Is anyone else totally stressed out by their job?

[DrStrangesSmarterSister]

I haven't been in my current job for very long, but it's totally stressing me out. It feels like management just want results at any cost. I'm currently working way over my hours to make them happy (or at least not put me on some kind of a performance plan), but I know that probably isn't sustainable for long.

FFS, I just want a relatively normal job.

Is anyone else in a similar boat?

Yes omg. My work commitments these past few weeks have become insane. Working nearly 12 hours a day because or ridiculous timeliness my manager has designated for certain tasks. Cannot stand it. Its a new job, started in November last year and handing in notice in July. I cannot bare it, and the stupid flexible/hybrid work schedule feels like a scam Because I am constantly rushing around, drop off, into the office, home pick up back online for 4 more sodding hours. There is no balance it's all bullshit and I empathise with you completely.

That was my last job, I tried so hard to “set boundaries” and explain to senior management why their expectations of the entire team were ludicrously unrealistic. It was fighting a losing battle, so I left.

Honestly OP it’s not worth it.

Yep 😩

Oh, @PinkLadyLove, you're working such long hours! That must be so tiring and difficult.

What's with these workplaces, why aren't they thinking about retainment? It's generally quite difficult to recruit in my field, and training to get up to speed within your team also takes a while. So why aren't they trying to help us to be reasonably happy? I'm happy to work hard (and to try to improve / develop my skill set), but the current management culture is a mixture of horrifying and baffling.

Have you got a new job to move to then? I've started to look, but it might take a while...

Leave, it’s not worth it.

My Hours are manageable my boss is reasonable and the pay is fair. There are better jobs out there op

@SpringKitten, I wonder about this - I was open about the expectations being placed on the team recently, but now realise that I feel quite exposed / unsupported after that. I don't feel like I have a particularly good relationship with any of the management team that I could approach (I haven't been there that long). So, maybe I just need to keep my head down and have some kind of breakdown quietly.

I blame my manager entirely for the toxic work culture. He wants seniors to see his team as the best, but the reality is he gives us incredibly tight deadlines and expects us to be able to perform miracles. It's so draining. There are so many other jobs out there so I'm handing in my notice as I said, but if you can't, try to find a new how whilst working your current one and the leave. Find what works for you.

I'm a teacher. We had inspection last week. And my 'wind down 'to half term - something a governor said to me in a meeting yesterday when asked how things were going post inspection - is taking 60 excited children away on their reaidential that I am in charge of.
So def stressed.

Yes, I have been a Nurse for 26 years and am honestly done with it problem is I am shoehorned into my post by skill, hours and location. I honestly don't know how i am going to do another 13 years until I can retire (hoping to go at 60 even if I have to live like a pauper). I feel like it dominates my life and my days off are spent stressing about it yet I am completely trapped.

With my job there was no working extra hours, only a little micro-management (which you could ignore if you were bold enough) and generally working there was fine
What did it for me was the poor policy decisions, new up & coming managers reinventing the wheel every couple of years, short-term gains but poor long-term strategy etc.
It annoyed me when we were told to do things one way when we had previously done it and proved it was not a success. Another was to spend on a project that wasn't going to meet long-term requirements, it would meet targets this year but next year it would all need going again whereas with a little of extra investment we could do it once and once only.

When you find yourself not being listened to (despite being one of the most experienced people there) you know it is time to go.

Yes same here. I've had enough and handed in my notice. "I'm too old for this shit"
Managers are useless with ridiculous expectations. No one contacts anyone any more and we all work from home remotely and just had a company meeting which stressed the importance of connecting with others. It's got worse since I handed my notice in. I feel cast aside and I'm still working very hard for them

I think part of the problem is that people are being promoted into management positions without having management training or qualifications. Sometimes, all it takes to be promoted into management is to be able to bully people into doing what you want them to.

I'm not saying all managers are bullies, but a fair portion of them are.

The workplace has changed. Years ago, when someone left they were replaced. Now, if someone leaves, the remaining staff have to absorb their workload, whilst the owner keeps the salary they would have spent!

The only solution is to walk away. Don't do unpaid overtime - your time is precious! To be fair though, more and more people are wising up to this I'm pleased to see.

And yes, it's odd that employers don't see the value and cost effectiveness of retaining staff. It's hardly rocket science.

Yes, I'm currently sitting at my desk (wfh) in tears. Again. My head hurts and my chest hurts, which indicates I'm on the brink of a panic attack and I've come on here to distract myself.

There's just so much work, and I can't see my way out of it. I'm quite well paid, but I've realised it's the industry and I would feel the same wherever I worked. I'm an idiot who is prone to people pleasing and taking on too much, and taking it personally when I drop the ball, which I am doing frequently right now. I take time every day to look for new jobs, but they're all wanting the world but for even less than I'm on at the moment - and in the office - at least at home I can take a moment to have a cry on the dog.

I have felt trapped for about 2 years now, and I am so tired. I don't know what I can do instead.

Oh, @LeopardLover82, I hope you're feeling a little better now. I definitely relate to not knowing what else you could do - my role is very specialised and I suppose reasonably remunerated, but this ends up meaning that I don't have a lot of choice of possible employers.

for everyone that needs them.

One of my colleagues checked in on me today, and I checked in on a different colleague in a different team. I still feel like a bit of an outsider though.

Yep. I just wish I could win the lottery and have a life again. Or failing that get a WFH job where I didn't waste 40 hours a month minimum on commuting and on average one day a week on stupid meetings.

I do think part of the current problem is what my partner calls Battlefield Appointments, where too many people have left professions due to burnout and idiots have been promoted without having had to do the job or jobs below them. It might have been necessary during COVID but the cracks are showing now and frankly bad if not downright dangerous.

@Bushwhacked20, yes, I'm going to start doing the lottery, just to try to get away from my job. I realise how ridiculous this sounds, but I suppose you've got to be in it to win it.

I feel like I want a set of instructions that describe how to deal with this. I definitely feel like I want to step back a bit, and speak less.

In a similar position in new job. I have escalated my concerns re:scope of role to management. Everyone agrees with me; then keeps right on hailing down the demands.
have concluded that resignation is the only way to make it stop. Let them find another schmuck. No job to go to though

Anyone else in this position in a remote healthcare role by any chance? Management is woeful and workload is huge. It's all about pleasing the corporate client and never about the employees who are stressed and getting health conditions from constant computer work.