I am overwhelmed at work

7 Comments

1. AnonymousAugust 30,2022 at 9:47PM UTC

   Before you schedule the meeting, locate the job responsibilities in the job announcement you read before applying for the job. Also, you should have received another document specifying more directly job functions. Take those documents and analyze them, do they match what you are doing now. Do you think the functions described were too vague. One of the questions you should ask yourself is there a gap between the roles you read in the job announcement vs what you are actually doing. If so, you need them to explain and also have a job description making it more clear what your duties are. Also be clear in explaining how and why you need a better understanding of how they want work prioritized. Maybe how they are communicating is not clear enough and needs to be addressed. It is good to ask if there is a series of training that you can participate in to get spooled up so you are definitely on the right track. Good Luck! A supportive boss would be open to communication with you. Keep that in mind.

2. Barb HansenAugust 30,2022 at 9:53PM UTC

   My advice is to remove yourself (your emotions) from the conversation.

   Present your case as if you were talking about someone else, let's say a co-worker who does the exact same job as you and has the same name we you.

   why?

   Because we tend to underestimate our needs and overemphasis our ability to get work done, and emotions can enter into the conversation. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with emotions, but these conversations can be difficult and it can be hard to talk about difficult things when we are at the center of those conversations.

   But if we think of ourselves as "someone else" that can help us focus on the problem (there is too much work to do for one person) instead of focusing on the person (I'm overworked).

   Then present your case (as you stated in your OP):

   -there is too much work for one person (see, look at my work load when it's transferred to a calendar, there isn't enough time in the month to do that work)
   -let's figure out a prioritize system
   -how can I work with you so you can communicate the priority of task
   -what training can I take (during working hours/paid by the company)
   -should I look into hiring a temp working or external contractors to get the non-priority work done

   Good luck!

3. AnonymousAugust 30,2022 at 10:19PM UTC

   Like Barb said, remove all emotion from the conversation. Instead of thinking of it as you're so overwhelmed and your boss is going to react in a certain way, try thinking of it as if you were talking about your everyday duties to an acquaintance. Then go in with a plan for your supervisor.

   I wouldn't necessarily say I'm overwhelmed, but I'd present it more as you'd like to discuss what are the priorities and when an issue arises, what should be done first? I once had a boss that said it's all a priority! So if they come back with a line like that, you can agree and say that while yes, all things are a priority and should be finished within a specified amount of time, only one thing can get done first and which is more important?

   And come ready with a plan. Say you spend this many hours on X thing and this many hours on Y thing, Z thing keeps happening. If you were to reduce time on spent on ABC, you could get Other Thing done faster or you're spending too much time outside of your normal working hours trying to accomplish all of your tasks. (For that, come backed up with stats that prove your point because the answer will almost undoubtedly be "Work faster.")

   Hopefully you have a great boss that understands and will ask how they can help support you so you can get everything finished.

   tl;dr: don't be emotional; have a plan; come backed up with facts

4. AnonymousAugust 31,2022 at 12:31AM UTC

   I would prepare an agenda to help keep the discussion organized and ensure you cover all your points because you might not get another chance like this

   Try to keep things positive and practical and keep notes so you may summarize the meeting and your understanding of what was discussed.

5. Maegan MAugust 31,2022 at 2:50PM UTC

   The only thing I recommend is starting off on a positive note saying that you want to contribute valuable work so prioritizing all these tasks is important to you, and going forward you'll have a better understanding of how he/she wants you to prioritize. Then let them take the lead and when they tell you which ones to prioritize, make sure you ask or understand WHY They've identified it that way so you can use that as your guide down the line.

6. AnonymousAugust 31,2022 at 2:54PM UTC

   Be open and honest. Start the conversation with how much you enjoy working and that you want to do better in your work and ask how to prioritize your work so that you better serve in your role and thrive.

7. AnonymousAugust 31,2022 at 3:41PM UTC

   I'm right there with you!

   I'm going through the same issue now (it feels like I'm constantly revisiting this convo w/ my management; I haven't seen much change though).

   The volume of my work continues to increase but the current headcount doesn't reflect nor support this expectation (known issue by leadership but no real solution in sight). It's less about how it makes me "feel;" it's more about the projection of unrealistic work expectations and how my employer is promoting this expectation, thus creating an unsustainable work environment for me (it's the "feeling" of never feeling caught up, always behind). If 5 new projects came out of nowhere (that are now "net new" priorities) and they all have been resourced for my time and I'm supposed to do them all well and all at the same time andddd get them done by end of year? -- yeah, no. Y'all don't need "me," y'all need a miracle worker. LOL

   Following thread for others advice. Thank you for starting this thread! I appreciate your transparency.