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I need to make a change and quick

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Anonymous

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I need to make a change and quick

I started my current job a little over a year ago and it seems like my ability to learning new tasks is not up to par like how I usually pick up new tasks. I just can't get the hang of it. It's mostly due to being extremely burned out and overwhelmed and just needing a break. Due to me being overwhelmed and mentally exhausted, I have slowly grown to hate my current role. I am completely dissociated from my job every single day. I get completely annoyed when I am asked to do my job and now I get extremely stressed and anxious every time I think of work.

Unfortunately, I also hate the organization as a whole. It’s one of those organizations where everything is urgent and every person needs to work work work - even after work hours. That is also adding to my stress.

I have a performance review coming up and I want to tell my supervisor that I'm struggling in my role, and I am having a hard time completing basic tasks.

My mental exhaustion is making it hard for me to make decisions and its at risk of my mind and body.

I know I need to find another job because at this point it is affecting my physical health in addition to my mental health. My concern is I don't have references. Nor do I even know what I type of position I want to look for. I know references should not be an issue when deciding to leave a job you hate, but it was tough finding references when I went to the interview process at this current job. So this makes me nervous.

I’ve never been in this situation before at any job I had so I don’t know to approach the situation.

I’m looking for advice on what to say to my supervisor during my performance review to let them know that I am struggling and I believe this role is not for me.

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  1. Anonymous

    I’m going through the same and hoping someone provides recommendations

  2. Anonymous

    I would first see my doctor to find a medical solution like a medical leave or disability to allow you to address the burnout. If you can't complete your duties there is nothing you can say other than you need a break for medical reason. Thank them for the opportunity and give you notice of leave.

  3. Anonymous

    Thanks, this was my next plan. To see if I could use FMLA to take leave for mental health reasons. I will look at my options to see if I can get that done.

  4. Anonymous

    I feel this. I just came back to a traditional W2 role in my field after working as a freelancer for several years. It has been an INTENSE culture shock, mainly because I took what was available and didn't really vet the culture, and now instead of working remote 100% on my own schedule, I'm chained to my desk in an office from 8:30-4:30 where they still write confirmation codes down in a paper log book. The other staff in the office works a much longer day than I do (I cannot due to obligations to get my children to and from school, which they knew when they hired me and I've been extremely transparent about) so the culture definitely feels like I'm the odd woman out. I'm feeling like you... super burnt out and struggling. There is NOT enough time in the day for this role, especially when quarterly reports are due.

    I actually did have a performance review about 4 months in, and my supervisor communicated that he was extremely happy with my work. I had to come back to him after a few days and have another sit down to tell him that I felt we were super out of sync, because I was not happy in my role at all, and some of the policies and procedures just did not work for me and I was struggling. I was respectful about it, and in my case, he wanted to work on making the situation better.

    And then our busy season started and it all went out the window.

    At this point, I'm actively looking for other roles and ways to improve my skill set so that I can find something else.

    I'm sending you all the good vibes, because I know where you're at and it's awful. The best you can do is be honest. Maybe they can reduce your workload, assign you a mentor, or communicate their expectations more clearly. In the meantime, find a skill set you can improve, or a volunteer role you can be a part of that supports your overall career goals... volunteer references are great because you and the other volunteers are working together in a way that is much more benevolent and less antagonistic than work supervisors, which have a tendency to go sour once you leave. (I work in finance, so I volunteer as a treasurer for a girls group... it's a couple of hours a month and the leader of the group just referenced me for a new job). You got this.

  5. Anonymous

    This helps a lot. I work in Finance too , I was in accounting before, and shifted to Finance with my current role. I think being in Finance is part of the problem as well. Accounting allowed me some comfortablity that I'm not getting in this new role. I'm gaining new skill sets ,but due to my burnout I've been having difficulty learning new skills like I normally would at a job. I recently reached out to volunteer . I'm hoping by volunteering I can get other perspectives in a collaboration/working environment.

  6. Anonymous

    Unless you have a great relationship with your supervisor, be careful how you phrase your issue. You could come across as expecting a poor review or providing excuses/explanations for a poor review (depending on when you bring it up.) While your explanations may be valid, they will not reflect well on you or your value as an employee. Burnout is real and often causes mistakes to happen. Mistakes can range from embarrassing to costly to deadly, depending on your job. If your company has an EAP program, now would be an excellent time to take advantage of it to talk with someone who can help you navigate whether your risk is more physical or mental health because it sounds like both are a problem. Perhaps a vacation or short-term FMLA leave could help (if you have worked long enough to be eligible for either.)

  7. Anonymous

    This was helpful. My organizations does have EAP so I will check it out. I'm just trying all of my options at this point. Thanks

  8. Anonymous

    I think you are reading my mind.

  9. Anonymous

    I think you should first see if your company has an EAP and speak to a therapist. Get some guidance on how to work through some of what you are dealing with. When speaking to your manager perhaps try letting them know you are dealing with stress and physical things that are affecting your ability to be good at your job and you would like to work with them to come up with a plan to streamline the things they want you to do and to set levels of urgency or lack of urgency around them. As an alternative seek medical guidance outside of work and get a leave of absence set in place. Take the time to repair how you are feeling because it can only get worse if you don't find a solution. It's good that you recognize this and there are several paths to fix it but don't let references or lack of them be the cause for staying if its truly that hard to be there. Good luck.

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