Struggling with anxiety at work

[BaltiTriangle]

I've recently started in a fairly senior role in an organisation. It's a role I've done previously at the same level for years and part of it involves drafting correspondence to clients. In previous roles at this level I've drafted my own correspondence and sent it off myself, only checking with my boss if there was something particularly contentious I needed advice on. In this organisation they have a few levels of approval for correspondence before it can go out and I'm really struggling with it.

The person who first reviews the correspondence has been in the team for a very long time and has very particular ideas on how things should be structured. I've tried to follow their advice as closely as possible but at times I've been told I included too much context, then when I shortened my responses I was told there wasn't enough context, then I was told to stick to the standard wording and then told I should have deviated from it. Nothing I've written has been incorrect, just not structured to this person's liking. It is quite subjective and I can't really push back at all because I'm still new and this person is senior to me (though not my boss).

I'd really thought that at this stage of my career I'd be past this back and forth on what I consider fairly routine and uncontentious correspondence. It's making me feel nervous and quite anxious every time I have to submit something to them. I know I'm still fairly new but I'm worried this may continue as this person seems quite pedantic and particular about how they like things done. I've asked them for examples of best practice but they said they can't really give any because each correspondence is so different.

Any tips on how to deal with this? I already get quite anxious about people reviewing my work so when they reject things I've worked on it has made me feel more insecure than ever

Schedule a discussion with your manager and HR to talk about how difficult this process is making life for you. Explain that you understand that there are ways of doing things, but that you're used to more autonomy and latitude, and don't feel that being micromanaged is conducive to your best performance.

Thanks for the response @EishetChayil. I guess I don't want to rock the boat necessarily since I'm still fairly new and I might just be told that the person is just doing their job as reviewer. This person has a lot of influence on the team and reviews everyone's correspondence so has things pretty much all their way before it goes to our boss for final approval.

Can you print off two examples ( assuming theses are emails) that had both the extremes of criticism. Then ask the correspondence reviewer to show where the structure could have been better.
If they refuse then it’s time for a discussion with your line manager and HR.

@Beebumble2 Unfortunately the person always gives their feedback over the phone - this adds to my anxiety because I see them calling and I have to steel myself over video call to hear about why my correspondence isn't up to the mark and smile through it when in reality I'm feeling quite self-conscious and embarrassed.

I'm also worried that they might tell my boss I'm not performing in this area

Are you working in something like law, where you are giving legal advice to clients, but your advice is checked by another Solicitor?

Speak with your line manager and ask for feedback on your performance. If they are happy, the comments on your work may be less of an issue than you think and you may just have to put it down to 'one of those things' and just not pay too much attention to what is a subjective opinion.

Send your correspondence to your line manager and ask for their comments before sending it to your colleague and then go back to your line manager once the colleague had reviewed. I think it would be helpful for your line manager to see a working example.

You may find that once you become more established and have proved yourself, they may not be so bothered about checking your work in as much detail.

Ask your colleagues the best way to work with this particular colleague as they may be able to give you some help.

If that doesn't work, maybe you need to look for another job. I once worked with a contractor who provided advice to my company. They left and went to work for a new company and I randomly ran into them a few months later and they said they were leaving. It turns out that their boss was micro managing them and making changes to their perfectly acceptable grammar. The manager was quite embarrassed when they found out about the resignation as it reflected badly on them - they were newly promoted and were just trying to make their mark.

@purpledagger It's not law but there are some elements of clarification we provide on legal positions.

So far my line manager has given me good feedback and luckily this is just one small part of my job, albeit one that's troubling me a fair bit! I'm hoping as you say that they might just be doing this because I'm new - they've mentioned a few times that by 'correcting' me I'll learn the right way to do things i.e. the way they like it done! I'm struggling though to figure out exactly the way they like things done though since it seems to be very much decided on a case-by-case basis...