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Should I hand in my notice?

Hope

I am after some advice. I have a part time job which involves a lot of social activities and organisation. I have been in the job on supported employment for almost three years. The first two years were productive, I felt I was doing the job well, and I got some positive feedback. But lately my supervisor has told me that things are not going well with the job, that she has received some negative feedback from clients about my lack of organisation - emails not being followed through, things being forgotten about, inability to deal with group dynamics. My work, in fact, helps other people with disabilities, but it is a very social role, the job expectations often change, and there is little structure.

For the last 6 months I have been feeling very demoralised with my job, and feeling as though I do not enjoy the work anymore. After today's supervision, where the supervisor said I have 3 months to improve or I may lose my job, I am considering handing in my notice. I would rather make the decision to leave the job myself instead of it being made for me. I don't know if I can turn things around in 3 months, and do not want to create any extra stress for myself. I would like to look for other jobs that better reflect my abilities. I have been told that I am forgetful and scatty and that this is putting my job at risk. Well, I cannot help being this way, and they do know I have Asperger's. Also, two of our clients irritate me because they complain about what I do all the time, and they are the ones who have put my job at risk through their complaints. I therefore harbour a degree of resentment towards them, which is not healthy, but I have to repress this resentment at work.

How can I hand in my notice? Do you think this is a good idea? I don't need to have secured another job in the meantime because I am financially secure.

Parents

  • Hi Hope

    Regarding the hours of work, I'm afraid my interpretation of evening meetings would have been meetings starting around 1830-1930, so that people attending can get home from work during the day and then go back out for them.  Your employer could and should have been more clear about how late you would be expected to be available though.  "Evening meetings" is ambiguous.  I'm surprised to hear of a council-funded charity for people with disabilities doing anything outside 9-5 Monday-Friday though, based upon my experience where I live.  Most "services" here conveniently ignore the fact that disabled people may actually have to work during the day.

    Whilst I'd agree that it's better to go voluntarily than be forced, I've been told that it's easier to find work if you are already in work.  I guess that prospective employers may think that you can clearly work because you are so you're going for their job because you really want it, rather than wondering whether you can work and if you're going for their job because you're unemployed so really need it.  To be cynically optimistic, if your current employer wants to get rid of you but you appear stubbornly determined to keep working then that may work in your favour when it comes to them writing a reference too.  That is, if they do want to get rid of you it's in their interests to help you find something else to save them the hassle.  Leaving voluntarily too soon may make it harder to find another job, and it may well get even harder if you end up out of work for a while.

    If your employer is "disability-friendly" (and especially if they subscribe to the "Two-Ticks" scheme) then they should also look at whether it is possible to redeploy you to another role if you do become "unable" to do your current job because of a disability.  This may be something to look at before handing in your notice.

    To be more positive though, with Aspergers Syndrome you almost certainly have some useful skills/abilities and a lot of determination to offer.  If you can find a position that makes use of them then the employer will probably not care much about the "deficits".  Work shouldn't be about slogging it out, it should be something fulfilling.  If you are financially secure enough not to need another job immediately, that may well also mean that you can be more flexible about what you look for to start with so that you can find something more suited to you, perhaps even self-employed.  

    From a pragmatic point of view, I would strongly advise you to have an advocate of some kind or (if you have one) Union rep with you at meetings with your employer.  Aside from  meaning that you have a witness for anything that they say this could influence their behaviour, especially if it is somebody external to the employer.

Reply

  • Hi Hope

    Regarding the hours of work, I'm afraid my interpretation of evening meetings would have been meetings starting around 1830-1930, so that people attending can get home from work during the day and then go back out for them.  Your employer could and should have been more clear about how late you would be expected to be available though.  "Evening meetings" is ambiguous.  I'm surprised to hear of a council-funded charity for people with disabilities doing anything outside 9-5 Monday-Friday though, based upon my experience where I live.  Most "services" here conveniently ignore the fact that disabled people may actually have to work during the day.

    Whilst I'd agree that it's better to go voluntarily than be forced, I've been told that it's easier to find work if you are already in work.  I guess that prospective employers may think that you can clearly work because you are so you're going for their job because you really want it, rather than wondering whether you can work and if you're going for their job because you're unemployed so really need it.  To be cynically optimistic, if your current employer wants to get rid of you but you appear stubbornly determined to keep working then that may work in your favour when it comes to them writing a reference too.  That is, if they do want to get rid of you it's in their interests to help you find something else to save them the hassle.  Leaving voluntarily too soon may make it harder to find another job, and it may well get even harder if you end up out of work for a while.

    If your employer is "disability-friendly" (and especially if they subscribe to the "Two-Ticks" scheme) then they should also look at whether it is possible to redeploy you to another role if you do become "unable" to do your current job because of a disability.  This may be something to look at before handing in your notice.

    To be more positive though, with Aspergers Syndrome you almost certainly have some useful skills/abilities and a lot of determination to offer.  If you can find a position that makes use of them then the employer will probably not care much about the "deficits".  Work shouldn't be about slogging it out, it should be something fulfilling.  If you are financially secure enough not to need another job immediately, that may well also mean that you can be more flexible about what you look for to start with so that you can find something more suited to you, perhaps even self-employed.  

    From a pragmatic point of view, I would strongly advise you to have an advocate of some kind or (if you have one) Union rep with you at meetings with your employer.  Aside from  meaning that you have a witness for anything that they say this could influence their behaviour, especially if it is somebody external to the employer.

Children
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