ok, had a meltdown at the odious job last night
Not sure how to go forward from here. It's been a couple months now where just the thought of going to that job leaves me nauseous. I really wish they'd just fire me.
I've now joined the rest of my manager's group in a "Personal Improvement Plan." The only person not on one is her mini-me lead CSR; they are both passive-aggressive, nit-picky, fuss-budgety, nothing is ever good enough types that annoy the hell out of everybody except each other.
This meant an hour long meeting with her sitting next to me listening in on calls and picking them apart. Nothing is ever good enough -- even if it is perfect by the quality standards -- unless it is her style, which is to say obsequious, salesly, and what we used to call giving a corporate blow job. I'm not paid enough for that; even if I were, I simply can't lower myself to it.
Anyway, her vibes piss people off (me included) and sitting in close proximity with her picking, picking, picking left me in a touchy mood and stuffing crackers into my face. Finally she left, only to return 3 times. Apparently sitting with me for an hour wasn't enough, she then sat and listened in on calls from her desk and returned with more picky, picky, picky.
Finally peace for a couple hours, and then 5-10 minutes before closing I get a call from a 1%er who wants to do 30+ minutes worth of work at the last minute, can't decide what she wants, changes her mind halfway through it so I have to undo and redo, and then, 20 minutes after closing wants to bring her brother on the phone so I can go through the same shit with him. I told her the systems were going to shut down any time and suggested they call back on Monday.
And once I finally got rid of her, I started ranting while packing up to get the eff out of there. The manager's mini-me, who is less than half my age, started scolding me 
and then the manager came over and tried to calm me down. I just cannot stand that place any more. I get *every* last minute call -- every effing one of them. I have the furthest drive by far, plus a farm to care for. I didn't sign on to stay until 10:30 or 11:00pm because assholes who think that because the hours are until 10pm they can call a couple minutes (or even seconds) before 10 and force us to wait on them for effing ever. Half the time, it's people who are pissed off and I find myself getting screamed at for half an hour and then hung up on.
I'm already nauseous at the thought of going back there on Monday.
But I need the money. So I'm getting a little drunk tonight.
= new reply since forum marked as read
really would like to get enough MLT work to dump this job. I'm praying that ACA will up the business at my hospital...
I'm finally getting pretty good at MLT and even my nemesis, the lead chemistry tech, is starting to treat me like part of the group. In fact, for the first time after 2 1/2 years of refusing to speak to me, she actually chatted with me over lunch today 
We run the tests on your blood, pee, poop, etc. Maintain the analyzers and instruments, do the CBC differentials, etc. Occasionally will show up in the ER to draw blood if the lab assistant/phlebotomist isn't available or the ED nurses can't get it.
When I couldn't get decent work after my career crashed, in my mid-50s I optimistically went back to school because 1. I had always been good and science and math and 2. employment was supposedly 100% and growing, so I figured I'd have a chance to get hired at something decent for my last decade or so of workingg. I graduated summa cum laude, only to discover that #2 was a barefaced lie. 
But now that I'm getting decent at it and not getting screamed at by my nemesis or stalked by the brain-damaged janitor that fixated on me my 1st year, I actually look forward to going there. It's hard work, sometimes terrifying (especially when I'm in the lab alone) but usually pretty rewarding.
I had one of them insist that he stand over my shoulder for the entire hour I spent working on one of his rep's machines, even though he had no idea wtf I was doing. He kept doing the "What's that!? What's that!?" thing...
Then, when I said that I had to go to the bathroom, he said nervously, "You're going to come back and finish that machine, right!?" *Sigh... No, I'm going to slip through the window or something and run away. 
You have my sympathies.
if you slipped through the window and ran away, you probably wouldn't be his first escapee! 
It comes in all variety of jobs, and it when your livelihood depends on working with the public over the phone, I imagine you can feel that you are wedged between BOOK-ENDS of insanity.
Maybe this is a good time to make a plan… Anything that can get you in motion to another similar situation that is more tolerable? Are you young enough to find another path?
Here's to you… 
