NE21 worrier
29-08-13, 09:20
Hello everyone,
I am frustrated to report that I am struggling at the moment to break a poor cycle which is contributing to my anxiety, and also my new manager at work is not helping. At the moment, everyday when I wake up, I feel exhausted already and I've rarely slept unbroken all the way through the night. I wake with a tight knot in my stomach, possibly partly due to my problems with acid reflux - but mainly to do with anxiety as on the rare occasions that I do not wake up anxious, this stomach feeling is not half as prevalent.
Then at work, the team is coming under pressure from our team leader over our call times (I work in a contact centre on Tax Credits, a really busy line of business at the moment). Our 10-minute mid-morning mini-meetings, which I often found constructive on another team, have become like a witchhunt on this one, with the TL planning a move around so that the people "she can trust to get on with it" will be sat away from her and others sat near her.
This, in itself, does not concern me - I have nothing to hide as I generally do a good job, even if my call times are higher than average. Moreover, being near a manager means I can check information which I am not sure on more quickly. What does irritate me, however, is the insinuation that, because I have higher call times than others, I am lazy or messing around, and that I am "being carried by the same individuals" (another direct quote - not to me but the team generally). My work feels as seriously undervalued presently but I cannot ask my TL to desist from a stats-orientated approach as most of them are the same; indeed, it seems to be their raison-d'être.
So, having got through another shift at work, last night I got home and - feeling utterly exhausted - went straight to bed and slept for two hours (6.30pm-8.30pm), missing much of the first half of the NUFC match (not that I missed much). Sleep came more difficult at actual bed-time, of course, but when it did, I had random dreams of work-type conversations with claimants about their work.
Thankfully, I have a later start today (11.30), after meeting my therapist at 10, but I am there until 8pm. Last week, I endured a similar cycle to this point but put in leave so that I only had to work 4-8 on the Thursday but I know this is not an option every week.
Positives about job I can do this job (I have enough knowledge and I get good results when my calls are 'marked' for quality purposes). I enjoy helping people, the hours are pretty good (generally 9-5.30, weekly late Thu, four-weekly Sat shift) and the pay is not too bad. Also, I wouldn't want just to leave a job without having something else set up.
Negatives about job Poor management-style - too stats orientated, and the general public can be surprisingly nasty on the telephone (both of which are having an effect on my already-low self-esteem). Contract only runs until March (though it may be renewed).
Really not sure what to do on this one. Thanks for reading, sorry it's a long one again
Peter
I am frustrated to report that I am struggling at the moment to break a poor cycle which is contributing to my anxiety, and also my new manager at work is not helping. At the moment, everyday when I wake up, I feel exhausted already and I've rarely slept unbroken all the way through the night. I wake with a tight knot in my stomach, possibly partly due to my problems with acid reflux - but mainly to do with anxiety as on the rare occasions that I do not wake up anxious, this stomach feeling is not half as prevalent.
Then at work, the team is coming under pressure from our team leader over our call times (I work in a contact centre on Tax Credits, a really busy line of business at the moment). Our 10-minute mid-morning mini-meetings, which I often found constructive on another team, have become like a witchhunt on this one, with the TL planning a move around so that the people "she can trust to get on with it" will be sat away from her and others sat near her.
This, in itself, does not concern me - I have nothing to hide as I generally do a good job, even if my call times are higher than average. Moreover, being near a manager means I can check information which I am not sure on more quickly. What does irritate me, however, is the insinuation that, because I have higher call times than others, I am lazy or messing around, and that I am "being carried by the same individuals" (another direct quote - not to me but the team generally). My work feels as seriously undervalued presently but I cannot ask my TL to desist from a stats-orientated approach as most of them are the same; indeed, it seems to be their raison-d'être.
So, having got through another shift at work, last night I got home and - feeling utterly exhausted - went straight to bed and slept for two hours (6.30pm-8.30pm), missing much of the first half of the NUFC match (not that I missed much). Sleep came more difficult at actual bed-time, of course, but when it did, I had random dreams of work-type conversations with claimants about their work.
Thankfully, I have a later start today (11.30), after meeting my therapist at 10, but I am there until 8pm. Last week, I endured a similar cycle to this point but put in leave so that I only had to work 4-8 on the Thursday but I know this is not an option every week.
Positives about job I can do this job (I have enough knowledge and I get good results when my calls are 'marked' for quality purposes). I enjoy helping people, the hours are pretty good (generally 9-5.30, weekly late Thu, four-weekly Sat shift) and the pay is not too bad. Also, I wouldn't want just to leave a job without having something else set up.
Negatives about job Poor management-style - too stats orientated, and the general public can be surprisingly nasty on the telephone (both of which are having an effect on my already-low self-esteem). Contract only runs until March (though it may be renewed).
Really not sure what to do on this one. Thanks for reading, sorry it's a long one again
Peter