation.

I know someone who got hurt at work and had hearing loss. They used a policy that stated a sign language interpreter is a reasonable accommodation. Next thing you know, the policy is updated, and that section is left out. Job descriptions were updated to say "must have x amount of hearing ability." They couldn't even transfer to another position in a 50 county area because of how the job description was rewritten.
All that being said, they say "If you've seen one VA, you've seen one VA." It's the culture at the place you land, and who you are favored by. I'm leaving. Life is too short.

I don’t believe this.

A person could experience hearing loss but how would a sign language interpreter help them when the person with recent hearing loss doesn’t know ASL?

It’s not like you lose your hearing and immediately understand a new language overnight.

Fishy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
decent paying jobs in my series are rare, and they write the qualifications so specifically for the 13 and 14 that you need to have had the exact job before to even get an interview.

Fed hiring manager here. Yes, we write the qualifications specifically for the job. They are based on the position description. That doesn't mean that 100% of the hires have 100% of the experience/qualifications in my experience. I need someone that has enough relevant experience that both of us won't be frustrated and disappointed.

[Anonymous]

Some thoughts

if your coworkers have been doing the job a long time there are going to be many tasks they can do rather quickly because they are rote. They can goof off for a few hours and know they will complete their work in a ln hit or two

you can always ask to meet earlier. But it helps if you get to know them a little bit.


4 months isn’t that long compared to those who are there doing the job for years. I have done two major job transitions over the past couple of years and the first 6 months sucked and I hated it. By the 6 mth point I was at a point where I didn’t need as much support or training to get tasks done and that helped it not suck as much.

Also the truth is people who have been there a long time get annoyed when they have to train someone. Unfair but true

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you work at the IRS? this was my experience as a GS-15 there and I did not make it a year. It was AWFUL.

Well that’s disheartening about the IRS..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you please share what agency this is? I work in the USG and have never experienced anything like this.

You’ve never experienced loud coworkers who are friends talking in a hallway? I’ve worked with many of colleagues for over a decade. It’s probably a little intimidating/annoying for a new hire to walk right into our office who doesn’t understand the relationships we all have with each other. I try to not annoy the new people and be inclusive and respectful but the culture has been around longer than me, and so has the leadership. It’s easy to deal with. It’s called headphones and a door, and making some effort to be nice to people.

Ah, you sound like one of these problem employees OP mentioned. Let me guess, middled aged woman, no kids and always on a new diet or fitness routine, takes regular looooooong coffee breaks with Marge down the hall and spends half the day gossiping. Gotcha.

Nope! High achieving mom, married to high achieving dad, no time for BS and prefer to work at home. I work with some Marge’s who happen to be incredibly knowledgeable and helpful if you give them a modicum of friendly chit chat. They’re also very kind.

OP may lack the social skills necessary to get along with this group. Headphones, close the door, schedule time to get to know colleagues, work at home when allowed. That’s my advice. Also, ask the manager how to do the things you don’t have training on. That’s their job.

No need to pat yourself on the back so heartily. You recycled everyone else’s advice and disingenuously complimented Marge and friends. “They’re kind.” Ha

[Anonymous]

I had a BS quasi govt job where we got a set raise and very small bonus.

Was in person back then and could do my actual job in 1-2 hours a day after awhile. I had 5-6 hours a day free.

No reason to do more work

[Anonymous]

Sit tight until you are past your civil service probationary period and do not complain or make waves. Then, lateral out to a different location and a department, agency, or office.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I need help! I recently started work at my first federal job (recent, meaning have been here about 4 months). I absolutely hate working here and feel trapped. I was interviewed virtually so could not really get a sense of/feel for the culture of the office until I started. I knew on day one that it was a huge mistake and after doing some digging realized this agency is ranked almost dead last in those annual work surveys and I can easily see why.

… Also, management is lazy and not invested, takes really long vacations, constant long weekends and has essentially delegated "training" to my co-workers, who will assist with telling me how to do a task or training when they feel like it but not necessarily when I ask or when I need it. For example (we are hybrid a few days), I will ask for help on a task that is due the next day and instead of responding, my co-worker will schedule a meeting a week or so in advance to discuss what needs to be done to complete a task that is due today in order to avoid doing any work on a day we are working from home. The supervisors don't address these issues because essentially, they have delegated their jobs to the staff. And the result is that my professional growth here is stunted because it is dependent upon someone feeling like helping me learn these new tasks. I don't get the sense that they dislike me - it just seems like this is just how they do things and the way to not have to work too hard is to slow down information sharing and training so only they know what to do so you can't do it faster.

What can I do to survive? Just FYI, I am about 15 years out of school (so not maybe mid-career or not quite there) and generally, I do compliance work. The office is mostly paralegals but I am not one. I am miserable and honestly, am not interested in going to a new federal agency because I fear it would be much of the same.

Hmmm….mostly paralegals but not you. So, you’re an attorney perhaps? Well, that is something to be aware of when interacting with staff. They may assume until proven otherwise that you are a jerk. You’ve been there 4 months, you are still in the proving time that you are not a jerk. But you are complaining on the internet that they don’t help you enough.

They are hazing you. This is not unusual when new people start. I don’t think it is nice, but it is how it is and I’ve been new enough times to know you just get through it. Be as inoffensive as possible and use those soft skills to make friends and be likable. I don’t are if you don’t WANT to do it. They don’t WANT to train you. So figure it out - talk about what they like, ask about their kids or pets. You know how to make friends, right? Just be low key and patient; they will probably come around enough for you to learn what you need to learn.

Also, you didn’t think to research the agency before you accepted the job? That does not speak well of your work ethic and motivation. Sounds a little like you expect to be spoon fed.

Stop complaining and fix it. And maybe watch Devil Wears Prada - you’re giving off pre-Stanley Tucci talk to Andi vibes.

[Anonymous]

The government sucks & it’s time to quit!!!