Work place stress but can't get signed off - speak to HR???

[VORE]

So I work in financial services which is a very male dominated and stressful environment - all my colleugues and managers are male. The company I work at is a start up and so is constantly expanding, evolving and changing i.e gone from 100 employees last year to about 600 now.

Staff turnover in my team is high because the work load is just too much - its normal for people to work into the early hours of the morning, my manager (the person who hired me for the job) is leaving after a year because he has said that expectations are too high for where the business is at, the new manager I was then put under is now also leaving because of the exact same reason and my latest manager is one of the people who has been the biggest driving force behind the 'unreasonable expectations' which have led my previous two managers to leave.

The biggest problem I am facing is that I do a very technical job that requires my technical skill set that no one else in the business (including my manager) has or can do and their expectations/demands are far too high for what capabilities the business currently has from a systems and staff perspective.

The business is understaffed and I am fequently expected to turn around what could be days or weeks worth of work in a day or even a few hours. When I explain that their expectations are not realistic in the time frames they're giving me, my manager berrats me and says he doesnt understand why (even though Ive tried to show/explain to him how complex it is on numerous occassions). One time he asked me to do something and I said it would take me a while because I needed to look into XYZ and figure out how to do it and he had the audacity to send me a google article on how do it being like 'looks simple to me' (remeber he has NO IDEA how to do what I do, like he literally just googled 'how to do XYZ' and sent me the first article that came up like I was an idiot) and the google article was massivley overly simplified for what he was actually asking...I couldnt believe he could be so rude and patronizing. If someone who has a technical skill set you have no idea about tells you that something will take a certain time frame shouldn't you (as the layperson) just accept that. I feel like I have no time to check my work or do anything properly, everything is just a fudge to get it out asap which inevitably leads to mistakes which I am then berrated for again.

I feel like the goal post is also alwas constantly changing and moving and they'll ask me to do one thing and then change their mind three weeks later about what they want and then tell me that everything Ive done so far is wrong - but in a way that blames me somehow.

I dont feel like I have any time to take a break, or to eat or to rest. The stress of work is keeping me up at a night, I dread work everyday and I have to have these incredibly stressful conversations with my manager multiple times a day where I try to explain to him the limitations of what he is asking of me and where he just makes me feel like sh*t and like I am underperforming.

Ive already used my paid sick leave during this pregnancy because I had really bad scaticia so taking any more sick leave isn't an option.

Is speaking to HR an option? I have a health and safety risk assessment tomorrow, should I voice my concerns there? Just trying to figure out what my options are because getting through the next two months before my mat leave starts (im already starting it early using all my annual leave) seems like hell.

I have no intention of returning to this job after my mat leave but don't want to quit because I can't afford to start my mat leave now and I don't want to lose out on all the annual leave I would have accrued on while on mat leave.

What do you mean when you say you can't get signed off? Have you seen your GP?

So they need you and no one else can do your job? And you’re going to leave anyway so you have nothing to lose?
sounds like you hold more cards than you think.

if you already know you’re not coming back just tell them in writing for each task, it’ll be done at x time. Any argument from them just say that’s how long it takes, if someone here can do it faster then maybe they can help you?
and chill out, still do your work and your hours obviously, but no need to be panicking all the time

you may as well tell hr what’s going on too

I can’t take anymore leave because I will only get statutory sick pay which we cannot afford.

You can be signed off by GP and SSP?

What is it you want from HR? Work through a very specific, ideally reasonable ask before doing anything. (I'm not clear from your post what outcome you want).
Good luck.

Yes speak to HR
And give a realistic expectation of how long a job will take and try to ignore your manager who sounds like an arse. If he's so smart why can't he do it himself?!

It’s sounds like you hold all the cards? You have technical skills and they need you. Don’t let him ruffle your feathers like this, just tell them how long something will take and don’t rush. If they want to fire you they’ll quickly find it difficult to find a replacement - this process would take longer than two months anyway. Just keep repeating that the requested time line is not possible. Hold your ground and work a normal working week and no more. Tell them they’ll need to hire more resource if they want more done.

I’m not entirely sure - I basically want them to tell my manager to b*gger off and leave me alone and to feel like my job is reasonable and that I am not constantly drowning under the workload. I want time to rest during the day and not feel like I am constantly panicking at work.

She could get signed off sick, but she's got to stay to get her full pay.

Go to your GP and explain what's happening at work, and get them to recommend that you can only do a normal working day and that due to your pregnancy you need proper rest breaks during the day.

What you need to do from tomorrow, as the other poster said, write down how long everything takes and send it to your manager.

So then you can say to your boss, the GP has recommended due to the late stage of my pregnancy that I can only do a normal working day that I must take all my breaks and leave at 5.30 each day, so what you suggest I cut out of this timetable?

What's their plan to cover your work while you are off?

Yes, speak to HR. They need to do a risk assessment for you and the recommendations for that should be implemented. If you are not in a union already then do join one and in the meantime you can look up your rights on the ACAS website because they are potentially acting illegally. Pregnant and then Screwed is another useful website resource.

@VORE there are two different factors that should be covered by HR as part of the risk assessment - pregnancy and stress.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has the following risk assessment advice and questionnaire:
https://www.hse.gov.uk/mothers/employer/risk-assessment.htm
https://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/assets/docs/returntowork.pdf

Go through these and take them to the meeting. Document agreed actions.

You are in a very strong position, set out exactly what you have said here. Use the two HSE tools to structure what the issue is and the reasonable adjustments you need for the rest of your pregnancy. I know reasonable adjustments are seen as limited to disability but that isn’t the case.

First you identify the barriers e.g. unreasonable deadlines, unclear requirements ( moving goal posts), not having time to eat & drink, a manager who doesn’t understand what is and isn’t possible due to lack of technical knowledge, lack of thinking time etc.

Then go through what would help e.g. realistic achievable deadlines, clear unambiguous requirements, a reduced workload so you can have time to eat & drink, thinking time to consider potential technical solutions, the manager to receive basic training so they can better appreciate why a solution is not straightforward or a manager with some technical knowledge.

HTH

@VORE if that doesn’t yield any changes then as @Seaweed42 says ask your GP for a fit note stating that you are fit for work provided the following adjustments are made e.g. working a standard day, time to eat & drink etc.

@Sisterpita This is incredibly helpful! Thank you!

I just had my health and safety risk assessment and voiced all of this to them and they were shocked/appalled and told me they were going to escalate it to the head of HR because of how unacceptable this is. She told me from this point on I need to only work my work hours, to take regular breaks and to make sure I am getting a proper lunch break and that basically my manager can do one if he doesn’t like it.

Feeling much much better now!

@VORE that is good news. HR are usually fully aware of the implications for pregnant women.