I have been talking over the course of the last few posts about Career Karma and how the impressions that you make in the early days of a new job can affect your remaining time with your employer and your career prospects as a whole. With this gargantuan effort that you are going to make though, what happens if things start to overwhelm you?
For many people, the feeling of being totally overwhelmed by work doesn’t just suddenly hit them when yet another project lands on their desk. More often it’s a bit like sinking in quicksand. They start off by trying to get a handle on the situation and trying to organize themselves more efficiently and probably put in extra hours to try and make a dent in their workloads, but as time goes on they soon come to realize that their efforts just aren’t getting them anywhere. Their minds start to turn foggy, they get so that they can’t think straight and can only focus on the pressure and not the work itself, and pretty soon total paralysis sets in and their efficiency plummets.
Typically, while all this is going on, the shame and humiliation of having fallen behind causes them to keep their mouths firmly shut and to pretend to their bosses that everything is moving along swimmingly. In many cases they even deny the extent of the problem to themselves and simply bury their heads in the sand, hoping against hope that something will change to make it all right once again.
Actually, not facing up to a situation where you are struggling at work is the worst thing that you can possibly do. For one thing, when deadlines start to be missed or you start making silly mistakes because you are rushing, you can bet your bottom dollar that your boss is going to notice anyway, and for another, if you ignore it you can’t fix it! The longer you leave it, the worse the problem gets and the bigger the hole you dig for yourself.
When we start a new job, juggling workloads can be especially challenging, but generally bosses understand this and so approaching them often isn’t as scary as it might seem. Before you do so, however, it is well worthwhile looking at what got you into the situation in the first place.
- Are you too much of a perfectionist?
- Have you been saying ‘Yes’ to everything even though you knew you were taking on too much?
- Have you failed to anticipate the unexpected?
- Have your time management skills been lacking?
- Have you been focusing on the urgent rather than the important?
- Have you been doing things which are other people’s responsibility?
If so, then there may be something that you can do on your own to improve the situation and make immediate improvements. If none of these things apply, however, or if the situation has already got too far out of hand, then approach your boss you must.
The trick with bosses though is to meet with them BEFORE you miss a deadline and not to whine and complain about having too much work. Never forget that YOU are responsible for getting your work done and you absolutely must own this fact. When you approach him therefore, do so with a ‘can do’ attitude and ask for the benefit of his experience. Request that you go through your workload with him and ask for his advice on how to organize your projects so that you are able to meet your deadlines. As he is likely to have a clearer view of the ‘big picture’, it may be that some priorities have changed and that certain deadlines can be moved, but in any case he should be able to help steer you on where to direct your focus and to assist you in creating a clear action plan which will allow you to meet your obligations.
Also, if you do identify aspects of your own performance which may have caused the issue, such as your tendency towards perfectionism, don’t be afraid to discuss these. We all have faults and being able to recognize and admit to them is a sign of maturity. Ask your boss whether he considers your work to be unnecessarily detailed and, if this is the case, take note and adjust how you work. Only by owning up to your weaknesses can you seek advice and actively address them.
Not owning up to being overwhelmed at work is a bit like breaking your mom’s favorite vase and hiding the pieces. You know you’re going to get found out eventually and, when you are, the consequences are going to be far worse than if you’d just told her in the first place and said you were sorry. It sets a precedent for your boss to think of you as somebody who isn’t truly accountable for his workload and isn’t mature or responsible enough to highlight problems and difficulties. Not only this, but it means having to go through days, weeks or months of hell when all you can think about is the fact that you’re going backwards instead of forwards.
Recognize the signs early and then act!
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