I'm somewhere between Lethal Weapon and Falling Down

I knew exactly what you meant with that thread title. I think I'm constantly between the two.

Right there with you.

Is it just me?

Nope.

Save the rampage for closer to Christmas  - body count will likely be more impressive (wicked smiley emoji)

Save the rampage for closer to Christmas – body count will likely be more impressive (wicked smiley emoji)

Username checks out.

Amen.

Yeah I feel the same too. Work is a constant challenge and some of our clients are really taking the piss at the moment – we work lots in the public sector so we need to get Purchase Orders for everything (they all have 'No PO, No Pay' policies) but I am constantly asking and asking and asking so I can invoice. The really frustrating thing is that lots of the invoices are for hosting and support services but we couldn't really just switch them off otherwise members of the public wouldn't be able to access important information. One client was asked for a PO two months ago, they ignore all reminders, never answer their phone and the hosting has now expired (but we need to keep the site live at our own cost). FFS

That’s exactly where I was a year ago, so I retried.

That’s exactly where I was a year ago, so I retried.

If at first you don't succeed

I spend a lot of time between

And

That’s exactly where I was a year ago, so I retried.

I wish I could afford to.

I wish I could afford to.

same here :-/

My wife is at this point - but it's just me and my dog at my work though so I'm far more chilled!

Work is a constant challenge and some of our clients are really taking the piss at the moment – we work lots in the public sector so we need to get Purchase Orders for everything (they all have ‘No PO, No Pay’ policies) but I am constantly asking and asking and asking so I can invoice.

We provide a service to the NHS, and have a similar problem. Some trusts/health boards are brilliant and sort things weeks or months in advance, but some are utterly useless and we can end up providing the service essentially at no charge for up to 6 months before we get paid for it. And just turning it off isn't an option if we want to maintain the trust of our clients and remain a going concern.

And just turning it off isn’t an option if we want to maintain the trust of our clients and remain a going concern.

Exactly 🙁

Is it just me? Back to work after a week off and I’m already somewhere between “I’m too old for this shit” and a full on gun toting rampage* at all the petty stupidity, ass covering and pointless rules and processes that make doing the actual job next to impossible.

I feel just the same. Constant "process streamlining" that is supposed to make things easier but actually adds complexity, people that shirk responsibility by 'delegating', decisions made by people that don't have any experience in the field but have the power to force change through, a 'speak up' culture that doesn't really care and doesn't listen if you do speak up. It just goes on and on.
18 months left on the mortgage then I will be looking to 'retire', maybe getting a nice part-time job to cover some of the bills and riding bikes.

decisions made by people that don’t have any experience in the field but have the power to force change through

One of the worst IT systems I've ever had the misfortune to use was foisted on us in exactly that manner. By a person who barely knew one end of a laptop from the other.

* the full on gun toting rampage is obviously an over exaggeration for overly dramatic effect. Though I’m still in time for a McDonald’s breakfast….

I feel like employing such a method every time someone sits on a train playing music through their phone lousdpeaker.

I treat work the same as I do politics and pretend I'm an invisible observer looking on in amusement and astonishment at how ridiculous it all is. I leave the senior people to play their political games, laugh at the corporate clones spend all their time reaching out and leaning in, and ignore the young upstarts who spend all their time telling you how to do a job you've been doing twenty years. Sometimes in meetings I ask the organiser if I'm allowed to speak English or if they expect Corporanto and they often have no idea what I'm talking about. No doubt they think all think I'm a grumpy old man but hey-ho.

I'm almost constantly in this state, but my job/role means that I need to have people work with me rather than being forced to do something they don't like/understand/want to do. It's caused me an incredible stress over the 18 years I have been doing this and one of the reasons I have been slowly sinking into depression for the last, well, nearly all of those years.

The coasters up there ^^^ are actually a sad indictment of my current mental state. My local GP wants to try and make me happy again and, whilst I value her attempts and aims, I genuinely do not think that is possible in this job/industry and where I am in my life right now. She means well though.

All part of transitioning from early middle age to Curmudgeon.

How did you manage 14 years of Conservative rule?

I retried (sic) recently, keep heading towards the light 🙂

It’s caused me an incredible stress over the 18 years I have been doing this and one of the reasons I have been slowly sinking into depression for the last, well, nearly all of those years.

18 years in a job that makes you feel that way? There must be some aspects of the job you like to make you stay that long.

My niece is similar though - she's over 10 years in Child Social services and she seems to be in a constant daze, and she's not even paid that well. She's a bright person though with a 1st from Warwick Uni and could easily get something else but the job seems to have a tie on her.

Redundancies announced this morning, lovely news in the run up to Xmas.

Senior management unscathed of course.

At least you can't get fired for swearing at people now...

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/nov/05/swearing-work-common-north-england-judge

Danny Glover was 40 when he was too old for this shit...

Me and my missus are about here as well. Almost got the mortgage cleared and then we'll have a serious think about what's next - having a toddler does complicate that though!

Voluntarily choosing to have a McDonalds breakfast is a clear sign of poor mental health...

I’m somewhere between Lethal Weapon...

Just let us know when you're about to do that weird thing with his fringe and crossing his eyes that Mel G thought made him look dangerous and maaad...

it’s just me and my dog

Did you buy shares in Kia-Ora?

I wish I could afford to.

I wasn’t sure I could but knew I couldn’t continue. I know I am fortunate with my pension and that they agreed to pay out but it was still a risk. Going early meant I still had to clear some stuff from my lump that I wouldn’t have had I waited a few more years. However, my life now is way better than when I working, I live a within my means which is still a good lifestyle. Best of all though is everyday is my day to do as I please, I can say yes to any events I fancy going to or invited to and I can take up hobbies that I didn’t have time to commit to.

Failing Weapon? I’m three weeks in to a new job so still slightly in the honeymoon period though elements of the workforce are already starting to push my buttons. I’m already preparing a mental list (note, never write it down…)

You know D-FENS is the bad guy right?

Voluntarily choosing to have a McDonalds breakfast is a clear sign of poor mental health…

It’s proven science that removing the butter, cheese and one of the top/bottom buns from a Sausage McMuffin provides the perfect carbs to protein ratio.

All part of transitioning from early middle age to Curmudgeon.

Oi, I resemble that comment.

I often think I'm about to have a Lethal Fall.

It's an age thing.

The literalist in me decided to find a film released about mid-way between Lethal Weapon (March 6, 1987) and Falling Down (February 26, 1993) which by my reckoning is about September 1990...

So OP are feeling more 'Goodfellas' or 'Postcards from the Edge'?

Of course any thread that brings up Mel Gibson always include:

chakaping

Redundancies announced this morning, lovely news in the run up to Xmas.

Senior management unscathed of course.

This was me 3 years ago next week, luckily I had 31 years service and they offered a bloody good package. Hope its not really bad news for you?

Absolutely - a combination of brexit, Boris, covid, Trump, work issues and getting old. I'm not sure where the causal percentage splits are, I just know I annoy myself sometimes, let alone Mrs P and Juniors P being a grumpy bugger! Riding bikes is always the the right fall back treatment.

Danny Glover was 40 when he was too old for this shit…

It's a well known phenomenon that people in the 70s/80s looked about 25 years older than they actually were. When watching movies of those eras me and the Mrs play a game where we try to guess the age of the actors at the time then look it up on wikipedia.

Postcards from the Edge is probably an apt option too.

The coasters up there ^^^ are actually a sad indictment of my current mental state. My local GP wants to try and make me happy again and, whilst I value her attempts and aims, I genuinely do not think that is possible in this job/industry and where I am in my life right now. She means well though.

I did enjoy zippykonas stealth ad, but you have my sympathy on the rest. Can't bear to stay, can't risk the consequences of leaving. It has undoubtedly got worse now the possibility of a retriement (sic) is only 5 years away.

I used to be "You've got mail" now I am more

Danny Glover was 40 when he was too old for this shit…

Actors are known to play characters that are considerably younger or older than they are.

I can sympathise with the OP and everyone else. In a job that pays well but I really don't enjoy with no feasible way out. I  pretty much dread every day and have a short fuse which is driven by anger and desperation.

C'mon guys remember when everyone loved their jobs! Wonderful beautiful strivers, who couldn't wait to get on the internet and tell everyone else how great it all is and what it's like to live in this land of milk and honey, full of endless opportunity for all.

Where did it all go wrong 😀

I've worked with people who have told me they would carry on working if they won the lottery. Absolute ****s.

@chestercopperpot you've just described LinkedIn. A social media platform for lying bastards!

It’s not just you. Work turns almost everyone into an idiot but we mostly all still agree to play the silly game of pretending it’s all alright rather than saying it like it is.

you’ve just described LinkedIn. A social media platform for lying bastards!

Not just lying bastards shills and manipulative ****s who benefit from the generally awful state of employment and hateful ****s you are forced to deal with in this country.

it’s all alright rather than saying it like it is

It's all alright until they have some form of metal or physical breakdown.

Not just that all the people who mysteriously move jobs and act like it's a promotion (what they wanted) when what actually happened was the working conditions at a previous employer were eroded/became so intolerable they moved on or were pushed out.

Riding bikes is always the the right fall back treatment.

I've realised this too but also that it's might be a bit of a crutch; a sticking plaster that stops you from forcing yourself to do fix underlying things.

a sticking plaster that stops you from forcing yourself to do fix underlying things.

Potentially very accurate

C’mon guys remember when everyone loved their jobs!

Well, I really enjoyed my last job, it was something I was good at, it was stress-free, the working environment and hours suited me, and I’d still be doing it if the business was still going. I do seriously miss not working there.
For clarity, I worked on a sub-contract at Cazoo, that they’d inherited that involved applying the livery decals to AA and BSM school of motoring cars, then removing the decals at the end of the car’s working life. Here’s a couple I prepared earlier…

LOL - I enjoyed my last job too - taxi driver to (mostly) cycle tourists and dealing with bike hire. Great colleagues, relaxed vibe, even the general public were OK to deal with as they were on holiday and pretty unstressed. I got to drive round Scotland, engage in some pleasant chatter and stop off for lunch etc in some lovely locations.

C’mon guys remember when everyone loved their jobs!

I loved my job but unfortunately it created me mental health issues so it was me or the job. Best thing I did was retire.