Changing jobs & burnout recovery?

I’m at a point where work has burned me out completely after just over 6 years in the role, i’m unable to hit deadlines anymore, getting regular migraines and blind spots in my vision, and after a year of trying with work there are no solutions they are able to give to improve the situation.

I want to look for a new role, but i’m concerned that if i don’t address the burnout first i’ll carry it into my new role.

I can’t afford to take time off between them unfortunately. Is there anything i could do to smooth a transition out other than hit the **** it switch at my current place and cruise as best i can?

I’m in a similar position and have moved to a 4 day week. I was off sick for a while with chronic stress and asked for this when I started back. It’s costing me but it gives me some time for chilling/job hunting ad personal development.

Go to a doctor and get signed off work for 2 months?

At the backend start looking for other jobs.

i’m unable to hit deadlines

Who sets these deadlines? The most important thing you need is to learn to say no (and then justify it). If you can’t do that then you’ll be in the same place whatever you do.

Who sets the deadlines?

Clients and managers. We’re under resourced in my opinion and haven’t backfilled roles or covered maternity leave etc. Just to be clear i do say i can’t hit those deadlines due to x, but it doesn’t change them and on a personal/professional level it really grates after years of it. I have suggested many ways of managing the workload we have as a team but ultimately senior level are yes men and won’t turn any incoming work away.

Sounds easy but you need to learn to accept that missed deadlines are the managers’ problem and not yours. Get yourself used to doing your 9-5 to the best of your ability but apart from that, not giving a ****. Took me many years to manage this.

Ask yourself,  what’s the worst that happens when a deadline is missed? For you, maybe a bonus not achieved. An unhappy customer? The world keeps spinning.

Maybe you think people have a lesser opion of the team \ you when deadlines are missed. Even if they did have a lesser opinion (which I doubt), do you really care what those people think ?

Go to a doctor and get signed off work for 2 months?

At the backend start looking for other jobs.

So many times this. You must do this.  ( Assuming you get paid sick leave)

Moving straight to a new job with this problem would be tricky.

Current job caused the issue?

Current job pays for you to get better

Alex ( 2BOs)

I would say “2BOs and counting ” but TBH my next one will be my last, one way or another 🙁 so I won’t be counting….

Sorry to hear about this, but without your health and well-being you have little.

Go and see your GP, explain, get signed off (you’ll be paid) and get some self care in.

I would tend to agree with the above- you need time off.  No job is worth making yourself ill for.  Take the time off and then look for another job once back to work unless something changes.  You also need to learn to accept ” thats as good as I can do with the resources available”

Make the overwork your managers problem.  Ask them in writing to set priorities and also inform them in writing ( email will do) that various deadlines will be impossible to meet

And join a ruddy union FFS!

OP – you say you are unable to hit deadlines anymore – are they tougher deadlines, or are you not able to hit deadlines that you should be able to hit and have comfortably manged before?

Go and see your GP, explain, get signed off (you’ll be paid)

It depends on the company policy – there is no legal requirement to pay someone full pay – it could just be SSP.

Thanks for your thoughts all.

TJ in terms of joining a union i have no idea about them or what that entails, or what they can offer. It is totally alien to me, i totally get the whole premise behind them and support the concept of them but they are very much not a thing in my profession and have no experience of them through colleagues etc.

johndoh – not really sure anymore. Suspect its a bit of both, the workload has increased significantly to the point where i don’t believe it is sustainable or achievable, but i’m also spending time sat staring at a wall unable to process any thoughts for hours at a time where i would normally have been able to slowly tick away through something. I have emails to send now which i could do in five minutes but i can’t even process what to write in them anymore.

https://www.tuc.org.uk/join-a-union  there is a union for everyone in every industry.  They are there to protect your rights and to provide advice when problems arise

edit:  all depends on how your employer reacts – if they are supportive then the union has little role.  However if they are not and try to manage you out then as union becomes a very useful ally

, but i’m also spending time sat staring at a wall unable to process any thoughts for hours at a time

A classic sign of stress / anxiety – you are paralysed  by it

Sorry to hear this, I went through the EXACT same thing about 6 months ago.

I’d been job-hopping for 2 years, left one good company of 10 years as I ended up with a workload where I was clearly out of my depth, with no real help forthcoming from highers-up. I moved three times (average duration of 9-12 months per employer) thinking it was a company thing, then beginning to think it was me, but frankly (post Grenfell in particular…) realising it was the specific role within the larger industry, I could see ‘better’ employees than me also leaving/getting signed off etc.

Unfortunately, whilst I believe the advice to ‘just say no’ is well meaning, it’s fundamentally impractical in so many scenarios, e.g. where deadlines have financial/reputational/political consequences. If you ‘just say no’ it’s YOU that becomes the problem in my experience, company directors won’t just magic up more resource or abandon other projects/deadlines to assist. I tried this, I approached directors (constructively) and highlighted what I perceived to be MY failings in my role, volunteered for demotion, highlighted how I thought I could help the situation whilst effectively stepping back from the stress, but it all fell on deaf ears.

I can’t honestly believe how becoming unionised would help, I think it was unheard of our in industry and it’s just going to put you at odds with the other employees and management. If everyone had the power to ‘just say no’ I think the industry would grind to a halt and given the economic contribution our industry makes to the UK, I don’t think that would be allowed to happen. Certain industries just depend on people soaking up the stress and the workload, or quitting.

I couldn’t get signed off as I was still in my first year and would only get 3 weeks pay max. before statutory kicked in. We couldn’t afford this and 3 weeks would never have provided any breathing space. I spoke to my doctor and got prescribed Sertraline and in the meantime continued job-hunting. My wife and I had discussed how much of a pay-cut I could afford to take, which allowed me to research side-stepping into different roles or stepping backwards in the same line of work.

At this point I got lucky and a recruiter approached me with an amazing opportunity with a really forward looking (Scandinavian owned) company who provided a support service to the role I was in. They were very apologetic about the pay but as it was remote only I could afford the pay-cut as it was offset against reduced travel costs/eating out costs in the city. Looking back it’s almost scary how I might have overlooked this role had the recruiter not approached me, and also how close I got to sacking it off during the application process because there was a technical exercise which took me out of my comfort zone, I think I put too much pressure on myself.

I don’t know if it was the Sertraline, or just a very new, very understanding role with lots of training, but the anxiety and stress has disappeared.

TL:DR? You might want to consider medication in the short term, but I can confirm if you find the right new role, there is a very good chance you can leave the stress and burnout behind you. Do the maths and try to understand how much of a pay-cut you can absorb if it helps you research stepping away from your current line of work etc.

Edit: I’ve made that ^ all about me, apologies, I hope it gives you some perspective though.

I know it’s already been mentioned but until you say you’ve done it I reckon it’s worth repeating.

SPEAK TO YOUR GP

From what you’ve written you sound like a case of workplace stress and, if so, that needs to be recognised by you and your employer.

Ask yourself, what’s the worst that happens when a deadline is missed?

Exactly. I haven’t met a deadline in over 10 years but I still get paid.

@13thfloormonk that does sound pretty much like my scenario and it sounds like we work in the same industry, no need to apologise for making it about you it was interesting to hear. There’s a really problematic culture of workload/resource being the individuals problem not the employers as like you say, if work doesn’t get done then the chain of problems that comes out of that is huge. I have spoken to management for nearly a year now about the challenges and what is realistic but the politely dressed up ‘okay understood but what do you want us to do about it’ mentality means its just pointless. I think you’re right that certain workplaces/industries just aren’t involved in the whole collective employee power/union thing (for the worse) and it can quickly end up being a very difficult/lonely place to be if you rock the apple cart, and someone else will happily take your place until they eventually burn themself out.

Exactly. I haven’t met a deadline in over 10 years but I still get paid.

I like the sentiment but whenever a deadline is missed here it just results in client, colleagues and other companies involved in a project thinking you’re a bit shit at your job and since word of mouth gets round fast, it might mean it ends up harder to get a job elsewhere if needed. People talk a lot about other people and its a small world in this line of work, at least outside of London.

OP, I am in exactly the same situation.

Sadly I live in a country where mental health issues still have a lot of stigma and are seen as a badge of shame, especially if you are a bloke, so when I went to the GP to get signed off I more of less got told to bugger off and just quit my job if I didn’t like it.

How I’ve dealt with it is to stop giving a F, but that has its own issues because I am not the sort of person to not give an F / do shoddy work etc.

I’ve realised that I’m in complete survival mode at the moment so no point or even the capacity to look for another job. I have a lot of physical and mental symptoms which are classic burnout / chronic stress and I know I need time to recover so I have set a firm date on which I am going to hand in my notice, and then take the financial hit while I sort my head out back in the UK. Only then will I start looking for a new job.

It’s a crap situation, but what would be even crapper is to continue on a path that isn’t working. So make the most of living in a (generally) civilised  country where workplace stress is taken seriously and go to your GP.

I like the sentiment but whenever a deadline is missed here it just results in client, colleagues and other companies involved in a project thinking you’re a bit shit at your job and since word of mouth gets round fast, it might mean it ends up harder to get a job elsewhere if needed.

Sure, but as long as you’re not the last to submit work, it doesn’t matter. I’m usually first to get stuff done so my reputation is as a guy who gets stuff done. Deadlines don’t matter, as long as you’re not last most of the time.

Four things.

1) Check your contract for your sick pay allowance, then go to the doctor and get a fit note. Sick leave with full pay on my contract was 4 months.

2) Get HR involved. If work is making you ill and they don’t intervene with things like Occupational Health then they’re in for a world of pain for failure of duty of care.

3) Look into Assertiveness. Someone asks you for something you cannot provide, you have three options. a) passive, “oh, OK then.” b) aggressive, “are you ****ing high, don’t you think I’ve got enough to do?” and c) assertive, “well, I can do that, but I’ve got this other project so which of the two would you rather I dropped?”

4) Ultimately, if they’re setting unrealistic deadlines then that’s a “them” problem and the answer to “well, if I don’t do it then it doesn’t get done” is “it doesn’t get done, then.” If you’re driving yourself into the ground trying to hit impossible targets then all you’re doing is making a rod for your own back because that expectation will continue, no-one is ever going to backfill staff positions when they’ve got one useful idiot trying to do the work of three people.

I can’t honestly believe how becoming unionised would help, I think it was unheard of our in industry and it’s just going to put you at odds with the other employees and management.

t would not put you at odds with good management nor with other employees – indeed others might follow you in joining.  Where it gives you a positive is if and when the employer acts badly or illegally which is far more often than you think.  Its a resource to use, it helps protect your workers rights and if a worst case scenario comes up they provide free legal representation

Five things.

5) I had workplace-related migraines at one workplace. They are Not Fun, I can empathise. I got to a point where I was leaving work on a Friday thinking “christ, I have to come back on Monday.” It’s no way to live, it was miserable. Getting out of there – I was pushed in the end, which is a longer story – is one of the best things that ever happened to me, I positively bounced out of that place knowing it was the last time I’d ever see it.

Get HR involved. If work is making you ill and they don’t intervene with things like Occupational Health then they’re in for a world of pain for failure of duty of care.

this is the sort of thing where a union rep is helpful.  Knowing your legal rights.  Someone to represent you / support you in meetings etc.  HR are generally pretty useless ( or very good occasionally) and watching them change tone and actions when someone who knows what they are talking about takes them on so they can no longer bullshit you is really funny IME

As others have said, take sick leave! I didn’t, I did do all sorts of permutations on different working hours, but ultimately just quit (senior/complex project management) and had a couple of years off looking after my kids, and then went back to work. I realise you’ve said that’s not an option, but it’s relevant because quitting didn’t on its own fix the burnout. It took some time and a bit of a positive work experience to recover. Everyone is different etc, but I found that by the time I reached quitting point I was so fried that I needed to rebuild my confidence in my abilities before I could get back into work (which I did by basically doing a really junior version of what I’d done before, on a short term contract). Also, I think it did something to my hormones/chemistry/receptors. Something like operating at such a high level of stress for so long that my body had a disproportionate reaction to stress whenever it occurred. Maybe a bit like increasing your alcohol tolerance over time, then cutting out alcohol, then feeling buzzed on a shandy, sort of. I don’t actually think that side of things quite got right until HRT. And, I’ve never gone back to what I did before (partly because I’m here, and partly because the idea of a serious job still scares me a bit). I know bike media and project management are apples and pears, but I earn less now than I did a couple of years out of uni. When weighing up your options, I’d recommend considering the potential long term impact on your income of pushing on until you pop. The short term income impact of a fix might well prove less costly – and that’s before you get into happiness and health, working to live instead of living to work, etc.

^ thanks. I never really thought hard about the sick leave thing due to guilt, worry about how others would perceive it and whether i’d find it even harder to go back to working after it but it sounds like im overthinking it a bit and should consider it more strongly. I think i’m in denial about being ‘sick’ to an extent.

It’s only work. **** em. Take whatever paid sick leave you can. You look after you, cos they almost certainly won’t.

due to guilt

Look at it this way.

If the shoe was on the other foot, it was in the business’s best interests to reduce head count and you got the chop, they wouldn’t blink and in three months’ time hardly anyone will remember your name.

Loyalty to an employer is laudable, but misguided.

I think i’m in denial about being ‘sick’ to an extent.

Whilst it’s abundantly clear to everyone else here, that’s for a GP to decide, not you. I didn’t go to the doctor asking to be signed off, I went and explained my situation and he responded with “there is absolutely no way you should be in work right now.”

SPEAK TO YOUR GP

And/or tell your manager and HR in an email that you are requesting an occupational health assessment, because you are experiencing work-related stress.

This places the onus on the company to support you – and could be the first step towards taking time off for stress anyway.

Take a moment to look at your company’s occupational health/sickness policies as well if you can. Make them jump through their own hoops and make them aware that you know their responsibilities towards you.

Re unions – read the small print. I’m in no way disagreeing with TJ but unions will generally refuse to help with problems that date from before membership.

It’s only work. **** em. Take whatever paid sick leave you can. 

What then? In all seriousness, yes, the OP should take whatever sick leave the doctor thinks is required – but bear in mind that the doctor will not (or at least should not) just sign them off for x weeks or y months just because that is what is in the employer’s policy and it would be a pretty shitty thing to do (TBF, given what the OP has said, they aren’t that sort of person).

OP asked about changing jobs but needing breathing space in between. Hence…..

correct wordnumb – which is why join one now before taking any other steps

Sorry about your situation, ive been in a similar one many many years ago and it was a very unhappy time in my life.

“fortunately” for me, there was a round of redundancies and my job went. Hand on heart, it was one of the happiest days of my life! All my immediate colleagues and team were devastated for me, but I was cock a hoop that i didn’t have to work for a bunch of utter **** who just made everyone’s life miserable.

There is a better future waiting for you, be of no doubt. Personally I found my unhappiness and stress dissolved almost overnight, although I was fortunate I wasn’t desperate for money straight away. I readjusted my finances, tightened my belt a little, but it was ok. I was surprised I needed less money than I thought. I did some oddjobs to tide me over then started in a vastly different line of work.

3) Look into Assertiveness. Someone asks you for something you cannot provide, you have three options. a) passive, “oh, OK then.” b) aggressive, “are you ****ing high, don’t you think I’ve got enough to do?” and c) assertive, “well, I can do that, but I’ve got this other project so which of the two would you rather I dropped?”

This is a good suggestion for a lot of people I think. In my 20’s I actually did an assertiveness course, it was very very good despite my misgivings. It works both ways, for you and the person you are dealing with. Highly recommended

thanks. I never really thought hard about the sick leave thing due to guilt, worry about how others would perceive it and whether i’d find it even harder to go back to working after it but it sounds like im overthinking it a bit and should consider it more strongly. I think i’m in denial about being ‘sick’ to an extent.

Very common reaction unfortunately.  The effects of stress build slowly and insidiously.  You just do not realise how badly you are being effected until you can look back.  Been there myself.  Once I decided to quite I felt like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders.  Its not weak to admit you are ill.  If your leg was broken you would go to the leg doctor and get it fixed.  so if your head is broken……?

I’ll bet tho if you go to your GP and describe honestly how yo are feeling you will be signed off for a number of weeks no problem

I’ll bet tho if you go to your GP and describe honestly how yo are feeling you will be signed off for a number of weeks no problem

this +1

What then?

Have a month off to decompress and then start jobhunting.

In all seriousness, yes, the OP should take whatever sick leave the doctor thinks is required – but bear in mind that the doctor will not (or at least should not) just sign them off for x weeks or y months just because that is what is in the employer’s policy

No, but, it’s worth being mindful of what you can afford. I was initially signed off for, I don’t even remember now, two weeks or a month and then instructed to come back for a review towards the end.

Also, being signed off was a small part of the treatment, I was given therapy and a prescription. The process is not “hey doc, I can’t be arsed to work, can you sign me off for half a year.” It just doesn’t work like that, they’re there to help you.

I guess sufficient time has passed now that I can fess up. I was the OP here. I had to be guarded at the time because Legal.

https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/any-employment-lawyers-in-the-house/