Following is my response to a reader who is struggling with adjusting to a job with high stress levels, and thinking about changing jobs. In this particular case, other opportunities exist which have lower levels of responsibility, but which has the potential for growth.
Part of the concern is supervisory ability and the lack of training for that type job. It is a prime example of the age-old practice of giving an exceptionally good employee a supervisory job, just because they are good at some tasks. Many times no additional training is provided. And the employee, fearing job loss, accepts a job; he/she may not be qualified for, or for which he/she lacks the right personality type.
As is the case in many small companies and even some government jobs, responsibilities are continually dumped on employees who work hard and perform very well. So long as the employee continues to handle the workload, the employer has no reason to hire additional help. Here is my response:
Reading the list of jobs of responsibilities you have at work, I can understand your elevated stress level. In some cases having a large workload can be a blessing when you need things to occupy your mind. However, that changes when you not only have a large workload, but it is also interfering with other parts of your life. Either letting work consume all your waking hours, or putting in hours that preclude your spending time with family, can lead to disaster. This applies to your job, home life, health, and overall effectiveness in dealing with the ups and downs of everyday life.
We always hear that life is too short to work at a job we do not enjoy, but I suspect the majority of the work force falls into that category. Yet, many people have little or no choice, without making major changes in their lives, while others don’t have the faith in their abilities to pursue a change. I guess I have been in both situations and found there are no easy answers. Read entire article here.
