Poor workplace conditions.

Hello all. I wanted to know if anyone here has dealt with poor workplace conditions and how did you deal with it?

My office isn't great. I'll list what happened/happens:

1) We had bedbugs and, because we are a 24/7 crisis hotline, we couldn't close the office. All what they did was tape a strip of paper around the cubicle that said, "Don't sit here because of bedbugs". The cubicle was still wide open because the strip of paper was about a couple of inches wide.

2) The office is so small that people have to stand around to wait for a seat to open up when an employee leaves. Some people have waited as long as 1.5 hours and had to start their shift late. I have bad anxiety and, because it is so small, the voices are just so overwhelming for me because you hear everyone's conversations.

3) The kitchen is dirty and the supervisors constantly have to tell the employees to keep it clean. We're adults. We shouldn't have to be told to keep things clean. And even under the cubicles can be dirty sometimes with crumbs of food.

4) Many callers can be abusive or sexually inappropriate and we just have to deal with it because they have to call 50 times in one month before they can be blocked. 50 times! I've had filthy callers and it literally feels like you're being violated. In a way, you are. This policy also goes for callers who curse you out, or call you slurs.

5) The supervisors lack empathy and the micromanagement is ridiculous. They don't care if the caller is talking about their trauma and is emotional. They will message you to cut the call short.

6) My supervisor is not professional in supervision. She's on her phone, she's insulted me and she talks down to me.

Here's the thing: people have complained to our bosses about these things before but they dont listen. Upper management says that we can come to them for anything but when people do, they're automatically shutdown.

People have left here with PTSD and had to put themselves in the hospital. My mental health is suffering badly but, compared to other jobs, the pay and the benefits aren't bad. I live with my mom and she's extremely supportive of me. She was so upset one day about what I told her and she said I can quit but I don't want to burden her. She's already struggling as is and I have my own expenses. I'm trying to find another job but it's ridiculously hard to find jobs here.

I'm thinking of filing an anonymous complaint to a hotline in our area that deals with issues such as these but I'm reluctant and a bit scared and anxious about that idea.

Has anyone had to deal with poor workplace conditions? If so, what did you do?

Thank you for reading.

I have no recommendations since it seems like complaining to HR wouldn't help. You are right to try to tough it out while you search for a new job. Keep venting here as you need to for support while you look. We're here for you!

you could call your state labor board and complain about unsafe working conditions (bed bugs)
you could also file an anonymous complaint and get others to do so as well

you didn't say what type of hotline it is or what community you serve...it might be possible for them to move you to a different facility while the facility is cleaned...but as for food, etc that is solely on the employees. if they need a larger space for staff...well hopefully mgt can arrange for that..if the need is so great for such a large staff, you would think they would see fit to accommodate everyone, rather then paying others to just stand idly and get paid for not working.

I would complain, but realize that while legally there is whistle blower protection realize that in reality there really isn't. trust me on this.