To walk out without notice....

[areyouactuallykidding]

Because I don’t see any other way. Short story is I’m in a team which is down from 5 people to 2 including me and a new starter with no experience. This is due to people leaving and being unable to find replacements. I’ve been at the company over 5 years but this is a new role I went into a few months ago so I’m not totally confident yet either.

The workload is just untenable - we deal with clients and I clearly can’t complete 3 people’s jobs on my own on a 4 day week. I’m getting anxiety and the stress is crazy. I just don’t know what else to do. I’m looking for a new job but my notice period is 4 months and I can’t keep doing this that long.

Work are being sympathetic but unhelpful and just saying they’re looking for replacements, which they are, but the market isn’t great.

Is there anything I can legally do here?

Phone ACAS! You can't do that much work. They cant keep accepting new clients.

Sounds like you maybe work in my old role! Upstart, in my old job they didn't have a choice about accepting new clients. Honestly, your best option is likely to be to give your notice then get signed off by your GP for stress for the remaining time.

If you walk out that could affect a reference from them and the ability to get a new job.

In the short term are you able to set up a daily 10min meeting with your line manager and get them to prioritise your work load for each day. They must realise that it's impossible to get everything done and they need decide what is most important.

I would take a step back, do what I can and explain why the rest hasn't been done. Work is important but health is more important. Its not like they can fire you atm anyway! 😂

Sounds like me except I haven’t been there for 5 years. If you can find something else then do it and negotiate your exit date with your line manager. Four months notice is insane!!

I wouldn't walk out because it could well affect your reference.

What I would do is clearly state in writing to your manager (email) that the work load is untenable because of xyz. This is what you can reasonably do in the time allowed, but sadly anything that you cannot reasonably achieve will not be done. Ask them what do they intend to do about the situation? (Yes they already said they are trying to get replacements but exactly how hard are they trying? There are agencies!)

By putting it in writing you have put the onus back on to them. In the meantime don't even attempt to do 3 people's jobs. Just keep repeating that you can only do what is possible, and then only do what is possible!

Good advice from angelopal.

Just prioritise, do what you can. If clients complain, refer them to your manager. If manager complains, say you have been assigned 3 jobs, and that is too much for 1 person.

Prioritise, let the rest go to shit, and be like a broken record ("I am only one person, doing the job of 3")

Then go for a drink/swim/movie

It is just a job. Do the best you can in the allocated time, then leave the rest.

At my old place we all tried talking to the managers, explaining we could only do X amount etc. Didn't change a thing. You'd be in the middle of one "priority" when they'd throw another one at you that had to be done "immediately" and then ask you why the first wasn't completed. I saw colleagues sit there until 8 or 9 at night to get stuff done. The finish time was around 5 and managers would head out saying "good night" on the way knowing those people would be stuck there.

OP try and speak to them, see if there is anything they can do. But you may have to just leave as me and most of my colleagues did!

Put it onto your manager if you can. Tell them "x, y, z needs doing, I can't manage it all... what do you want me to focus on?"

I don't want to run away with OP's thread! But the people saying to tell the managers "I can manage this amount and no more" what do you do when the manager has unrealistic expectations? When all the staff are saying I can't do those amount of tasks in the allotted hours but you just hear back "well these are the things that need doing and if you can't manage we need to look at your performance?" because that is what happened in my old place to several people. I don't know what a person does in that situation?

I don’t really have a manager - that role is vacant too! I currently report into someone but they are very senior and not into the day-to-day. A daily meeting isn’t feasible but I guess I could literally list in an email what I’m going to do and not do.

My industry is known for long hours and whilst working till 8 or 9 wouldn’t bother me in the past it’s pretty impossible with a toddler to pick up at 6!

I’m not keen on getting signed off with stress as it could well impact on my next job. I’m at a fairly senior level and my industry isn’t huge.....

I would put your position in writing as RatherBeRiding suggested, give them whatever you deem a reasonable amount of time to sort it and then hand in notice and get signed off with stress if they don't. You can't carry on like this

When all the staff are saying I can't do those amount of tasks in the allotted hours but you just hear back "well these are the things that need doing and if you can't manage we need to look at your performance?" because that is what happened in my old place to several people

Depends how much you need the job, if I didn't, then I'd have said I wanted to see the Manager do each thing they'd asked me to do within their totally unrealistic timescale, then if they could achieve it within normal working hours and conditions whilst I shadowed them for learning experience, I'd just do it too.

Some managers people have to be shown how unrealistic their expectations are.

If you walk out that could affect a reference from them and the ability to get a new job

Companies aren’t allowed to give a bad reference. Standard is a factual reference confirming job title and dates, if a company really likes you/can be arsed, they personalise with a few lines about how great you are.

Hand your notice in ... you’ll get four months to look for a new one.

If you get too stressed talk to your doctor.

If you don't have a manager, then it's for the senior colleague to take up their responsibilities, not you. Agree with PP - send emails (so it's in writing) documenting that the workload isn't viable and action will need to be taken to remedy that. Update at the end of each day/week what has been done and what hasn't and flag any concerns.

You don't need to be stressed about it, it's for those who are senior to you to worry about. Just do your job and ask for help with prioritising if necessary. If you have a HR person or dept, raise your concerns about the workload with them too - explain it's causing you stress etc and that they need to help you find a solution.

Thanks for the advice all!

Of course employers are allowed to give a bad reference. So long as it is true.

Companies aren’t allowed to give a bad reference.

Really?

@AngelsSins

Companies absolutely are allowed to give a bad reference. It just has to be accurate.

Can you give a little steer on role/sector? Public? Private? I’m in a role which couldn’t “turn down customers”. If there was a similar serious skills shortage, my firm would (I imagine!) hire in my skill. Not from an agency, but approach a firm in the sector to take someone on secondment. Or just outsource it all together. But I can also imagine i would have to do something dramatic enough for HR to be involved for decision makers to take notice and take that action.

Get some quotes for outsourcing/secondment of support? And make a proposal to your employer at the same time as handing in your notice?

Companies very rarely give bad references as they could be taken to court. We’ve had awful ex employees and in those instances we just state their work dates and that’s it.

I’m not worried about a bad reference but being off with stress might not reflect well. I know I know this shouldn’t be the case.....

Private sector - work in PR!