Yes, everyone says go find another job...just get out etc. It's not that easy---it's not easy to just up and find some new great endeavor. I really wanted to work here for a good portion of my life and oddly things fell into place. I'm sad that the environment now has sabotaged friendships and has brought a level of depression and discontentment to the workplace like never before. I'm trying to do my best but it will never be enough. I just hurt for me and others...
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Need to move on my friend. I wish I could say things will get better, but too many of my friends were top half performers over most of their career, then dropped to bottom third (or PIP'ed) in their mid-late 40's. I was a pretty senior leader and I was stunned to see how callous top management was. I was able to retire recently, but the company that I enjoyed working for no longer exists. Life's too short ... find something better and move on
Get out of there if at all possible! Take it from me, the longer you stay in a toxic environment, the harder it is to see clearly and more likely you’ll be adversely affected.
My cousin works at a psychiatric office and he says based on what he had heard from patients, he would never allow someone he cares for work at EM. He says EM pays their bills because so many of their patients work there. It is a toxic breeding ground for disease. That’s not even mentioning the physical toll that comes from constant stress and uncertainty.
I took a 2 week vacation this year because I was so exhausted and stressed. I decided to truly put work out of my mind and act as if I was retired or unemployed (but financially secure). It was the best, most enlightening 2 weeks I’ve had in a long time. I felt like a weight had been lifted. I realized I had no choice. I had to leave EM. I quit shortly thereafter. It’s was tough financially because I needed to recover before looking for another job. After a few months, I finally felt like myself again. I found a new job and I’m doing better than I ever had at EM.
Do whatever you can to leave. You will not regret it. You’ll wonder why you waited so long. I promise.
I know who you are and you are one of the most awesome individuals I have ever meet. Don't let this place or anyone else ever define you!! You are strong and they are not worth it! You define you and you are genuinely an incredible human. Sc--w them!!
I understand your position. After working at EM for over 20 years, I’ve seen the toll this place has taken on people even when times were “good”. Leave or get PIPd for your own sanity. Every single person I know who has left or been pushed out has ultimately been better off. Initially, they were scared but once they had been out of the company for a while they gained some clarity. They were able to see the full effect that toxic environment had on them and they realized they are healthier, happier, and much better off. It’s like any dysfunctional situation, you can’t fully appreciate its damage until you are out. PLEASE, do not let this place bring you further down. It isn’t worth it.
Please call your local health provider or help line, as necessary. Lots of good resources out there
Hang tight @OP, no job is worth that much worry.
(P.S. I was kinda hoping you are just pulling our leg as Skankhunt42 is the name of an fictional character from South Park - internet troll and cyberbully in season twenty).
You need to talk to people you love and trust. Talk and let it out. Make sure you have a strong network of loving people and consult them.
There is light at the end of the tunnel so please seek the help you need and get better.
ExxonMobil isn’t going to help you. But you will find something new that will work.
Never give up, you are too precious.
...You wanted to work in EM for a good portion of your life....?
Well, you might want to start reexamining this. What made you think that spending a good portion of your life working for the same employer is good for you?
- Financially, it is not a good idea. Unless you are in the executive potential bracket, if you change employment frequently (every 4-5 years) you will come ahead.
- The world is changing rapidly. Hot companies today might disappear tomorrow. Hello Facebook, down 70% and trying to catch up with TikTok, Roblox and Discord.
- Working in a depressive workplace is, naturally, depressing because negative moods are contagious. If you joined EM hoping to find a positive mood, and you now find a negative mood, then you have two options: 1) change your mood or 2) change your workplace.
Your next job doesn't have to be perfect. It is more than enough if it get you out of your misery and lifts your mood and it serves as stepping stone to the next one.
Please seek help. It will get better one day.
It hurts unbelievably...especially the friends that have turned their backs. I'm trying to get help and keep a positive attitude. I was so excited to work here because it was "my dream job". 💔
@OP, Darren is that you?
working at XOM put me in the same headspace as you are right now and I know it is genuinely miserable
my advice: do your absolute best to get PIPed, it is a massive understatement to say that it is not easy to find a new job where you are at right now, it's virtually impossible especially because of the mental exhaustion from working there
I got PIPed (which I'd been hoping for for over a year) and I was able to decompress and fully dedicate myself to the job search, I did not think it was possible to get out of the funk I was in at XOM but it is and life is so good now
I hear you, and many of your colleagues hear you. Please get help! No job or career is worth endless depression. I know it may seem like a black ho-e is just swallowing you up, but I promise it’s never as bad (or good) as it seems. Please reach out for help!