Congrats for published stories and book sales!
So, update on new job. When I interviewed for this job, it was all via phone due to COVID. Therefore, I didn't realize it was open office. Like, 40 people in one big room, in large quads, each person facing their corner. All 'walls' are less than waist height, so my corner is facing the corner of the next quad, with a grudging plastic barrier between us measuring about 2 ft by 1 ft. Not happy at all. I'm an introvert. That's one reason I got into accounting. And at a six-figure salary, wtf are they thinking with this crap? I've had an office or at least tall cubicle walls for the last 25 years. Accountants/financial professionals usually have to deal with sensitive data - payroll, financial details, etc.
So, I did OK on Monday, but Tuesday, when there were two loud conversations going on behind my back (I faced one wall so the whole room was at my back) of strangers, I fell into a panic attack and had to run to the bathroom to cry and decompress.
I talked to my boss about my discomfort on Monday, but he sort of blew it off. (He doesn't have an office either. No one but the top guy in the whole building does). Well, Tuesday after my attack, I ran to HR.
I said it was incredibly distracting, both the noise and having strangers moving behind me constantly. One of my co-workers has a very deep, penetrating voice, and when he has a phone call, it kills any concentration I have. I had to read the same paragraph 3-4 times to absorb it.
They suggested noise-cancelling headphones, and I did get some.
They were rather dismissive. "No one else has ever complained" "If you knew you couldn't handle open office, why didn't you ask about it?" "No one has an office, we can't make an exception for you."
When I mentioned that most of the group HAS noise-cancelling headphones, I suggested there may be an issue with noise and concentration in general. Also, introverts don't normally complain, and those that really had a problem had the chance to see the office before accepting the job, and turned it down.
However, after much discussion between HR and my boss, they finally agreed to move me to the corner quad in the room, facing the room so only one person is at my back, since the other two seats are empty.
And yes, this is all crap for COVID precautions. We wear masks all day at our desks.
it's been better in the new spot, but I still spend most of the day hunched down behind my monitors so I feel less like a bug pinned to a board, on display for everyone to see. I am tense when I get home and take a long time to decompress.
I'm still looking for a new job, but I'll have to deal with this until another option comes up.