To ask your advice on this newish job.

[lovemelovemesaythatyouloveme1]

looking for decent advice on this.

i started a job in august last year (huge well known company)

im responsible for three different things that run on a monthly cycle. Start, middle, end of month.

here’s my problem. All of these things are very time consuming and one of them is an enormous piece of work every month that relies on many other people completing tasks that ultimately feed into the final product that I report monthly. It is so hard to get people to do things on time - they’re busy and it’s constantly running late. The knock on effect of this is that I can rarely take longer than a couple of days off at a time and even then it’s stressful.

im being turned into a key man dependency. My boss did my job and since I’ve started manages me but isn’t interested in really helping. I’m genuinely worried that I’ll burn out sooner rather than later.

these three cycles all require lots of input before I can produce them and I see people taking two weeks off work to rest and go on holiday and I panic knowing that I can never do that now. I’ve tried to raise it with them and have asked them how they managed it but the answer is vague.

i feel a bit sick thinking that I’m never getting a break. I have two young kids and I’m constantly stressed and over worked

I suppose my advice is wtf do I do?

You spend the time whilst you're waiting for other people to do their jobs, on indeed looking for a new one.

If you've honestly raised your concerns, and they've been brushed aside. Get out.

If you were hit by a bus tonight, they'd have you replaced by the end of the week. Your family can't.

Leave and don't look back.

This is what I keep thinking - they’d replace me in a heartbeat.

the feeling that I can’t take a holiday is crushing me

If it’s a large company, do you hav access to an Employee Assistance Programme? They might be able to talk things through with you and help you decide what to do. Also, concerning holiday, the company must realise that they need some kind of plan for cover for this and for sickness. Ask them (either your manager or HR) what it is. If there isn’t one, maybe you need to come up with one.
If you are waiting too long for people to feed you information that you need, explain this to management and get them to lay down deadlines or chase, chase, chase the offenders!

I'd be looking for a new job

Leave.
Stress kills.
Your children would prefer a less frazzled mom.
Find something else don't kill yourself.

So if you just booked a two week break, what would happen?

Have they actually said you can't take the holiday or are you just assuming? If the latter, a new job seems like making a mountain out of a molehill

Just book the holiday and they'll have to muddle through until you come back! Presumably, as the previous incumbent, your boss will be on the hook to deliver for those 2 weeks.

It sounds like you feel like you can't take time off, not that you can't. Personally I'd deliberately book time off over the weeks that it is needed to be delivered and see what happens.

Graveyards are full of indispensable people. Funnily enough, they all turn out to be dispensible.

Say to your boss, ‘I’m taking two weeks from X to X so someone else will need to cover my work.’ See what they say. But yes, I’d be looking for a new job. You’ve been there nearly a year.

Book the holidays you want to take.

Your boss will need to arrange cover.

Book the holidays that you want.

If they don't have to organise cover, then they won't - they're not going to spend time arranging cover that they currently don't require, it sounds like you need to force their hand a bit. Would you put off leaving the job because they can't replace you - of course not!

You're entitled to your holidays.

I'm sure that there will be jobs where holidays are limited, but I would expect to have arranged a higher level of remuneration if that were the case!

Start job hunting. And stop thinking about this role as a long term position. You'll immediately feel better for it.

Just be careful, there aren't as many jobs as Jeremy Hunt thinks there is and depending on where you are - you may struggle (hundreds of applicants per role where I am)

But it sounds like you're a highly skilled person. I think youll find a new role fairly quickly 😊

I’d be proactive and cover yourself (emails)
Make sure management are aware of issue of work not ready in time.
eg I need 2 weeks to do my bit if report only comes to me on 25th it is too late for deadline of 31st.
Flag to manager. Eg email colleague I need report by end of x date to enable compliance with deadline cc in manager.
Raise issue of leave with manager. Book longer periods off. Only a few days means they manage. If you are off someone will have to deal. Ideally book off from before work comes to you until after deadline.
Start actively looking for new job. Update linkedin etc.

If you’re working on projects, put your workload and position as a key person dependency on the RAID log. It’s a neat way of flagging it and escalating away from your manager that you can’t possibly be criticised for, because it’s the process you’re supposed to follow. And also covers you further down the line if you can’t deliver.