Work and social awkwardness

[Axler]

The work I'm doing now is inbound call centre work for AAA. Every damn call today makes my heart pound in my chest and it's all I can do to keep my throat from constricting giving me away.
I need this job but I'm losing it. My Coworkers have actually been quite supportive but I still feel like I'm letting everyone down.
I'm either anxious or angry that the callers didn't think to have the right info ready while they were on hold. Not the best for customer service.
I'm out of sick days and I'm barely hanging on. I am looking for something else but it took me three months to get this job.
Do you have troubles keeping jobs? Or even finding something that makes you comfortable enough to stay?

 

[On the Inside]

that sounds rough, welcome to the forum. i have had couple of jobs that i was poorly suited for, i didn't last long at them, largely for social/anxiety reasons. since then, i've been fortunate that my interests have led me to employment, and that those skills along with my school experience have allowed me to have a career that largely plays to my strengths. as i've gotten older, though, the need to be more social and network to move ahead has grown and i find that my awkwardness and anxiety holds me back.

not sure how much i want to tackle improving on that.

 

[Harrison]

The work I'm doing now is inbound call centre work for AAA. Every damn call today makes my heart pound in my chest and it's all I can do to keep my throat from constricting giving me away.
I need this job but I'm losing it. My Coworkers have actually been quite supportive but I still feel like I'm letting everyone down.
I'm either anxious or angry that the callers didn't think to have the right info ready while they were on hold. Not the best for customer service.
I'm out of sick days and I'm barely hanging on. I am looking for something else but it took me three months to get this job.
Do you have troubles keeping jobs? Or even finding something that makes you comfortable enough to stay?

I work for the AA, the UK version. Although I'm not in the call centre (I'm one of the recovery guys) I do have to deal with the folks that break down. Often they will not have the information I need either, when I started this was a source of anxiety for me too. I got around it by 'scripting' as many possible variations to my questions as possible. It worked a treat. I love the work I do, so being able to do it without stress is awesome.

 

[Progster]

You're not alone in this!

I once had a job in sales and customer service, and on the first day, the boss gave me a long list with client details and asked me to call them and introduce myself. I had two problems: firstly, I didn't see what the point of doing it was. I'm a very private person and I don't like people calling me without a good reason and a specific valid purpose. Calling people to introduce myself didn't seem like a valid reason to me. It was very hard for me psychologically to do to others what I so hated being done to me.

Also, I didn't know what to say - I spend ages trying to think of a script I could use that would satisfy my criteria of having to have a valid reason for calling, and the boss's criteria of introducing myself. In the end it went something like this: I phone, and as soon as they answer "Hi, my name is X and I'm your new company Y representative, please feel free to call me if you need any of our services" and then waited for them to thank me and hoped that they wouldn't have any further questions, and quickly put the phone down. But I found the whole thing so daunting, I was terrified to phone, shaking with anxiety and I hated it. I think I managed about 5 of the 50 or so clients, and I didn't do the rest, found something else to do and hoped the boss wouldn't notice. Not surprisingly, I didn't keep this job long.

I hope you manage to find a new job that you feel better suited to.

 

[Elemental]

That sounds like hell to me; well done for sticking it thus far! Someone I know irl who is AS had the same job & described it & I couldn't have coped with any of it myself. I managed my jobs by choosing ones where either I worked solo like cleaning premises out-of-hours or I did catering jobs within a small environment or I chose night shifts over day ones in factory packing jobs. Jobs I had that were hard to cope with like being a checkout assistant, on days I couldn't cope I coped by using alcohol but my checkout was like my walled domain so I could cope with it most the time although I wouldn't chose that type of job again. Best job ever was in voluntary, helping with adult literacy: myself & another person working in a small group similarly paired, listening & helping with letters in reading & writing. One job was a key-holding post cleaning a disability attendance center & the building was mainly empty although some days I would see staff & service users. I liked that job; I worked solo, cleaning the whole place over a 3 hour shift each night & it was a large area, so quite physical work although I was getting tendonitis in my ankle by the end. Sadly, they discovered I had dyed my hair in one of the bathrooms after-hours one night & that, coupled with the fact that I had been busted by the Sunday morning Quaker meeting using the place six months before, whilst seeking refuge in the center as an emergency place to stay, didn't help because how ever you look at it, that constituted a severe Breach of Trust. So sometimes I coped with work & other times I didn't

 

[Axler]

Thanks for the replies, it does make me feel better knowing that I'm not alone with these challenges. I'm applying for a junior application dev with the same company in the hopes that once I get a nice job working alone just me and a computer, I'll be... Better.
I'm glad I found this forum, you have all been very welcoming and it's just nice to not feel like I'm the only alien on earth.

 

[Neramo]

The work I'm doing now is inbound call centre work for AAA. Every damn call today makes my heart pound in my chest and it's all I can do to keep my throat from constricting giving me away.
I need this job but I'm losing it. My Coworkers have actually been quite supportive but I still feel like I'm letting everyone down.
I'm either anxious or angry that the callers didn't think to have the right info ready while they were on hold. Not the best for customer service.
I'm out of sick days and I'm barely hanging on. I am looking for something else but it took me three months to get this job.
Do you have troubles keeping jobs? Or even finding something that makes you comfortable enough to stay?

Don't have a problem keeping jobs. Part of my work is support. Usually gets angy the 5 first minutes when someone calls, but manages to calm down as soon as i answer the calls. Aslong as people aren't angry, it usually goes ok But i have quit jobs earlier, because they weren't good for me. Hard to recommend others to quit their jobs though, since there's much difference on social services from country to country. Don't think you should worry about letting other people down, if you find another job.

 

[clg114]

I was very lucky with my work career. I have only had four jobs in 45 years, one of them for 26 years. I am 100% convinced that this was due to the fact that I almost always worked alone. I had very little contact with people, coworkers or customers. When I did have to talk to someone, it was about something that I knew a lot about. It was the perfect situation for someone like me.

 

[Kari Suttle]

The work I'm doing now is inbound call centre work for AAA. Every damn call today makes my heart pound in my chest and it's all I can do to keep my throat from constricting giving me away.
I need this job but I'm losing it. My Coworkers have actually been quite supportive but I still feel like I'm letting everyone down.
I'm either anxious or angry that the callers didn't think to have the right info ready while they were on hold. Not the best for customer service.
I'm out of sick days and I'm barely hanging on. I am looking for something else but it took me three months to get this job.
Do you have troubles keeping jobs? Or even finding something that makes you comfortable enough to stay?

Thanks for the replies, it does make me feel better knowing that I'm not alone with these challenges. I'm applying for a junior application dev with the same company in the hopes that once I get a nice job working alone just me and a computer, I'll be... Better.
I'm glad I found this forum, you have all been very welcoming and it's just nice to not feel like I'm the only alien on earth.

How is everything? Were you able to get the position you applied for? My job gives me a lot of anxiety too cause i'm a cashier. I find scripting helps me a lot.

 

[Axler]

I'm on my last week doing call center work. Never again. Humanity distilled down and pushed into my ear. I didn't get the position I applied for earlier but I have also applied at a warehouse since. I'm hoping something physical and somewhat solitary will be more of what I need right now. My other option is trying to claim disability, and that is kinda tempting. I just want to be alone. If I don't get the warehouse job I may be going that direction. I refuse to do this to myself another week.
Thanks for asking. Thanks for caring. Thanks.

 

[Axler]

I thought I had rocked the interview, it lasted two hours and we talked the entire time. He said he would call me back to let me know either way. No calls. I'm done with call centre work, I hate not having a job but, I quit. Unemployment appears to be in my future.
More interviews, more strangers. More of, Let's pretend to fit and see if I can survive. Girlfriend is supportive so far but that will change when the fridge is empty and rent is due.

 

[The Penguin]

I do have issues trying to keep jobs. I been on welfare and unemployment too many times. Sometimes I can be a big burden for employers because it take me longer to learn things. But once I get it, I can preform as well as other normal people. The problem is, most employers will not be accommodating.

There was one full time job I went on sick leave for 7 days. I told the employer last minute. It was just a stressful period at work and I felt they was not accommodating.

 

[Lee954]

I've never had a job; I'd really like one so that I'd get out of the house more of the time and meet people.

 

[Walsie]

I thought I had rocked the interview, it lasted two hours and we talked the entire time. He said he would call me back to let me know either way. No calls. I'm done with call centre work, I hate not having a job but, I quit. Unemployment appears to be in my future.
More interviews, more strangers. More of, Let's pretend to fit and see if I can survive. Girlfriend is supportive so far but that will change when the fridge is empty and rent is due.

That sucks when that happens. Any luck since then?

 

[Axler]

I have had and lost two more jobs since. A warehouse and delivery driver. Both were lost after suffering meltdowns at the worst times. I can keep most of it inside but when tears start to pour out through the artificial smile, questions are asked. I'm waiting on unemployment but cheques are bouncing. I can't even afford my meds. That's going to be an issue in a week when I run out.
I have no job, no money, and I am running out of hope.

 

[toothless]

I have had and lost two more jobs since. A warehouse and delivery driver. Both were lost after suffering meltdowns at the worst times. I can keep most of it inside but when tears start to pour out through the artificial smile, questions are asked. I'm waiting on unemployment but cheques are bouncing. I can't even afford my meds. That's going to be an issue in a week when I run out.
I have no job, no money, and I am running out of hope.

im sorry i do not know what to say with your situation,but i feel i must say something so you know your not on your own for support.
is there any charities or grants that can help out?

i hope you get awarded disability as soon as possible its awful what they put desperate people through, i also know america takes a lot longer to get disability benefits as well and you guys need to get law specialists involved dont you?
i couldnt imagine being in your situation and i have a lot of sympathy for you and other people with the same sort of problems,i have it easy compared to you ill always have my housing and money sorted as im considered extremely vulnerable. i hope something is worked out soon,it must be a lot of stress on your mental health,not that the government has ever gave a damn about that.