I would greatly appreciate any advice anyone can give me.*
At the start of last year I moved into a new department at work (I’m a civil servant), this was a more prestigious post and a promotion. I hated it from day one, it just wasn’t for me and was a huge mistake. I stuck it out on the understanding that after two years I could move back to my previous department, however I subsequently found out that I had been misinformed and this was not the case, that there would be no movements for the forseeable future.
This combined with other factors caused me to go off sick with subsequently diagnosed depression exacerbated by working conditions in my new department. I made it clear to the authorities that I wanted to get back to work as soon as possible but not in the department I’m currently working in.
A couple of months later after trying all internal avenues I’ve again been informed that there will be no transfers out of my current department. I intended to start back at work on Monday in the belief that although not immediate a transfer would happen at a future time. This news has left me sick to the stomach and I’m unsure what to do, I want to work, just not in my current department.
Any help or advice is greatly appreciated.
*Please don’t post any nasty comments, I really don’t need them.
So, this thread was posted 2 days ago and no one’s responded? That has to say something. I think it’s impossible to post without saying something that would be construed as negative. Furthermore, I think you know the answer to your own question, you just don’t like them because they all suck in some form or another.
Really what choices do you have? 1) Go back to work and make yourself miserable, while trying to find another avenue. 2) Don’t go back and find a job elsewhere.
Here’s the thing about going back that you need to try to get a handle on… if you’re being labeled as unfit, or as a complainer, or as generally not an asset to the team; then that will become a self defeating problem. Meaning of course no one is going to intentionally take on a problem employee into a new department.
If you want to remain a civil servant, I would think the best thing to do would be to find a way to work through your miserable job, do it well enough to improve your reputation, then try transferring.
You’re going to have to be more specific as to what your current department and work load entails and what your previous department and work load entails. Without any reference points, we can’t help. It’s like telling your doctor that you have pain. Even if you’re very specific, different people have different thresholds.
Is there the possibility that other posts in other teams will come up in the near future that you could apply for? So, not a transfer per se, but if openings arise in due course, and the new team want you, a deal could presumably be struck. (This might vary depending on where you are, but civil services tend to be willing to work with you a bit, especially if you’re being made ill by your job.) Did they explain why you apparently can’t transfer out? Is it a timing thing? It’s not unusual for teams to say new people should stay for a while, as a general rule, but that’s generally not meant to be for ever!
Is there a union where you work that you can seek advice from? (In the UK, there would be, but I don’t know where you are…) The important thing is not to panic. You’re not going to be stuck in this job for ever.