Work problem

LegacyUser

I dont think this is a work issue, more personal.

I started a new job almost 2 months ago. Its for 6 months. I studied for years to get a job like this (am mid 30s). I am trying my best in there, but I seem to be not going fast enough or doing enough etc. I feel stupid. Ive 3-5 people looking for different things at the same time. Today, something was due for a manager. I made a mistake due to stress and was trying to rectify the problem, when another manager came along and told me to do something else that took hours. I then got a phone call from a very annoyed manager - he didnt give out, but I could tell from the tone in his voice. It was a what in the heck are you doing type of voice.

I am seriously trying so hard. I arrived 15mins early today, left late and took a 25min lunch break. I cant push myself any harder. The only thing in my head is that it is for 6months only. Do I walk now, or stay and be so stressed out and worried that I cant sleep. My self-esteem is going to zero as I cant cope or keep up.

My feeling is that it is very unorganised in there, but I am bottom of the heap position-wise and cannot make my feelings be known. I feel like just getting up and walking away. Today I made myself sit down as I could feel myself rise from my seat to leave.

A friend of mine said I would feel worse if I walked away. Any advice? I am terrified that they will extend my contract after 6 months. Even though it was originally my dream job and money and time spent on getting it and now its a disaster.

LittleBook

Don't walk away.

stres wrote: »

I studied for years to get a job like this (am mid 30s). I am trying my best in there, but I seem to be not going fast enough or doing enough etc. I feel stupid.

Years of study can't prepare you for an actual live work environment ... the pressure, the challenges, the inter-personal relationships, time managment, project co-ordination ... I've worked with highly intelligent, well-educated people who couldn't use the fax machine, the phone system or any of the bespoke company tools. You are not stupid.

stres wrote: »

Ive 3-5 people looking for different things at the same time. Today, something was due for a manager. I made a mistake due to stress and was trying to rectify the problem, when another manager came along and told me to do something else that took hours. I then got a phone call from a very annoyed manager - he didnt give out, but I could tell from the tone in his voice. It was a what in the heck are you doing type of voice.

There's so much juggling required in most jobs, particularly now when so much more is expected from one person as human resources are being cut back. If you're doing something and someone else approaches you, you need to learn to say "I'm working on this right now for XXX, I'll be done in XXX hours. When do you really need this?"

Let them know that XXX has you occupied right now and if there's a problem, take it up with XXX. You need to be pre-emptive or you'll never catch up.

EVERYone thinks that what they need is the most important thing in the company so, if you're supporting 5 people, you need to learn to manage these people as well as manage your time.

stres wrote: »

I am seriously trying so hard. I arrived 15mins early today, left late and took a 25min lunch break. I cant push myself any harder.
The only thing in my head is that it is for 6months only. Do I walk now, or stay and be so stressed out and worried that I cant sleep. My self-esteem is going to zero as I cant cope or keep up.

My impression is that this is your first "real" job (i.e. in the area for which you've studied for years) so (and I'm really trying not to sound harsh here) I think a bit of a wake-up call is required ... this is your dream job in your chosen career, will you be able to get another one? Probably not, especially if you don't fulfil this contract.

How late did you stay? While no-one should be a slave and I'm aware that companies have been known to take advantage of new graduates and contract workers, I don't think what you're describing sounds like the most stressful situation in the world, certainly not from personal experience.

It's a six-month contract which will give you experience and begin building your reputation in your field. If you have to go in 30 minutes early and work a couple of hours late to catch up, so be it. And work on your people management skills ... most people assume only managers need this but people who provide support for several others need it more!

And I bet by the time it comes around to deciding whether you'd accept an offer to stay for another six months, you'll feel much better.

Stick at it and good luck!

Lothaar v2

If you're in a job that's making you absolutely miserable, get out asap.

That said, you might need some perspective.
"I am seriously trying so hard. I arrived 15mins early today, left late and took a 25min lunch break. I cant push myself any harder."

Sorry if this sounds preachy, but surely it IS possible to push harder than that. Using myself as an example, for about three years I worked in a company where I was regularly eating lunch at my desk and staying between 2 and 6 hours late every night (although I do/did think that this was extreme). Times are tough these days and applying a bit of elbow grease might require you to work longer hours.

Some general advice for your predicament - when different managers demand tasks at the same time, you've got two options:
1. Go to your line manager (direct supervisor) with a list of tasks and ask him to prioritise them for you. He can then either redistribute the work so it gets done on time or deal with the people requesting the tasks.
2. Get the different managers to discuss prioritisation between themselves. Email is great for this, as you can copy them all on one email listing what you've been asked to do. If it's possible to give reasonable estimates for how long each task takes, they'll clearly see that you can't possibly complete everything in one day (or whatever the timeframe). Then they can decide who is first in the queue.

The key point in both of the above is that it's not YOU deciding what to drop, and everyone knows when to expect their task, and why it's taking so long.

I've worked in extremely disorganised companies before and found Option 2 to be a complete lifesaver.

Neyite

Dont Quit. You are not stupid. For the first 6 months in any job you are finding your feet and getting to know the office environment and work dynamic of the place. You will be slower in this time as well because you are getting to know your way around new things.

Know where your time wasters are. If you are spending 2 hours banging your head off a brick wall because you are looking for something, ask someone. It does not make you stupid. It makes you efficient. Just say that you’ve spent some time trying to locate X, can someone help you? or if its machinery/software, just say its a different one than the one you have been used to previously and you cant find the particular function on it.


There are 2 key things that will greatly resolve your issue:

1. Organisation:
they can be as disorganised as they like, but you dont have to be. i work in an environment where any one of 50 (some very disorganised) staff can ask me to complete tasks for them I also work to unbendable deadlines. If i miss one then the company can lose a fortune. Get yourself a diary, and write everything in it. i really like the Q-Connect DayPlanner, and have renamed the columns as task, project number, person to report to, deadline and completed columns in it. this also gives you something to refer to if you are held responsible for a delay by someone else. (a lot of screw ups get blamed on the newbie) or if someone tries to move the deadlines and say to you that you are wrong and they are right. I don’t know how many times referring to my diary has saved my ass. there will always be one or two who must seem to think that you have nothing else for doing, but you will get to know these in time.


Communication:
They all think theirs is priority, and its easy to come across as not wanting to do it if you look distracted, stressed and under pressure. the trick is to display a ‘can-do’ attitude, agree to do it, consult your day planner, and briefly summarise, e.g., well today I’m working on x for john, that’s going to take up today, but i can fit your task in on Thursday, when’s your deadline? This way, if there is an overlap of tasks, and Jane* and John* both want something done at the same time, then they can work it out among themselves, taking the decision out of your hands, so neither of them can get annoyed at you.

also if you are behind on a task, let them know as soon as possible so they can either assign you more help or postpone what they need it for. Don’t be apologetic unless its due to your absence, so if you get delayed, then its ‘Jane, by the way, i got caught on an unexpected customer complaint yesterday, and I’m working on your document now, but its likely to be Friday morning rather than Thursday that it will be ready for you is that ok? If it’s not ok, then you can offer to work overtime on it. but you might find that the deadline/meeting they need the information for has been pushed back, and they just didn’t let you know. you cant blame someone being annoyed at you not delivering if you kept them in the dark.

Lastly, be watchful of the colleague who offloads work onto you that they should be doing. If this happens, the smart thing to do is to wait until that person is out of the way and go to the mutual supervisor to ‘clarifiy’ a point in the document, as if you have no idea that its someone elses task. And put it in your day planner as well. I was 6 months unwittingly doing a colleagues work until i handled it this way. Once my team leader saw my diary yer wan got pulled for it, and i wasnt involved in ratting her out as such.

ongarboy

Like some of the other posters, I do agree that you should hang in there for another while at least. Is there someone else ( a peer) on the same grade as you that you could confide in and ask did they encounter similar issues when they first started. Every job is daunting at the start no matter how suited to it you are. There is a level of stress as you try and find your way around, get to know people and their personalities, new applications and work procedures etc. It is also common to feel at the start that you have made a mistake with taking the job or that you feel like an idiot because you don't know something that is seemingly obvious to those that have worked there for years. These are normal thoughts for every new starter.

I know this is common in larger companies where managers have 1, 3 or 6 month reviews of new staff which gives you the opportunity to share any concerns or needs with your manager but may not be in place in your company. If this is not an option, I suggest making a list of all or at least the top 10 concerns you have about the job and put beside each concern a tangible or evidence example of why it is a concern and then on reviewing it, once you are happy that the list covers your biggest concerns, email your manager to ask if you can have a one to one meeting with them at a future time/date to discuss. Send them on the list in advance so they can review and plan/ prepare remedies for those concerns.

I recommend compiling this list when you are not particularly emotional or stressed so that you can gather your information while you rational and clear headed. It might be an idea to also keep a seperate list of possible suggestions as to how you feel those concerns may be resolved and see if your manager is agreeable to them. If your manager is professional, they will welcome this initiative as it is in their interest to have a satisfied, happy and productive worker.

I have to say, I was bemused by your last comment of your fear that they would extend your contract. The irony of that is they would only do that if they were happy with your performance which would surely be an endorsement of your ability. Don't be so harsh on yourself. Even the best workers get grief from their co-workers. If after 6 months, you are still miserable, and your instinct is still telling you that you are in the wrong job then maybe it is time to seriously review other job options. Best of luck whatever you choose!