u/Aggressive_Comb_3686

At a warehouse job I had, work was usually finished about 20–30 minutes before the official end of the shift. Normally, the supervisor would let us clock out once everything was done.

Then a new manager, Darren, took over.

On his first week, he announced:

If your shift ends at 5:00, you stay until 5:00. I don’t care if there’s no work left.

A few days later, around 4:40, everyone had already finished their tasks. Usually we would clean up a little and head home.

Instead, we all stood around with absolutely nothing to do because Darren insisted we stay on the clock.

One of the forklift operators asked if we should at least start unloading tomorrow’s delivery early.

Darren immediately said no because “that’s tomorrow’s work.”

So for nearly 20 minutes, an entire warehouse crew got paid to lean against boxes and stare at the clock while Darren watched us do nothing.

The company owner happened to walk through during this and asked why nobody was working.

Darren proudly explained his new policy.

The owner just looked around at fifteen employees doing absolutely nothing and said

Or… you could’ve just let them go home.

The rule lasted exactly one week.

I recently started therapy after a long period of hesitation, mainly related to anxiety and ongoing work-related stress.

I’m currently using a fully remote setup through Manhattan Mental Health Counseling, which made starting the process more manageable.
The intake and matching process felt structured, and I was paired with a therapist based on the concerns I initially shared.

From a practical standpoint, things like scheduling and insurance verification have been straightforward.
That said, I’m finding it difficult to fully engage during sessions and often feel unsure about what to say or where to start.
There’s a level of self-consciousness that makes it harder to open up, even though I understand the space is meant to be supportive.

I’m also unsure how to evaluate whether the therapist is a good fit this early on.
The therapist has been consistent and professional, but I still feel some what disconnected during sessions.
I know therapy is a process and not something that produces immediate results, but the uncertainty has been on my mind.

For those with more experience, is this kind of initial difficulty with engagement and rapport fairly common?