It sucks to be laid off. But if you think you were lucky to have dodged the bullet, think again. The ones left behind are often expected to do the work of two, sometimes even three employees.
I expect to work like a dog at a job. I can skip the coffee breaks and sometimes even lunch. And, okay, I can come in a half hour early and stay late. But what happens when you do all that and the work still can't be done? I remember sitting alone in my office laughing out loud when yet another direction from management--you know the kind, the kind that says, 'Drop everything right away and do this instead'--comes by email. And oh, by the way, once you do this new thing, all the old things have to be done, too. Priorities? Why, they're all priorities.
When I forget my phone number in the middle of the day and do jigsaw puzzles all evening because I can't keep a coherent thought in my head, I know that my brain has reached full capacity. And when younger workers tell me that they, too, are struggling to keep up, I know it's not just me.
I'm not talking about a normal, but very busy, job. I'm talking about a job where it is physically impossible to do the amount of work required. The kind of job that makes you feel like a failure no matter what you do.
The anger over being taken advantage of is mixed up with relief and gratitude that we still have a job. And yet, it's harder to sleep at night. In the day there's the sense that more and more balls are thrown at us to juggle. What happens when we just can't juggle any more balls?
Retirement is starting to sound pretty good, but let's face it. Some of us will have to work past retirement age.
I'd like to know how you are coping with this kind of stress. Are you quitting your job to find something less stressful? Are you going to your union if you have one? Or are you staying at your job and taking up kick-boxing at night to relieve the stress?
Let's discuss solutions here. Would having a couple of part-time jobs actually be less stressful? A change of occupation? A move to a different area with better opportunities?
What are you doing? Let me know.
