Not enough to do at work

There are times at work where I find myself sitting there not doing anything and it gets me down when it happens.

Some background: 

I work for a large organisation. I work in the comms team, made up of about 15 people, some have left due to a re-shuffle. My job specifically is working with a press officer (let's call him Chuck!) who is visually impaired and needs someone to work with him. I'm the third assistant he's had, previous were both men. 

My previous job was a social media, marketing esque job that I enjoyed but had to leave (I'll probably go into that another time) but I enjoyed the nature of the job. I liked the creative aspect of it. 

I get to do some things that are somewhat creative. In particular we'll go take some photos or film people for a story and I enjoy the video side of it. I actually enjoy video editing, as time consuming as it can be! I also do some social media which can be fun, but also tedious.

But aside from that? It's... Fine, I guess. I prep a press release here and there, find a phone number, upload an already written blog post, spellcheck stuff. Not fulfilling for me.

There are some days (like today) where I have barely anything to do. If I do do something it's something that takes a minute. It makes me feel useless and not needed. On top of that it's boring and I feel unprofessional. I find myself scrolling through social media or doodling most of the time. It makes me uncomfortable. 

This did lead me to have what I guess you would call a breakdown a few months ago. I'd been on hormonal medication that was making me feel off for a while but things just quickly escalated and I blew up. So they know it's an issue for me, but not much has been done about it. They also know I'm Autistic. 

When I enjoy my job, I really do enjoy it. I like working with Chuck, I like (most) of my colleagues, I get to wear what I want (very important to me!) and so on. 

I'm just wondering what I can do? It really does get me down when it happens. I wish the way I work could be different. There's no structure, I never know what I'm gonna do that day, which is not great for an Autistic person. 

(Sorry I know this was long!!)

Parents
  • I absolutely HATE not having anything to do at work! Most of the time when I’m on shift I’m in a Nursing home and they are always very busy, so there’s plenty to keep me occupied all shift. But sometimes I get sent to a residential home where there’s not as much to do, I just end up feeling bored and restless. Once I’ve done everything that I can possibly find to do I end up at such a loose end. Sometimes I end up cleaning or reorganising just for something to do, or pacing! 

    Do you think perhaps that your job isn’t challenging enough for you? Do you need to look for a job that stretches you a bit more in order to feel fulfilled at work?

Reply
  • I absolutely HATE not having anything to do at work! Most of the time when I’m on shift I’m in a Nursing home and they are always very busy, so there’s plenty to keep me occupied all shift. But sometimes I get sent to a residential home where there’s not as much to do, I just end up feeling bored and restless. Once I’ve done everything that I can possibly find to do I end up at such a loose end. Sometimes I end up cleaning or reorganising just for something to do, or pacing! 

    Do you think perhaps that your job isn’t challenging enough for you? Do you need to look for a job that stretches you a bit more in order to feel fulfilled at work?

Children
  • Yeah I hate not having to do anything at work. I just feel wrong and I get paranoid that everybody around me is like "She's not doing anything again!" Even though it's not really my fault.

    I have thought that maybe I should look for a different job. I have looked every now and again but haven't found anything. I'll keep looking though! Relaxed