To be frustrated and stressed?? Work-related.

[LimaLemur]

Just need to post here for a rant! I just feel really frustrated and stressed with work at the moment.

This is basically my first full-time job, and I spent ages job-hunting before getting it, so I’m really grateful to be in the job and to have any kind of work.

I work in the Civil Service, but would prefer not to say anything more than my job involves working in a very high pressure role in a smallish team. Even when our team is fully staffed, the work is stressful and demanding.

Our team is meant to have a certain number of people in it, but a team member has been off sick (and won’t be returning) since December. Because of this, we’ve been down by one staff member since they left.

Regularly, other staff members have taken leave (leave granted by the people managing the team), so we’ve often been two people down (the person taking leave and the person who left in December).

So now, we regularly have situations where we’re doing our main job as well as the work of two other people split between us. We won’t have anybody new starting until at least April or May.

Any words of reassurance? I just feel knackered and frustrated.

[tealandteal]

It's tough but they can't ban the whole team for taking annual leave for something outside their control. They should cover that person with a temp or find another way to spread the workload.

[Chloemol]

Welcome to the real word. Lots of places are like this, you just have to get on with it

[EggysMom]

Make sure you take your share of leave too - don't be a martyr.

[Chloemol]

World not word. I do wish we could edit comments

[PinkOboe]

Sounds like work —just wait for the next recruitment freeze—

[OMGithurts]

I've heard there are some companies in the private sector that adequately staff their departments but you won't find anywhere in the public sector with enough staff. Don't you know we're in the midst of cuts and austerity?

[whywhywhy6]

Unfortunately, very standard. Difficult though.

[MaverickSnoopy]

Sounds normal. Sadly. Make sure you take your leave. Make sure you talk to your manager if you are taking on other people's work. Frame it in a what are the priorities type way.

[pitterpatterbaby]

Yep welcome to the civil service. This is normal. Recruitment takes ages and in that time someone else will probably leave/move/be promoted. Just do the best job with the time you have.

[Mysterycat23]

Don't believe the hype! Put yourself first. Set some boundaries. Otherwise you will burn out in a matter of time. Which doesn't benefit anyone, at work or at home.

Take regular loo breaks, go for a walk outside at lunchtime, get really well practised at switching off the thoughts of work when not at work. Easier said than done but the alternative is worse.

[BeanoBrown]

That is standard where I work, it would be unlikely the person off sick would get replaced too. You need to learn ways to look after yourself, don't constantly work to 100% of your capability, keep a bit back so to speak.

[IrenetheQuaint]

It's like this across the entire civil service at the moment. Take some leave yourself, prioritise your work (with your manager) and don't exhaust yourself.

[Ybvu]

I'm sorry you've joined the workforce at a tough time when resources are tighter than ever but believe me it's happening everywhere! I work in corporate environments and so many orgs are under staffed. It's almost the norm.

I'd like to say things will get better but I'm not sure they will

[shiningstar2]

If others are taking leave it would probably be a good idea for you to book some leave as well. That way the 2 people down days at work will be shared out more fairly.

[jelliebelly]

I dont work in the civil service but if people are off long term sick they don't get replaced as they are entitled to come back to their role - everybody else has to chip in to cover. It's the way most teams work unfortunately.

[FortyFacedFuckers]

Sorry op it’s shot but same in my job (nhs) team of 4, 2 off long term sick, leaving 2 staff to do all the work and still get annual leave and both had time off sick for a week or two! Now the bosses have decided to only take one back from sick &
Redeploy the other as she is not needed it’s horrendous!

[NigellaAwesome]

You need to agree where the priorities lie with your manager, because it's not likely that the team can do the same amount of work with absences. unless the one off sick is like some in our place, who make a song and dance about being busy, but actually don't do much at all

The other alternative is to start using this time to really critically think about what you do and how you do it. If you can see ways where you could do things quicker, smarter, then pipe up with management. I love it when my team suggest improvements, because it shows me they are engaged, thinking about their job, and being creative. They are the ones doing it, so know best where things could be done differently. Obviously I don't leave all the responsibility for improvements on them.

My entire section is paperless due to suggestions from staff for doing things differently.

[whatamidoingwithmylife]

Sounds pretty good for the civil service. I've worked there 15yrs and hardly anyone gets replaced when they leave so you end up working like crazy to cover it.

Don't expect it to get better. Yesterday I did a 14hr day and then was expected to write a presentation in the spare time before bed ready to present today.

I think most new entrants are surprised how backwards the civil service really is in its treatment of staff. We have a new staff member and it took him over 2yrs from applying to get into his post yet we've been short staffed that whole time 🙄

[Wouldyouorshouldyou]

Civil Servant and it's the same everywhere? Understaffed, poor equipment, ineffective processes and making jobs take twice as long as necessary.

Standard working life. Get your holidays booked, go home and switch off. Do your best but don't break your back.

[StealthPolarBear]

Ranting helps, rant away op

[LimaLemur]

Thanks everyone! :) So sad to hear it’s the same across different industries and sectors, although it’s understandable.

With our job, we work set hours and get ‘told off’ (for want of a better word!) if we are still at work outside of those hours. We have strict deadlines and extremely short-term turnarounds on our projects due to parliamentary deadlines, so every single bloody day is just high stress.

All of your posts have hugely helped though! Thank you all! One thing I am incredibly, massively grateful for is that I never need to bring work home, so that’s a lovely plus point.

I also feel sometimes like it’s difficult to approach my line manager, who’s fairly new but very, very capable and doing very well in the role.

I have a pretty good relationship with him and we all get on really well both socially and professionally in our team, but sometimes, when he’s stressed, he can respond to me quite abruptly, and I find it a bit rude. I don’t think I can or necessarily need to do anything about it, but I don’t think it’s really fair, especially when myself and my colleagues are working so hard.

He hasn’t acknowledged when I’ve done anything well and is often very abrupt, almost to the point of rudeness, when he speaks - I think this is because he is so busy he doesn’t really think he has time for niceties, but it seems a bit unprofessional and just not really on.

For example, he’s given me more responsibility (although only for a short time). I’m looking forward to this as a development opportunity, and he gave it to me because I’d already expressed interest in it. But he forwarded me an email with some info about it today, and when I asked him about it, he didn’t give me any guidance on it at all and said he was too busy, although it needs to be sorted out ASAP. I feel in the dark about it, and he’s dealt with this sort of stuff before. I will talk to him about it on Monday, but it’s sometimes difficult just to find the time in the day to catch up with a colleague about something.

Please be gentle - I’m just after a bit of reassurance. Especially because it’s basically down to him that we’re short-staffed (he’s partly involved in the recruitment process for the team).

[LimaLemur]

Anyone?

[StealthPolarBear]

He sounds new to management

[StealthPolarBear]

When we have our appraisla we get to give our manager feedback as part of that. I think asking for feedback in general, or when you do something right would be constructive at that point. Guessing you have appraisals in the next month or so.