Feeling frustrated with being given three exiting employees' responsibilities:

56 Comments

1. Debra SesholtzMarch 8,2022 at 8:19PM UTC

   Have you discussed the situation with your immediate supervisor about managing the excessive work load? Sounds like you need to work with them to prioritize the extra work until they find some additional help. You could also ask what the intention is in hiring replacements for the employees that left. It’s one thing to pitch in, but you shouldn’t be so overwhelmed you stress yourself out.

2. Lorna Rose, J.D., M.S.March 8,2022 at 8:59PM UTC

   I'm so sorry that this is happening to you. I've been there, I know the feeling, it's the absolute worst.

   Whether or not they're *allowed* to change your role without warning will depend on the terms of your employment. Let's assume for now that there's no technicality prohibiting them from dumping all this extra work on you. This is how you get some control & sanity back until you're in a better place:

   "After handling the responsibilities of [the three employees] for the past [amount of time], I can no longer do the work of four people on my own. I've needed to dedicate time outside of my regularly scheduled hours to accommodate the increased workload, and I'm afraid that my work quality will be negatively impacted sooner rather later if I continue spreading my resources this thin. Please let me know how I can help facilitate the transfer of this extra work to other colleagues, by the end of this week at the latest as I will be redirecting all of my attention to my own job responsibilities beginning next week. Thank you."

   This verbiage accomplishes three things: 1) you demonstrate that you are proactively trying to avoid doing lower-quality work aka a diminished return on the company's investment, 2) you are not asking for relief from something that wasn't even your responsibility to begin with but rather you are offering a solution to THEIR problem and setting that tone gives you more leverage to get what you need here, and 3) you effectively put them on notice that you've been working outside of your compensated hours and this could put them at risk for state and federal wage violations. HR will/should know this and act accordingly.

   Of course, a lot of this advice depends on the specifics of your employment arrangement. For example, your employment agreement could say that you're exempt but that doesn't necessarily mean you are, employers misclassify employees ALL THE TIME specifically to get away with stuff like this.

   I'm happy to help you figure out the more nuanced details of your situation if you'd like to PM me. I've been doing employment, labor, and wage law work since 2014 and I honestly live for holding employers accountable when they engage in economic exploitation of their workers.

3. Andrea Macek, Career Change Coach for Professional WomenMarch 8,2022 at 9:56PM UTC

   This reply is fire! Great insight, expertise and breakdown.

4. AnonymousMarch 8,2022 at 9:26PM UTC

   Boundaries. When asked why things are not being absorbed into your existing role let whoever asks know that you don't have anything extra to give. That you are working 60 hours per week juggling the responsibilities of 3 additional people.

   Boundaries are necessary to stay sane. You either learn to advocate and protect yourself or succumb to everyone's demand and try to stay out of the hospital.

   Will anyone recognize your effort? Probably not aside from platitudes of "ah you're so great" thanks!

   HR will take their time. Your exhaustion and mental health is not their concern.

   Stand up for yourself because no one else will.

5. AnonymousMarch 8,2022 at 10:16PM UTC

   Thank you all for your encouraging advice! I'm trying to do my best and have put my foot down but without any recourse.

   I've tried talking to HR, my immediate supervisor and they aren't' concerned. Their attitudes are maybe we'll get some help down the road but they don't plan on replacing those employees.

   I've brought in a list of what I'm currently handling and clearly defined what I've taken on since the employees leaving. I've stressed it's not about time management but the fact that an employee can't logistically take on that amount of work during a 40 plus hour week.

   What I'm getting back is a perceived notion of 'tough' and if you don't like it quit. I have some difficult decisions to make but I'm leaning towards leaving. In the meantime, thank you all for sharing your coping and boundary-setting strategies!

6. AnonymousMarch 8,2022 at 10:43PM UTC

   Well if that's their attitude then you need to make plans to leave.

7. SamanthaMarch 9,2022 at 7:39PM UTC

   If that really is their attitude then I'm so sorry. That is not a company I would want to work for. As you stated previously, I would search for a new job, but don't leave. Don't leave till you have something else lined up.

   I would say, do what you can in 40 hours, document as much as you can for what work you are doing. Take your lunch breaks, don't feel like they can tell you differently. If they don't want to hire people, but they're willing to fire you, shows that they probably don't know how much work it actually is and when you leave they will feel it. Hang in there and look for something better, no one deserves to be treated this way!

8. Michele KingMarch 10,2022 at 1:39PM UTC

   I wouldn't usually quit without a plan but at this point, I'd quit and immediately reach out to recruiters in your industry to say you're available. If you've made the workload known and their answer is "Oh well. Take it or leave" it's because they are banking on you just staying. It's time for them to understand that you won't.

9. AnonymousMarch 10,2022 at 5:31PM UTC

   This happened to me as well. I pointed out that it wasn't feasible but all I got was a shrug or an "I don't understand why". I decided that if they didn't see the work as valuable then I wouldn't as well. I do what I can and move on. I like the work but lots of it just falls through the cracks. It is hard to not be emotionally invested in it, but normalizing burnout is abusive.

10. Barb HansenMarch 8,2022 at 10:21PM UTC

    There are only so many work hours per week be that 35, 38 or 40 depending on what your employment contract states.

    Side note: Even if you are a salaried employee, that doesn't mean that you have to work overtime each week.

    Talk to your manager about your work load and work with them to prioritize your work load:

    -these 10 items must be done every day (or whatever)

    -these items are top priority and will take priority over the first 10 items

    -all other work will be designated as priority 2 and 3, and will only be worked on if time allows each day

    -and these tasks can be performed by a temp or virtual employee (if your company is having a record-breaking year, you can hire some temp help)

    A good manager should help you prioritize your work - that's their job (even if you are senior management), and they should give you air coverage if you have too much work to do. If they can't or won't help you, it's time to leave that company.

    Even if you are looking for another job, you don't have to work until you're exhausted every day nor do you have to work overtime (without pay).

11. Ellyn Specker CharapMarch 8,2022 at 11:24PM UTC

    Honestly, if you can afford to not work for a while, I'd quit and just focus on job searching, as you say above. But if you can't? I would recommend walking into your supervisor's office and telling them, "I hear we've lost 5 employees. Wanna make it 6?" If they don't find you some help immediately, then walk and your supervisor and HR can handle it all.

12. AnonymousMarch 11,2022 at 5:15AM UTC

    Thank you, Ellyn, I took that stance today. I didn't walk out but I made it clear that I'm ready to leave if they don't make changes. I'd rather leave with a job but at this point, I'm starting to think my mental health is worth more than a paycheck. I'm worried that if I'm not working that it will be harder to obtain a new job. Is that still true?

13. Ashley BasilioMarch 9,2022 at 1:08AM UTC

    You haven't said if you've discussed your frustrations with your manager or senior leader? That is the first step and if you haven't done that yet you need to do that. Perhaps they're thinking all's well because you haven't complained and are saving them money!

14. Karen PriceMarch 9,2022 at 5:54AM UTC

    If you can, create a workload capacity chart. I did mine and it added up to over 80 hours.

    I have never before complained about work load but it was no longer sustainable.

    I went and let my manager know , obviously I was not working 80 hours but more like 60-70. I told them things are not getting done and what I could get completed was not to the highest quality. It is harder for your management to reject something when you have the data to support it. In my case they shifted two projects off my plate.

    Good luck!

15. Lorna Rose, J.D., M.S.March 9,2022 at 5:13PM UTC

    You say that you have never before complained about work load, but in this specific instance, did you try talking to your manager before you created more work for yourself? It's just incredulous to me that you'd have to provide substantive data in chart form to prove something as obvious as 2+2 = 4

16. AnonymousMarch 10,2022 at 1:40PM UTC

    Yes, it may have been extra work but for some people and their work cultures, this is how you tell a story to get the results you want. Karen showed the numbers and got the results she was looking for, who are you to "incredulously" judge that her extra work was a waste of time. I think you were trying to be helpful here but it sure did not come across that way at all.

17. Lorna Rose, J.D., M.S.March 10,2022 at 2:51PM UTC

    I didn’t communicate my point clearly.
    What I meant was, it’s wild to me that these employers are only willing to acknowledge the obvious challenges their employees are facing only after the employee goes an extra mile or two to prove it. It’s like they’re unwilling to believe their employee who is saying 2+2=4 until they “show their work.” My comment was completely directed towards the employer, not Karen. My apologies to you both.

    To answer your question re: who am I to judge whether her extra work was a waste of time, it’s not a matter of wasting time as it is about using time effectively. If she hadn’t tried a simpler solution first (such as talking to her manager about the work load, something she says she’d never done before) then the extra project could very well have been an unnecessary investment of time, energy, emotion, and stress. Employees are worth so much more than just their time, there is legitimate mental and emotional labor that goes into doing something like this — I know because I’ve had to do it every time I had to file wage theft claims against my employers. Like Karen, it was always worth it in the end because I got what I was entitled to, but it shouldn’t HAVE to be that way. The process shouldn’t HAVE to begin with the employee doing extra work to prove that they’re not being treated fairly. THAT’S the incredulous part to me.

18. AnonymousMarch 10,2022 at 4:27PM UTC

    Sadly, that’s how it is at the company I currently work for. Two of my peers have created a PPT with data points to prove they need headcount and even after all of the charts and data—that they asked for, they still have yet to add headcount.

    One of two just lost two people on his team alone. One retired, the other took an offer the company couldn’t match.

    My team is 24/7/365 nights, weekends, and holidays. We’re a team of 7. This is unsustainable, especially when one person went out on maternity leave and another had shoulder surgery during the same time period.

    We had been strained before and I had employees who had worked 21 days straight without a day off. Yes, they get OT, but I acknowledge and recognize that they have lives outside of work and I definitely don’t want them burned out.

    So what happened when we had no coverage for a period of time? Nothing and I wasn’t stressed. Had we had the coverage we needed, the phones wouldn’t have gone unmanned. I only hoped an important account (they’re all important but we know the squeaky wheel gets the grease) would’ve been mildly impacted so that the C-suite folks could see how understaffed we are.

    I think we make it look easy since we’re getting things done and no one has quit. Yet.

    My manager is an SVP and he knows where I stand. He also knows if I quit, a third of my team would quit too.

    Company’s (mine included) continue to put profits over people and we’re required to do more with less.

19. AnonymousMarch 11,2022 at 5:11AM UTC

    Thank you, Karen. I brought a task list to my supervisor, advocated for myself and how much time everything was taking. They aren't concerned and said that's my problem to get it done. It's more of a get it done or leave stance. I appreciated your advice.

20. AnonymousMarch 9,2022 at 8:52AM UTC

    Take lunch, maintain boundaries such as work hours, not answering emails in the evening and revert to a more junior mindset , “ ok I can work on that but what would you like me to deprioritize to make time” .

    thats how I coped and that final suggestion I think is what actually annoyed my boss into not delegating more to me. I’m in my notice period now and literally just left my job for this exact reason.

21. AnonymousMarch 11,2022 at 5:07AM UTC

    Thank you, Claudia. I need to work on all the above. I've spent so many years getting to this level that I'll need to shift my mindset. I wish you all the best in finding a job that values your hard work. Thank you for sharing your suggestions!

22. Sheila PhieldsMarch 10,2022 at 1:15PM UTC

    I’m 30 years into my career and experienced this same situation several times. I recently quit a very good job with a well known global company after 13 years of service for the very same reasons. I’m a highly paid consultant now. Cut your losses and good luck!

23. AnonymousMarch 11,2022 at 5:04AM UTC

    Sheila, do you have any advice regarding consulting? I've led teams in States and abroad. I've been recruited for global companies. At this point, I was hoping to take more ownership of my career or work. I'm starting to think consulting, freelancing or starting my own company is my best option.

24. Sheila PhieldsMarch 12,2022 at 1:54PM UTC

    I’m working for a consulting firm now. They take out the taxes and issue a W2. I calculated my salary, plus bonus, company match on 401K, medical benefits, vacation and sick pay to arrive at my hourly rate. I thought it would be on the high side, but the hiring company did not bat an eye. I’ve nearly doubled my salary! The company I’m consulting with has a huge consulting staff with continuous opportunities. I’m also 100% remote. I hope this has been helpful.

25. Paulla Fetzek, MSEdMarch 10,2022 at 2:09PM UTC

    I've been at my job over 19 years and this has happened to me multiple times. It's extremely frustrating for sure. In a way, it's an honor too as they must believe you're capable of getting the job done.

    This doesn't make it right, however.

    The last time this happened to me was July 2020. My teammate had taken a position with another department and decided to move over 10 days before she was supposed to. Because they needed the help. Which they did.

    The next day, I had meetings with my boss and the Operations Manager. I told them both that I'll do everything I can, but it wasn't possible for me to absorb all of my teammate's work. In turn, this has forced her to have to keep some of her workload even in her new position.

    We've just now posted for the position on my team. In the meantime, there are multiple projects that have been dropped - or get done extremely late. I don't rush. I don't stress. I do what I need, when I need in the time I need. I learned a long time ago any job isn't worth your sanity.

    Wishing you all the best!

26. AnonymousMarch 11,2022 at 5:01AM UTC

    Thank you, Paulla. Nicely done in setting boundaries and pushing back. The fact that they posted the position is a testament to your stance.

    It's going to be hard for me to let projects drop. My mindset is always get it done and it's off my plate. In our company, the projects set a foundation for others and if there isn't a foundation, I'm the one to pay long term.

    I'm starting to push back and request what I need. If they won't allow that approach, I'll know it's time to leave.

    Does anyone have any advice on finding a job in another city? That will offer more options than in my area?

27. Sheena LeviMarch 10,2022 at 3:24PM UTC

    Been there, I had spoken to the CEO twice with a very detailed proposal for the needed structure of my department. They ignored it, and ignored my very obvious burnout.

    So I left and it took them 8 people to replace the job I had been doing alone - the exact number in my proposal.

    If they are not seeing the value you are bringing, better to move on. I decided to go freelance since I saw how well I was able to wear so many hats and I wanted to be the one to benefit from my own hard work, not the c-suite.

28. Lorna Rose, J.D., M.S.March 10,2022 at 5:49PM UTC

    All the high-fives to you, Sheena!

29. AnonymousMarch 11,2022 at 4:54AM UTC

    Way to go, Sheena! That was a courageous act and I'm glad you're now able to control your own work.

    I'm reaching out to connections both in my current city and locations where I know there are more options for my industry.

    I'm getting dangerously close to reaching my breaking point but I'm so worn down that I'm not sure I'm in the best headspace to interview.

    I have savings but I know it can a long time to find a new job. I need to figure out if I can swing the expense and for how long but I'm nearing that point.

    I haven't considered freelancing and I have 15 plus years of experience in MarCom so I might look into that option. Thank you for sharing your story!

30. Jennifer CarterMarch 10,2022 at 3:36PM UTC

    This is my reality as well, and I have started to push back. Realistically you can’t do the work of 3 people, it will burn you out and then you will also leave.

31. AnonymousMarch 11,2022 at 4:46AM UTC

    Jennifer, I'm sorry you're going through this stressful situation. I'm trying to push back and doing my best to reallocate projects. The problem is that the company is piling so much work on existing staff members that a lot of people are quitting. It helps to know that I'm not alone but I'm sad that it's coming down to a leave if you're not happy stance rather than we'll work to make things better approach.

32. Joanna PoeMarch 10,2022 at 4:25PM UTC

    They clearly have unrealistic expectations, and you have unfair expectations of yourself. Warn them that you cannot keep it up, ask for clear priorities and let some of the low priority work slide. They'll get the idea, and you'll have the energy left to look for a better situation.

33. AnonymousMarch 11,2022 at 4:44AM UTC

    Thank you, Joanna. I met with HR today and expressed my frustrations that I can't continue with these unrealistic expectations. They aren't concerned and basically said 'tough' and they understand if I want to leave. I left it with that I'll be actively job searching. Any other time I wouldn't have expressed that stance but I was so upset that they wouldn't even consider helping that I made my intentions clear. They need to change things or once I find a new position, I'm leaving.

34. PatriciaMarch 11,2022 at 6:59AM UTC

    HR doesn’t exist to help employees; I learnt that a long time ago. The main job of HR, from the C-suite point of view, is to protect the company by delivering competent employment candidates on a timely basis, supporting effective and legal recruitment and selection procedures, and keeping the company's behavior on the right side of the law at all times and in all matters. Companies exist to make money, and staff gets hired to help profitability. Being a team player and being glad to pitch in when needed has made you the "go to" person.... and saves the company - paying 1 person to do 4 roles, fantastic! And if something screws up, it's your fault. I have been there. Once you put your hand up to help, it's permanently up. If you can afford to quit and focus fulltime on job hunting, then I would advise you to take that step and hope you find a better role very soon..... It's hard to be at your best for an interview if you are exhausted and feeling frustrated. In the meantime, if you need to continue working could you consider focusing on the high priority tasks only?

35. Joanna PoeMarch 11,2022 at 10:11PM UTC

    That is true, but one way good HR helps the company is through retention, and the stance they've taken here will end up costing them. It takes time and money to train up new people, and if they burn through people like this, they're failing at their job.

36. PatriciaMarch 13,2022 at 9:22PM UTC

    And perhaps HR will be fired and replaced, along with a few managers...... wouldn't that make a nice change? Unless this cycle of adding responsibilities to others stops and people are replaced as they leave, then a lot of people will be burnt out and move on. It may get to the point where the business can't sustain this and fold...... someone in management needs to wake up and make the necessary changes, before it's too late.

37. AnonymousMarch 11,2022 at 1:10PM UTC

    I recommend you take care of yourself and continue to get your affairs in order and leave when you get the chance.

    You communicated and they did nothing, they are completely disrespecting you.

38. T MNMarch 10,2022 at 5:42PM UTC

    I believe quite a few of us are in the same situation. Happened to me, and burned me out to the point of overeating, not sleeping and crying each Sunday night in anticipation of my work week. I resigned last year and am now actively interviewing.

39. AnonymousMarch 11,2022 at 4:39AM UTC

    TMN, I'm exhibiting the same behaviors. It went as far last night that I tossed and turned all night as I couldn't let go of the frustration. Are you glad you resigned to actively job search and are you finding any issues from perspective companies that you quit? Since it's starting to cause health concerns, I'm getting dangerously close to resigning.

40. T MNMarch 11,2022 at 10:18PM UTC

    Since I've resigned my overall mental health improved. I took 2 months off and then accepted a position which was well beneath my potential but only because I feel I was still recovering from my burnout but wanted to start working and this was in walking distance to my home. A month later I resigned and started working the New York State Department of Education at a local high school. Left at 3 months and left that job too. I am now actively interviewing at investment advisory firms which is my field and at this point I feel ready to go back to Corporate America. Have a few interviews lined up and feel that with my experience I know my limits and am will not be exploited with and unrealistic workload

41. AnonymousMarch 11,2022 at 4:09AM UTC

    Wow, I could have written this post.

    I’m a COO who sometimes feels like an admin assistant (much respect and appreciation to them, but I’ve worked hard to climb the ladder). I’ve had some honest conversations with my director (even started crying once which is very unlike me) and have also decided to transition. Sometimes there’s no fixing the situation. My advice is to prioritize yourself, even in small ways. Take a walk at lunch every single day (take lunch!!), even for 5 minutes. Stand up from your desk and stretch. Drink lots of water at work. Try to leave work behind when you get home by exercising or doing yoga (or whatever works for you). Miss a deadline or two, let a few balls drop. It’s not our style, but it’s kind of liberating to decide that you actually don’t have to carry the world and can set it down. You were hired to do a job, not be a super hero.

42. AnonymousMarch 11,2022 at 4:36AM UTC

    Thank you, Anonymous. I'm sorry that you're going through a similar situation. I'm reaching my end and even told HR off the record that I'm starting to job search. I want to see if they plan on doing anything or this will continue. I decided today that I'm not putting up with this long term.

    In the past, I wouldn't have done this but I'm reaching my final straw. I'm trying not to resign as there's not a lot of option in my area. I would do better if I moved but that opens up another set of problems. Good luck, Anonymous!

43. AnonymousMarch 11,2022 at 12:22PM UTC

    You just can’t keep doing it.
    It takes a toll over time. I wake up sore from the stress of trying to do 3 jobs. And I try to shield my employees from the same fate (they weren’t hired to do these vacant jobs either). It’s really taxing and not just due to the hours in the work day, but the mental energy of balancing so many areas. I’m starting to look for remote positions and there’s a lot more out there than there used to be. So maybe that’s an option to consider. Best of luck to you, too!

44. Liz MilneMarch 11,2022 at 4:51AM UTC

    You're working four jobs? Are they paying you four salaries? If not, you need to have a conversation and point out the T&Cs of your employment contract. Just hope you're not in an at-will state, I understand that makes it tricky to stand on your rights. But your situation is ridiculous: unless each of those jobs are quarter jobs!

45. AnonymousMarch 11,2022 at 5:19AM UTC

    Liz, they were all full-time, 40 hours a week positions. I'm so frustrated and tired from all the extra work. I'll read through my contract this weekend. I'm basically doing 4 jobs at the same time to get my work done. If those aren't done, I can't proceed with my own. I found out today that they aren't planning on hiring any replacements. It sounds like I need to put my affairs in order.

46. Liz MilneMarch 11,2022 at 11:40PM UTC

    omg... Starting with your CV, methinks?

47. AnonymousMarch 11,2022 at 12:17PM UTC

    Unfortunately, that’s rarely how it works at the management level. You have to cover anything in your functional area. So some employers abuse it, especially if you’re a high performer.

48. Liz MilneMarch 11,2022 at 11:42PM UTC

    Yeah, I know... It's depressing: they pull that sh*t and then get praised for being 'great businessmen'... >:( My reply was half-snarky, I knew there was like a 0.00000001% chance that this was a sensible use of OPs life... :/

49. AnonymousMarch 13,2022 at 2:55AM UTC

    Anonymous, that's exactly what happening. The more people that quit, I'm overseeing those as well. Another manager just quit on Friday and I found out now work with her old team as well. It's getting to be that everyone is jumping ship. The people that are staying for right now, I don't see lasting long term. I've started to apply for other positions.

50. AnonymousMarch 11,2022 at 12:58PM UTC

    This hit me in the feels, I can totally relate.
    It’s like a meme a friend sent me awhile back saying “my job has this cool thing that if you’re awesome at your job you get to do other people’s jobs too!”. I think consulting may be a good fit, I transitioned about 18 months ago into consulting and I love it. If extra work needs doing, it’s getting billed ?

51. AnonymousMarch 13,2022 at 2:57AM UTC

    Love that saying and it's true. I'll looking into consulting as it's something I've considered in the past. Now might be the perfect time to create a new career.

52. Margaret PettisMarch 11,2022 at 1:31PM UTC

    There's that old saying the reward for doing good work is more work

53. Margaret PettisMarch 11,2022 at 1:37PM UTC

    This happened to my sister, she quit and they hired 3 people to replace her.

54. AnonymousMarch 13,2022 at 2:58AM UTC

    Thank you, Margaret and all the best to your sister. I hope she found another position that valued your experience and time.

55. AnonymousMarch 11,2022 at 5:13PM UTC

    So many people, including myself, are in this situation with the "great" resignation. Not so great for all of us. If you are in a Senior Management position - is there no one you can delegate to? A dangerous, yet effective, technique I have been using is to let stuff crash and burn. I've clearly listed all of my previous responsibilities plus those that were added so my manager knows what all was dumped on me. I told him what I thought I could do. I've done what I can. I send up a red flag on things that I see are going to crash and burn. I watch them crash and burn. I tell my boss, see - I told you that was going to crash and burn. If no one is feeling the pain except you - nothing is going to be done.

56. AnonymousMarch 13,2022 at 3:01AM UTC

    Anonymous, It helps to know that I'm not alone. This forum reminds us we're all going through similar struggles. I hate thinking that I need to let things crash and burn. That goes against my nature. At the same time, if I keep 'making it work' things are going to change. I wish you all the best as well!