I work for a nonprofit law firm, and I used to enjoy working with them because my co-workers were easy to get along with, and I felt like my work was meaningful. I wasn’t just filling the pockets of some rich guy who wanted more money, I was helping low-income people in the right direction to obtain an attorney when no one else could help them.
Ever since new upper management took over, things only went downhill from here. More than half of our staff is gone ever since our new managing attorney showed up, yet she still insists on blaming us instead of taking responsibility.
My new manager has loathed me (and my co-workers) since day one. She’s constantly looking for small non-issues to blow out of porportion and act like they’re a big deal.
I already know I’m getting fired. They haven’t told me, but it’s obvious they want me gone. They put me on probation because I “followed the directions of my old supervisors, and my new one didn’t like it”. Whenever I express my concerns, she plays the “Nuh uh, I don’t wanna hear it!” card.
Where am I supposed to go from here? I wouldn’t mind making less money than I currently make, which is $43,000 per year.
Start calling in. Use absolutely every minute of any accrued sick time. Use that time to job search and interview.
Start job hunting now. Half ass your job until they fire you.
Not a great idea for lawyers to do that. Your boss gets the fees whether your client wins or loses, but your client could lose their entire case. Law is kind of messed up that way.
To be clear, I’m not a lawyer.
You should have started prepping to leave when the problems started. IDK anything about your line of work, but most jobs are basically the same at the social level. Find a place that has a good vibe. If the atmosphere turns to shit move on. Don’t feel you power loyalty to your employer - they’re just another source of income, you don’t owe them Jack shit.
Don’t feel you power loyalty to your employer
S/power/owe/ ?
How do I make sure my next job is a better place to work?
By not getting nervous. Keep your calm.
Finding a new job takes it’s time. Maybe half a year, I don’t know. There are statistics that answer this for your region and your field. Grant the time to yourself.
Stay there if it is still bearable, but start your looking around now in all earnest, as if you were free already. If the money reservoir’s are running low, make reasonable decisions, not fearful ones.
Have you kept in touch with your old coworkers who have left? They might have positions.
My former managing attorney is looking, actually.
Call them today. Don’t wait
Bingo
You could look for another job in the nonprofit sector. Your past experience will help you. You’ve not said what your specialisation is or what exactly you do—if you’re a lawyer and want to keep lawyer-ing, I suppose you could look for another nonprofit law firm, or something like a human rights law firm.
I’m not a lawyer, I’m a receptionist/legal assistant. There are no other non-profit law firms in my area.
I write software and I’m in the same situation. My goal right now is to focus on companies that have been there a long time (20/30 years old, I shun startups).
Better if they work on an subject that is the most boring ever, stuff that will be stable for a long time.
It is subjective but I’m fed up with crazy managers who harass people because line must go up.
Thank you! And where do you find companies that have been around for a long time? Obviously, online job sites are terrible, since they’re filled with ghost jobs and scams.
Should point out: My current company has been around ever since I was born (2002), but it’s obviously not a great place to work and I know I’m not alone in feeling this way.
There is no way to do that…
So what do you do when your workplace goes to shit?
…sigh…
The only thing you can do is GTFO there.
They are not hiring an employee, you are hiring an employer. Interview them.
- if you are doing well in intervoew, ask why the position is vacant. If they say the old guy was bad that could be a red flag.
- talk to coworkers. See if there is anyone they know at another place doing similar work. References to good positions is key.
- don’t limit yourself to what you currently do. Think about what transferable skills you have and what job that might relate to.
- customize resume to the job you want, not the job you have.
How do I talk to co-workers of a job that I don’t have?
I meant talk to coworker you have right now that you trust. Maybe they have a friend that has a similar job
[off topic]
Get this book. “Discover What You Are Best At.” Linda Gail.
It’s a series of self tests to show you what talents you already have, and then a guide to jobs that need those qualities.
There might be a job you’d love that you’ve never considered.
How on earth is this off topic? It’s probably the most on-topic comment I’ve ever read on this post
I recommend this book all the time because it got me the job I love.
Other people have said I shouldn’t be pushing ‘self help books.’
I really hope everything works out for you
Make sure? Impossible.
All jobs are an experiment and a guess. Interviewers are often on their best behavior, just like candidates are. There is no way to know. Hope for the best and be ready to leave, to the best of your ability.
Good luck. Peace.
How many times have you changed jobs?
My first Adult Job (not a teenager job) lasted 4 years and ended in 2001. After that I became a freelancer. Since then, the longest gig I’ve had is 11 weeks or 1-2 weeks every 4-6 weeks for about 4 years.
I got away with that for 25 years and now I’m struggling to figure out what happens next.
Sounds quite fun. You were able to live off of freelancing, too? Not to mention, shorter gigs means more skills for your resume and more connections!
How were you able to get your start freelancing?
It has its moments, but it also led to significant terror every year, wondering whether this would be the last year people would hire me.
I started accidentally. I stockpiled cash from my IBM job, then I wrote some things about a topic that was becoming popular. Then people noticed me. Since I didn’t have to settle for another scrappy job, I could take a chance on doing a few gigs that paid good money.
Two years later, somebody identified me as The Person to write The Next Book on that topic. And then a few influential people amplified me.
And then a few more.
That was the luck I needed.
Talking to other people who work there and reading reviews can help. But the real issue is hierarchical management style is always going to be vulnerable to abuse by bad actors because your managers have near total power over you.
In the private sector the solution is worker’s coops. I’m not sure what it would be called in the nonprofit world but there are likely more democratically run organizations in a similar vein.
Another alternative is finding somewhere with a strong union. Unions can also be toxic in some ways but usually far less so than normal work power dynamics.
According to the US-Worker-COop Directory, my state doesn’t have a single democratic workplace. :(
Damn that sucks. I bet there is one somewhere though, they may not have all of them listed in once place.
idk, but if you aren’t already, make sure you’re documenting everything you can, saving any communications you can, you never know when you might need that kind of stuff
It’s not just useful for lawsuits (creating them and defending against them) — it also helps you identify early if a new job is going down the same path.
Anything that feels like a red flag, probably is, but you never know for sure until you get into it.
I worked with the nicest manager ever. He turned into a red flag 5 minutes before firing me because his boss decided that AI is good enough.
Red flags are invisible most of the time.
