Has anyone ever had such a high workload that they've forgotten what a normal workload is like?

[BrainLife]

My workload is huge. I have a caseload. I have reports to write. Training to deliver. Meetings. Emails. Research. Etc. I've reached a point where it's actually impossible to do my job properly, to a high standard. I've actually forgotten what an appropriate and manageable workload is like and I'm struggling, significantly. Does anyone else have a hectic job but one they love? Did you have to leave eventually? Did you ever just carry on to burnout?

I read somewhere (don’t ask me where) that most white collar professionals now spend close to 60% of their time on communications - mostly in meetings, on calls or on emails. That leaves only 40% of their time actually producing anything or doing whatever it is you’re paid to do.

We’re all spending 3 days a week emailing or in meetings. No wonder we’re all working mad hours & dealing with chronic stress - we can’t get anything done & we can’t stop the flood of communication.

Yes, I'm a teacher. Recently gone back full time and suddenly remembered how relentless the workload is. It was also ridiculous when I was part time but I used to work a lot on my unpaid days off so kept on top of it. Now I'm working through my breaks and lunches and in the evenings and on the weekends. It's unsustainable. I have a to do list for half term that is making me feel depressed. I have no work life balance at the moment.

Yes my first ever job in my industry (design) worked 50 minimum per week, shit pay too. Clients calling daily to shout at us because they were going to miss their deadline and it had been weeks (we were told to say yes to every job) so we were in constant firefighting mode, responding to whoever was shouting loudest rather then the most valuable or oldest work which then meant we pissed them off. Never made headway on the work load.

Went straight from that job to a civil service job on more then double the pay and was told off for 'working too hard' and that needed to reduce my hours. I was still doing 10 hour days purely out of habit.

Had to start drinking coffee at new job as I started literally nodding off at my desk. I was so used to running off pure adrenaline.

I still have severe criticism anxiety from that first job. Really hard to react normally to any negative feedback without getting hugely defensive. I got so used to defending myself from batshit claims accusations.

I freelance now, work from home 90% of the time and barely see or speak to people. Blissful.

At the moment, yes. Large corporate. I really echo the comment about never ending recruitment freezes but SLAs are immovable. I did 50 hours last week; it would have been 60 had systems not been down for essential maintenance over the weekend.

However it's not forever as my job goes in cycles - when this peak is over it will be very manageable again. I also like my job, my boss and my team, which is why I put up with the peaks - having been completely burned out and miserable in my last firm with an absolute weapons-grade twat for a boss.

In answer to the OP, yes. I eventually burnt out and left the industry, with my mental health seriously battered. I am much happier now.

Yes in my previous role (financial services job). I was doing the job of 3 people on a daily basis.

It was only after I left that I realized how overworked and burnt out I really was. I actually got pregnant within months of starting my new job after years of ttc and think that stress was a big factor in me not concieving.

I'm a teacher. My workload is higher than ever

As someone who works for a charity, I am not surprised.

I have come to realise that many charities make really poor employers.

Front line staff in my organisation have completely unmanageable workloads and because of this there is a ridiculously high staff turnover.

It is a combination of charities exploiting the good will of their staff and of government/local authorities giving contracts to voluntary organisations to deliver services/projects but being unwilling to pay a rate that will actually allow the charity to deliver the work properly with the right amount of staff.

I am job hunting to leave my current role (because I am expected to deliver as a part-timer a workload that would require an entire team to be done correctly)

I would say you need to put boundaries in place and make it clear that your current caseload is impossible to manage.

Yes, have been like this for years. It’s just the way my industry is at senior levels (I am not a teacher).

Dont hate the job but I hate the fact that I work every evening, most weekends and most of annual leave (and when I do this I am usually told it’s because I am not organised enough and don’t delegate enough, which are both bollocks).

Can’t leave yet for financial reasons but also I suspect an equivalent role on a similar salary at a different company will probably be same shit different company but without the perks I have earned over 10 years.

It is what it is. Looking to get my DD though GCSEs and then downsize. At least it pays well, is mainly remote and never boring. It could be a lot worse.

Yes, local government case work. I like the work and it’s worthwhile but there is too much of it and then standards can slip, things get missed and it becomes unrewarding. Always trying to catch up and spending days off worrying about not using that time to catch up

Another one in education but not teaching. It is utterly destroying me. I'm contracted 08 30 - 16 30 with no paid lunch break. I generally work at least an extra hour per day alongside never having any lunch break. I do not stop all day but the majority of my time is directed so I am failing to do my actual job as I'm not given the time. I do work in the evenings but I would still not be on top of it. The volume is just too high. It is having an impact on both my physical and mental health. I'm not sleeping, by the end of every day I'm utterly emotionally spent and I have nothing to give my family. It's not like I'm even paid well (£27k pa pro rata). I need to leave but I'm not sure what to do. I would love part-time with no responsibility!

Yep, teacher. I used to be full time in a unsupportive school that had six lessons a day, with a responsibility that gave me very little extra time or money as compensation, but a HUGE amount of extra work. I burnt out, had time off with stress (the only time I’ve ever done that) and resigned.

When I worked there I remember just being so exhausted, having no life and being ill every holiday as I was so run down. I really regret spending a good chunk of my 20’s in that state.

Still teaching, but in a different school only three days now - I can just about keep my head above water.

That is really interesting. I imagine it’s why everyone’s job has become a lot harder (as well as staff shortages) as we are bombarded all day every day and people expect instant responses. It’s like fire fighting.

Ah... charities are one of the worst for piling huge workloads onto their employees.

Yep first job after DS I worked in the third sector. put in 60+ hours a week with a 2 year old, as a lone parent- would work a full day, do nursery pick up, dinner bath and bed, then put in another 3-6 hours a night. fall into bed in the early hours, wake up at 7am and do it all again.

It was the continuous pressure of fundraising really, which I juggled alongside my main job. Constant feeling that if I didn’t win bids, the axe could fall at any minute, and we’d no longer be able to provide the service we did to the community, and all my colleagues would be out of jobs.

Like an above poster, when I left after Covid, 2 people were hired to replace me. One for fundraising and one for my actual job- and I heard recently that they’ve also now got an assistant for one of those roles 😂

It wasn't horses was it? If so I can completely relate!!

I just had a quick look at my email stats; 103 new today.

Yes currently training on a doctorate for mental health related career. It is relentless. Placement/ lectures 9-5, thesis/ assignments on evenings and weekends, never ending admin tagt I often work overtime to do. I may work for my self when I qualify as I just can’t get on with this. It’s so underpaid also.

I had an nhs job that was mad but I genuinely loved it. Now I’m in a more boring role (better pay but less unmovable deadlines) and it took ages to realise that the workload was more normal and my previous workload was ridiculous. It had become my normal.

I had it in my last job and eventually left. It's so weird feeling vaguely in control of my workload again.

Yes. I've been a teacher for 25 years.

Your salary is too low. Im a teacher with 15 years experience and my FTE is £47k (no TLR currently; UPS3). I think you need to look into why you’re being paid far less than I assume your pay scale!

Could have written this myself! Only I did 8 years.

Yes, GP here.
I feel that I have PTSD at the end of every day.
Utterly exhausted. Terrified that I will make a mistake.
Dreading work each day.
Love the patients. Same practice 15 years and love my patients.

Child protection social worker. I am absolutely done in

Solidarity with the rest of you 😭