Work Frustration
So I work in the legal department of a large corporation and I am seriously, seriously, SERIOUSLY overworked right now. I finally convinced my boss to hire me some help (clutching my stomach and threatening to vomit blood on his desk probably helped) and we had a person in mind. The candidate was set to come in for a second interview this week when, after another super long day, we received reference information on her that was less than glowing. Now my boss is going to cancel the interview and it is back to the drawing board. 
The frustrating thing is that I don’t want to get a lame duck. I have that somewhat in the secretary we hired. She was supposed to take some of the load off of me but she asks so many questions and comes in with so many issues each day that I’m convinced she either has no clue what she is doing or she is trying to push work back on me. Argh. So I really need someone competent who can take initiative and actually take over some of the projects currently on my desk. I am only one person and am literally doing the job of three right now.
We had a meeting today where my boss asked me to take on yet another priority project. I pulled out a notepad and made a list of all the projects I have to finish by this time next week. It was a full page of lined paper long. Grrr. After the group meeting I pulled my boss aside and made him go through my list under the guise of assisting me with prioritizing. Honestly! I don’t think he has a clue how much I am doing for the rest of the group members in addition to the tasks I have for my own responsibilities, the work from Big Boss and the projects for him. It’s starting to get just a wee bit overwhelming!
And I don’t have test results from the doc yet. I had a missed call from their office but no voicemail. I need to call back but the thing is that they forgot to collect my deductible and, honestly, I just don’t have it. Part of me is really worried that I will go in to see her and they won’t let me pass go without coughing up the funds. Bah.
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Bad Bosses, Crazy Co-Workers and Other Office Idiots: 201 Smart Solutions to Every Problem at Work. http://www.scribd.com/doc/17317445/Bad-Bosses-and-Crazy-CoWorkers
Been there Done that!! That is EXACTLY where I was in my last job before I “came down” with a disability and thankfully (although unfortunately) had to take time off.
You should speak to your manager (I hate the term boss) about the secretary. If she is meant to help you yet makes things even more difficult, she needs someone to speak to her.
As well, when you “delegate” to her, write out EVERYTHING, anticipating EVERY question you can…. Don’t just ask her to do it, email it to her in steps…. Be as specific as possible. It may be annoying at first to do all that and you may even look at it as added work, but really it takes less time to do it upfront than have to stop what you are doing to ask questions.
Plus, if you’ve emailed her very specific instructions and she still comes back to you, you have good amunition to discuss this with your manager and imply that she just isn’t very competent since you’ve given her everything she needs to know and she still can’t get the job done.
I dont recommend telling your manager something is impossible because that reflects badly on you, but writing down what you need to do and then going through the list with your manager to prioritize was a fantastic idea, because many times they forget the other stuff they assigned, and also see you as being motivated, thoughtful and realistic in writing down your duties, prioritizing and setting limits.
They can’t fault you for trying. Make sure to keep that list along with the duty email sent to your secretary, in some sort of file, (I called mine the Boo Hoo File) and all future lists, along with dates each item was assigned, completed and prioritized so that when it comes time for year end reviews, you have PROOF, if anyone tries to label “you” incompetent, that you are aonly one woman doing a superhuman job….
Ah, I do not miss working. Work itself isn’t so bad – it’s all the people who you have to work WITH that are generally the problem.
Wow…that sucks. Is there any risk to your job if you say “no” to your boss when he requests another task of you?
But writing everything out and giving him a visual of exactly what you have on your plate in a very short amount of time is probably a good idea. Sometimes people need to visualize things in order to really understand.
One word you need to start using with your boss is “impossible.” When he asked you to take on another darn project tell him that it is impossible. There is no negotiating around that word. He hasn’t a clue as to what/how much you are doing, and he needs a wake-up call. You can take years off of your life by stressing over work and it is not worth it in any way shape or form. So, let him know that it is IMPOSSIBLE and be your own advocate for your mental and physical well being.
Hope you get the help you need soon. I work as a paralegal in a large corporation too, but b/c of things happening in our current environment our work has slowed down. We’re hoping it picks up soon, or else they may decide they don’t need us anymore. In the meantime it’s too bad I can’t help you out!
I’m sorry you’re having such a hard time. Just keep doing one thing at a time, and regularly checking in with your boss on where you are. In the end, it’s HIS problem.
The problem with being good at what you do is that they just keep piling it on. I hope you get the help that you need soon.