New job but most people called sick in my team.. Feeling overwhelmed

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Laila

01/21/21 at 10:06PM UTC

Career

New job but most people called sick in my team.. Feeling overwhelmed

I just started my new job working from home last week and this is my second week. I was given two weeks induction schedule which I thought was very organised from the line manager. The first week went really well. This week two key staff called off sick which one is my line manager and the other one was my colleague who was training me. Since Wednesday I'm being thrown work which I don't know how to do and I keep asking questions to the higher manager but she wouldn't help much. My emails keep piling up and I'm not sure how to action them. I'm feeling really stressed and overwhelmed.

5 Comments

Anonymous

01/21/21 at 10:47PM UTC

I've not ever been in that position, sorry to hear you've been thrown to the sharks like that-certainly not on purpose. Still, no fun! My thought was that the higher manager might not be much help because she might not know either. At any rate-hang in there!! I wonder, if working remotely, is there a way you can contact the colleague who was training you to get some direction on how you should be handling the incoming work you aren't sure about? Just a thought. Best of luck to you!!

Anonymous

01/21/21 at 11:15PM UTC

Nothing you can do. Give yourself a break and don't stress about things out of your control. Send an email explaining the backlog and wish those sick a speedy recovery. Ask the team if there are any items you can take care of in the meantime. That's it. You simply connect with the team and let them know that you're available when they are ready to resume your training. In the interim, get familiar with any process documentation and related procedures available. If that is not available or you're insure go through the company/employee handbook. Make notes of anything you reviewed last week that you have questions on, summarize emails you received with questions....you get the drift. No one is going to hold you accountable for things you haven't been trained to handle. Relax and do what you can. Things should be back on track next week or if covid was the cause of these absences perhaps a bit longer. Breathe and enjoy your brand new job! Congratulations.

Katrina Purcell

01/22/21 at 12:46AM UTC

Hang in there, it’s bad timing for them to be out for sure. Keep track of your questions for when you have good resources back. It seems they may need more documented training rather than direct person to person, maybe it’s an area you can assist the company in by starting to create written training for the next person. Tackle the things you know how to do for now and don’t worry about the emails piling up, it’s only week two, be easy on yourself!

Taylor Adams

T & D Manager, EQ Fanatic and Wellness Advocate

01/30/21 at 1:55PM UTC

I’m sorry you’re experiencing this. It has to be very frustrating. I have a couple suggestions. 1. Find a way to keep your pending to-dos (items you need guidance on) organized so the opportunity for something to be missed is minimized. Make a list. Star/flag them in your inbox. 2. Ask if there are any written instructions for any of your work processes. This will help you to familiarize yourself with some items until you have your “mentor” back for guidance. 3. Breathe. As mentioned above, you’re a very new employee and your mentor is out. Most managers and companies are very understanding and wouldn’t penalize you for not knowing what you don’t know. The anxiety of not feeling like you can contribute can be overwhelming but you can only do what you’ve been trained to do. Hope this helps. Congratulations on your new role!

Laila

01/30/21 at 2:28PM UTC

Thank you everyone for your responses. They were really helpful and made me feel better. They both came from sick leave on Monday and were able to pick up my training schedule.