Venting My first job is so f*cking painful.

[ClaudeCTTE]

I've been at my first job for 3 weeks now, and honestly, I didn't think it would be so f*cking exhausting and painful.

My job seems so simple, I do a lot of things, but mostly I lift heavy boxes. The thing here is that I have to place the boxes in very high places, and considering I'm short, skinny, and weak, it's too painful to lift a 20 kg (44 lb) box, especially when I have to place them in very high places. There have been times when I've tried to use a ladder, but my coworkers laugh at me for being unable to do it without a ladder.
On the other hand, I always make mistakes and sometimes drop the boxes or other objects, and people look at me as if I were a fool.

The people there are annoying, especially men who are always aggressive towards me. Uh, but with women, they act like simps.

I haven't managed to socialize with people. It's very difficult for me to socialize with people who come from smaller towns than mine. The people at my job don't know what's outside their world. One example is men because it seems like they're so traditional that they only ask me why I don't approach women, which is annoying to me because I have more important things to do than flirt with women over 40.

I hate my job. I've been here for almost 3 weeks and my back, arms, and hands hurt. I really can't stand being in that place. The worst part is that I don't feel like working 12 hours a day all night long (8:00 PM to 8:00 AM) helps me. I have to spend 12 hours moving boxes and standing. They don't even have a damn chair to sit on. If I sit on the floor or on a pallet, they scold me...

I'm thinking of looking for another job, but my mother forces me to endure it, which is not helping me psychologically and only makes me feel desperate all the time...

 

[callme]

Sorry to know. Another somebody forced to work an exhausting job in a bakery nights only for the last 10 years now wishes you a quick exit from there. I understand as it is now, you can't choose. However, did your mother know what's going on there?

If you can convince her to let you find a different job, or the same job in a different setting, you should. You mustn't really be required to work in a place mentally damaging for you, especially if it would be manageable without your coworkers making it worse for you.

Also, having another job without her knowledge is a possibility, as long as you can prove her you are making money.

 

[Suicidebydeath]

my coworkers laugh at me for being unable to do it without a ladder.

Assholes.

I'm sorry for your suffering.

 

[Pluto]

Sounds like a terrible company culture, which starts with management. Poor safety culture ends up costing the company far more in sick leave, morale, staff turnover and litigation, to say nothing of common decency.

Heavy items (the definition of 'heavy' depends on the individual) are only safe to lift and carry from waist height. Good lifting technique with a straight back is critical if lifting from the ground - and calling for help if necessary. If lifting to or from a high location, it is important to use a ladder or safety step. Failing to follow these guidelines can lead to potentially lifelong injuries.

Hypermasculinity is the bane of these industries, resulting in everything you've described. Sexual predation towards women, bullying and the emasculation of any men who fail to conform to their toxic bullshit. I am stuck in a small city with this sort of culture, and recently left a job in warehousing. I don't think there's any way out of this nightmare.

 

[ClaudeCTTE]

However, did your mother know what's going on there?

She knows everything that happens there because she has been working there for almost 10 years. The difference is that what she does is simpler and less tiring, plus she works during the day.
I remember she always used to tell me that my job was easy, that they paid well, and that people were friendly, but surely it's because she's a woman, since women do such simple things as cleaning or taking notes on sheets. The ridiculous thing is when she says that people are friendly, because that only happens when you're a woman. It's not surprising that men who work there behave like simps with my mother.
On the other hand, if you're a man, they always pressure you to do things like a "real man", because of course, they have that primitive mindset of the dominant male.
Speaking of salary, she always tells me that other jobs are worse, they pay me less, and I work a lot, as if telling me that my job is much better because of the salary and because I only work 4 days a week (48 hours).

I've talked to my mother about what's going on, but she tells me that just as I suffer, she also suffers just to make money for my therapies.
I don't know what she's trying to tell me. Does she want me to seem like a waste of money or does she want me to mess up my mental health trying to make money to use it on therapies that will never help me with anything?

If you can convince her to let you find a different job

That's what I would like to do, but she wants me to work longer there to make sure that I really don't want to be there.

or the same job in a different setting,

I've talked about that with my mother, but she tells me that your position is completely random, they put you anywhere without telling you anything, just like they put me to build towers of boxes, they make me move heavy loads or use machines, which is annoying. Besides, it's impossible to communicate with the staff because they're only there during the day and I can never see them when I finish my shift.

Also, having another job without her knowledge is a possibility, as long as you can prove her you are making money.

It's impossible for me to find a job in secret. I always leave at night, everything is closed at night. Since I live with my family, it's very easy for her to notice.

What I'll most likely do is convince her and look for another job as soon as possible, although of course, I wouldn't want to take months to find a new job...

 

[trashprincess]

That's rough. Like really. I've done work like that in warehouses before and it was literally the hardest job I ever had. And I've done construction work.

There's nothing easy about strenuous manual labor, twelve hour shifts, overnight schedules, and presumably a dreary environment full of concrete and shelving.

I really hope you can get to work somewhere else. From what I've seen, that kind of work is really hard on everyone that does it, and it doesn't usually pay much more than something easier like retail. I even found construction work to be easier as it's not always heavy lifting and usually pays better than "pick up heavy box" jobs.

Any chance you could get away with getting fired

 

[SexyIncél]

This is madness. Yes, I hope you can find an alternative. They don't care about your body. They'll destroy you like they destroy kids in coalmines. Carrying weights is no joke. I got a personal trainer for things like this. When I started out with even just 16 kg kettlebells — with convenient ergonomic handles! — I was highly aware that bad form causes spinal damage

And the books say I drop the weight (not on my feet) rather than possibly damage my body. You get one-fucking-body. If you need a ladder, or some tool for mechanical leverage, or a belt to help develop straightness (?) & protect your back — fuck their laughter! They don't value their own lives & certainly don't value yours

 

[restless.dreams]

That sounds mentally and physically exhausting. I hope you can find a way to get out.

 

[ClaudeCTTE]

Sounds like a terrible company culture, which starts with management. Poor safety culture ends up costing the company far more in sick leave, morale, staff turnover and litigation, to say nothing of common decency.

Heavy items (the definition of 'heavy' depends on the individual) are only safe to lift and carry from waist height. Good lifting technique with a straight back is critical if lifting from the ground - and calling for help if necessary. If lifting to or from a high location, it is important to use a ladder or safety step. Failing to follow these guidelines can lead to potentially lifelong injuries.

Hypermasculinity is the bane of these industries, resulting in everything you've described. Sexual predation towards women, bullying and the emasculation of any men who fail to conform to their toxic bullshit. I am stuck in a small city with this sort of culture, and recently left a job in warehousing. I don't think there's any way out of this nightmare.

Good point.

In fact, I actually work in a factory, an American company that aims to have the freshest product in the world of the thing they produce. They basically produce a specific fruit that I probably shouldn't mention, but it's something simple like berries, raspberries, or small fruits.
To specify better the work I do, I complete a pallet with boxes filled with the final product. This is when I have to stack boxes on the top of the pallet, which is painful for my back and arms.

Returning to the topic of safety. I feel that the company is quite hypocritical because it promotes the use of helmets and gloves to protect against accidents, but they never take into account the back and arms.
Another thing that seems ridiculous to me is when they fill the factory with signs full of smiling people and "motivational" phrases as if the job were the best in the world.

The product itself exploits consumerism in a disgusting way, always making variants of the same product but "special edition," "kids edition," "premium selection," when it's the same nonsense but in different packaging.

On the other hand, the issue of masculinity is taken seriously here in the third world. They always tell you that you must be strong, independent, and that pain is the way to be strong and blah blah blah.

When we talk about these types of jobs, people always want you to do everything in the most complicated way to seem like a dominant male. I can even say that people believe that if you work a lot of hours a day, you are a very productive person.
It doesn't surprise me that my brother tells me I'll be a "gigachad" because I'll become physically strong by lifting heavy things. He doesn't consider that I'll most likely break my back.