r/CAStateWorkers • u/Raddesst • 1d ago
Department Specific Does it get better
Hello,
currently working as a PI in the EDD department. Currently right now I am feeling the burnout and mental health declining as I approach my one year. Somedays are good, however some days I am getting yelled at or claimants are crying to me how they cannot afford to live. I know that I shouldn’t bring work home, however it’s hard when you physically work from home and dealing with it mon-fri and only having the weekend to recover. What should I do.
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u/SunnyCoffee0814 20h ago
It’s hard but if you can get mental clarity you will be ok. There’s so many jobs in the state if this doesn’t work, look for something after your year mark. If you can somehow know that you are doing a job that someone needs to do, not take it personal and just know you are doing your part sharing information or sometimes just listening but at the end of your work day you have done all you can do and that is enough. It is also an opportunity to work on your mental health, take breaks, do what you need to do, go to therapy, use resources like EAP or FLMA if needed. Wish you the best on your journey
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u/Tallmathtoyota 20h ago
It sounds like you are a claim filer. It gets easier over time. I felt the same, the only real thing you can do is show some sympathy to those in need and do the best you can. They know that unemployment is an option, and if they cannot collect unemployment there are other resources available. If they yell at you, do not fight them or yell back. They know better, and if their attitude does not change follow policy and move to the next claimant. It's tuff, but it will get better. Use your vacation time, do what you want you do and forget about work. Do not worry about being a PI, you will be converted to permanent later on. Try to the best you can, and do take your vacation time.
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21h ago edited 16h ago
[deleted]
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u/One_Deer_8140 17h ago
“People just need to lower their standards as we are regressing to a third world standard of living.” Not helpful.
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16h ago edited 16h ago
[deleted]
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u/One_Deer_8140 16h ago
Congratulations on your convenient perspective which excuses you from feeling any responsibility for advocating for the improvement of your family’s - and the greater society’s - ability to meet people’s basic needs in a time when we now have billionaires and trillionaires running the country and our taxes primarily go to funding the war machine. I’m sure it helps you have restful sleep.
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15h ago edited 15h ago
[deleted]
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u/One_Deer_8140 15h ago
What qualifications do you have to “understand poverty?” It sounds like you’re saying that people who are poor are deserving of this because they make bad decisions? And now that you’ve provided more context about your family member, I don’t see why you used her as an example of how people are “forced” to make these decisions. Is that your only data point?
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14h ago edited 14h ago
[deleted]
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u/WreckTangle12 8h ago
You're literally giving anecdotal experiences that simply aren't backed up by the actual data pointing to loss of income as the biggest driving factor or homelessness.
I've actually worked with the homeless community on a much larger scale and the media narrative, while not always exactly on the mark, is wildly closer to it than you.
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u/WreckTangle12 8h ago
I wouldn't call renting a shed with no utilities "living", that's "surviving"
And loss of income is like, one of the biggest driving factors of homelessness in Sac County. Wild of you to say "nobody wants to make the cuts" when it's actually "nobody wants to end up homeless" and no one SHOULD. It's laughable how little people get on unemployment, and it's high-key gross how you're pushing that off as just people's "feelings" instead of a systemic lack of support.
Most apartments are renting $1600-1800 and average at like $2000/mo. Idk if you're bad at math, but $450/wk leaves you $200 short if you're paying average rent. And that doesn't even count food costs (not-so-fun fact, getting max unemployment means you're only eligible for minimum Cal Fresh if you don't have kids, which makes literally 0 sense), utilities, car/insurance payments, and so on. Even if you can scrape together another $200/mo, missing car payments means it gets repossessed, meaning you now have no transportation. That not only severely limits your job availability, the public transport infrastructure isn't great outside of the city.
It's no wonder people end up homeless and doing drugs on the street just to forget the shit situation they ended up in.
Just a callous af attitude from someone I'm guessing hasn't had to truly struggle and thinks it's simply a matter of a lower standard of living to make ends meet.
And if you're about to come back with, "well if rent is so expensive, just move," do you know how much money it costs to break a lease? Way fucking more than most people have. So miss me with that shit.
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u/NoWork1400 4h ago
Take care of yourself. Grow a much thicker skin. You’ve got to get that pension.
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u/bye-bitch-21 3h ago
If you’re at home, create a dedicated workspace and only use it for work. Separating the physical space as much as possible is essential.
You probably didn’t think enough about what the job would entail, but please remember that when people freak out they’re at their lowest.
They’ve just lost their jobs and unemployment is already insufficient dogshit, but imagine it being held up altogether. Let people vent and stop taking it personally. It’s not about you. Be empathetic within reason and respectful and set expectations with people. Be direct and straightforward. Super important that you learn to control calls as much as possible, and certainly don’t take abuse, but please don’t be a callous piece of shit.
Tbh my guess is you probably need a new role, whether at EDD or another agency.
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u/oraleputosss 16h ago
If it's affecting you that bad then you really need to change jobs or change the way you see things. You have to stop seeing your claimants as people and start seeing them as numbers, you don't need to care about them just care about doing a good job, you need to actually enforce boundaries and let them know if they continue to raise their voice you are going to put them on hold until they calm down or simply will disconnect the call or just walk away.
You all are state employees, you are most definitely allowed to tell them to go fuck themselves if they are belligerent dicks.
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u/bye-bitch-21 3h ago
Do abusive assholes lose their jobs? Of course. Is it necessary to compartmentalize and protect your energy? 100%.
The people calling into EDD are at some of the lowest points in their lives. Empathy is part of the job as much as it is basic decency. People are people all times. Not just when it’s convenient for you. As a public SERVANT you work to SERVE those people.
“You don’t need to care about them” - you’re a fucking asshole and I hope whenever you need the kindness of a stranger they treat you like a number and tell you to go fuck yourself.
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u/Exotic_Attorney7823 13h ago
This is a bummer in a way but also very necessary. You have to compartmentalize to deal with these situations or they will eat you alive.
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u/oraleputosss 6h ago
💯 people think it's cruel but at the end of the day it's a job that we do to pay the bills.
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u/One_Deer_8140 13h ago
“Some people’s brains just work that way.” Are they born that way or are they conditioned by those in their family and community? If the latter, then it’s a societal issue. You don’t resolve a societal issue by telling people: “oh well, that’s just the way your brain works.”
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u/Incrediblecodeman 1d ago
That’s a super cool job by the way. I perceive you lasting another year then pivoting to like insurance companies or something. pi is cool as fuck. You’re cutting your teeth!!
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u/Incrediblecodeman 1d ago
Don’t be afraid to completely scream when lifting the heavy weights last rep. There unfortunately is so many meh things people on the internet will recommend like therapy or lexipro. Big pass. Just get it out with some gradually increasing difficulty in the muscle department
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