Only one on the "team".
I took a job as an Office Manager, only to find out that the "team" they talked about during interviewing and offer consisted only of myself. The office is empty most of the time and there is a lack of consistent and willing communication between the owners and myself.
Besides feeling overwhelmed with the amount of work they expect to get done, I feel isolated and sometimes like I'm going crazy without face to face interaction with anyone while I'm working. Before taking this job, I thought I would be fine with working alone, but it is a different dynamic of not knowing what I'm doing half the time and not able to make executive decisions on my own without permission, but hardly any communication happening.
I'm an introvert and enjoy my alone time, but working and living in a new city without family or friends and then going into work with hardly any human connection outside phone calls is driving me crazy.
Any suggestions on dealing with isolated work environments?
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Kathryn Montbriand
Hi there. This sounds rough - I'm sorry to hear that your experience isn't what you were expecting going in.
Two ideas that might help you:
1) even if you are new to the city, can you find or create a network of people with a similar job and use them as your pseudo-colleagues? Even if you had a few quick interactions throughout the week over text, email or video call it might help you to know others are facing similar challenges AND have a resource group that can help you problem solve or share their own experiences.
Send a note out to your network with something like: I'm looking for 5 kick-butt office managers in the {your city} area to share best practices with, broader our networks and help each other out occasionally. If you are interested or know someone who is creative, friendly and a great problem solver please drop me a note and we'll get started.
2) it may also help to have clearer expectations with your managers - specifically around what you need to be able to do your job well. Make a list of what you think you need from them and try to have a conversation about it.
This list might look like: every Monday I will make a list of things that are a priority for the week and send it to you by 12pm. By end of day Monday (with a reminder on their calendar) I need any updates / feedback from you. On Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday I will schedule 10 minutes at 2pm for us to chat and talk through any outstanding questions or decision points - agenda items for that call will be kept in a running google doc linked on the calendar invite. On Friday afternoon I will send you a recap of what I accomplished during the week and any outstanding items that need your attention.
Being clear and consistent will (hopefully) help you get what you need out of the managers and not leave you wondering when you'll get answers that help you move forward.
Best of luck!
Anonymous
I would control what I could control. That means your free time should not be spent in your house alone.
There are events, seminars, meet-up groups and book clubs. There are many ways you can balance your need for alone time and your work environment. If you create a stimulating personal life you will crave the solitude afforded you at the office. Try to get out at lunch to run errands, hit the local bookstore or library or just say hi to other people in your building.
Being an introvert doesn't mean a recluse and doesn't mean interactions need to be on your terms. You're in a new city. You will need to slowly venture out if your comfort zone.
You can do this.