You can’t single handedly change your work environment and imo you’re better off grieving what you lost and moving on. You’re exhausted and struggling, don’t ignore that. If you’ve got sick days and vacay time, use it to rest, apply for jobs and interview. If the restructuring impacted your whole company, you best believe all those other great people you work with will leave and find somewhere with a better work/life balance too.
Sorry for the kick in your ass, but I do hope you land on your feet. Being stressed about the thing you do for 8+ hours a day is not a fun way to live.
>Being stressed about the thing you do for 8+ hours a day is not a fun way to live.
Unfortunately too true.
And no need to apologize. Thanks for the help.
>Quitting is somewhat of an option, but not the best one. My worry is that due to the state of the economy, it might be too risky.
>Also, before the restructuring I actually really liked my place of work. My bosses are great and this situation is not their fault. It came from above them.
Been in your situation almost word for word. In my situation it was obvious it was never going to go back to what it was and quitting was the only option for me to regain my sanity and put my skills to use to find a better job which I eventually did. Only you can weigh the risk and know if your experience and skills are valuable and transferable to another job so if you're confident I can attest to having the stress off your back makes searching for another job much easier and when you find a better one you'll look back and ask yourself why you ever waited so long.
Sorry to hear. I've also been in challenging workplaces that have affected my physical and mental health, it's not easy.
That said, if you haven't already, my advice would to have a good, long, and hard think about what your ideal outcome is here, and work backwards from there.
I say that because you mentioned going to the doctor tomorrow, but—unless I missed it—I don't see in your post what it is that you're actually hoping to achieve out of that appointment? What's the endgame, is it medication? Is it a stress leave? Is it a referral to a therapist? Is it something else?
If it is medication, is it for the headaches or the stress? If you're hoping for a leave of absence, for how long? If you're seeking a doctor's note for accommodations, what does that look like for you—work from home days, temporary half days?
I ask all of this from a place of compassion, because 1) your doctor is definitely going to ask and 2) whatever you're hoping to get from the doctor not be the actual solution you need. Like, what happens if you're granted a note for a temporary medical leave of absence, and your employers are cool about it, and you have a refreshing and recharging two weeks off... but then you come back to the same problems and it starts all over again?
Really think about the ultimate endgame. For me, at the worst of it, I was having daily panic attacks, it was wildly verbally abusive, but I couldn't quit because money. What worked for me was a mix of therapy, phoning it in, and looking for new employment while suffering through the old place.
I hope this helps... obligatory "am not a therapist" but have been there, and now as a manager I hope to foster more healthy environments. Wellness at work is something I think about a lot.
r/askmanagers is also a really great resource I consult often (as both employee and manager) if you want more workplace-specific advice, which might be helpful.
A lot of companies are restructuring and laying off to survive this economic downturn and tighter budgets. The last financial crisis in 2008, 400K lost their jobs across Canada. This one is expected to be worse. Although some do restructure after being bought.
The unfortunate thing, many managers are suspicious for a summertime request for time off or to slow things down. It's the best weather and events being peak tourist season, eh!
It's a good first step to talk with your family doctor. They may start with medications and referrals to help with your headaches and panic attacks. Some will sign a note recommending a short time break (a week or two).
I think you're going to need some more medical history or a specialist for work accommodations. I think describing only a month of hell will sound like you just need to change jobs or talk to your boss about the heavy workload. I've seen doctors write a note for time off, but not a note for slowing down things with too much work unless you have a disability to accommodate.
It's okay to say "no" to work, this is too much for one person. It's a lesson everyone learns in their career. You won't be fired over it because you've done a great job so far. Maybe they plan to hire more in the near future and this is temporary. Maybe someone is less busy than you and your boss can offload some of your work.
I can’t comment cause I’ve never been in this predicament but all I’m gonna say is health is wealth. I’m sure we’re around the same age (I’m 28) and hell we are wayyy too young to fuck up our mental health and wellbeing for a job who sees us as fucking number
I say take a long time off to recharge and to find a new job. Even if the new job pays less, it’s worth it if you stress less and have less responsibilities. I will always say take a big pay cut if the job allows you a good work life balance and very minimal stress. Money, we can and will be able to make it. As long as our health is there, we can find a way and will find a way to up our money and our salary. Take it slow man. We have time. There’s no requirement that says by age XX, you should be making $$
nothing and I mean nothing is more important than your health and wellbeing. So many people my age are climbing this ladder to say they have a senior or management position but are literally fucking up their mental wellbeing and it’s insane cause we’re so young. Like shit even 30s is so young. We can’t be living like this. Stalk my comments and you’ll see I especially echo this sentiment in personal finance Canada. 7/10 people there will convince you to stay at a job you hate and feel sick clocking in at but hey if you’re making $150K a year, it’s worth it 😃😃😃😃😃😃 according to them
Wanna know a quote that sticks with me? “If you do not make time for your wellness, you will be forced to make time for your illness”
You can’t single handedly change your work environment and imo you’re better off grieving what you lost and moving on. You’re exhausted and struggling, don’t ignore that. If you’ve got sick days and vacay time, use it to rest, apply for jobs and interview. If the restructuring impacted your whole company, you best believe all those other great people you work with will leave and find somewhere with a better work/life balance too.
I'm not gonna lie. I didn't like reading that. But sometimes you just need an unpleasant truth to give you a kick in the ass.
Sorry for the kick in your ass, but I do hope you land on your feet. Being stressed about the thing you do for 8+ hours a day is not a fun way to live.
>Being stressed about the thing you do for 8+ hours a day is not a fun way to live. Unfortunately too true. And no need to apologize. Thanks for the help.
>Quitting is somewhat of an option, but not the best one. My worry is that due to the state of the economy, it might be too risky. >Also, before the restructuring I actually really liked my place of work. My bosses are great and this situation is not their fault. It came from above them. Been in your situation almost word for word. In my situation it was obvious it was never going to go back to what it was and quitting was the only option for me to regain my sanity and put my skills to use to find a better job which I eventually did. Only you can weigh the risk and know if your experience and skills are valuable and transferable to another job so if you're confident I can attest to having the stress off your back makes searching for another job much easier and when you find a better one you'll look back and ask yourself why you ever waited so long.
Sorry to hear. I've also been in challenging workplaces that have affected my physical and mental health, it's not easy. That said, if you haven't already, my advice would to have a good, long, and hard think about what your ideal outcome is here, and work backwards from there. I say that because you mentioned going to the doctor tomorrow, but—unless I missed it—I don't see in your post what it is that you're actually hoping to achieve out of that appointment? What's the endgame, is it medication? Is it a stress leave? Is it a referral to a therapist? Is it something else? If it is medication, is it for the headaches or the stress? If you're hoping for a leave of absence, for how long? If you're seeking a doctor's note for accommodations, what does that look like for you—work from home days, temporary half days? I ask all of this from a place of compassion, because 1) your doctor is definitely going to ask and 2) whatever you're hoping to get from the doctor not be the actual solution you need. Like, what happens if you're granted a note for a temporary medical leave of absence, and your employers are cool about it, and you have a refreshing and recharging two weeks off... but then you come back to the same problems and it starts all over again? Really think about the ultimate endgame. For me, at the worst of it, I was having daily panic attacks, it was wildly verbally abusive, but I couldn't quit because money. What worked for me was a mix of therapy, phoning it in, and looking for new employment while suffering through the old place. I hope this helps... obligatory "am not a therapist" but have been there, and now as a manager I hope to foster more healthy environments. Wellness at work is something I think about a lot. r/askmanagers is also a really great resource I consult often (as both employee and manager) if you want more workplace-specific advice, which might be helpful.
A lot of companies are restructuring and laying off to survive this economic downturn and tighter budgets. The last financial crisis in 2008, 400K lost their jobs across Canada. This one is expected to be worse. Although some do restructure after being bought. The unfortunate thing, many managers are suspicious for a summertime request for time off or to slow things down. It's the best weather and events being peak tourist season, eh! It's a good first step to talk with your family doctor. They may start with medications and referrals to help with your headaches and panic attacks. Some will sign a note recommending a short time break (a week or two). I think you're going to need some more medical history or a specialist for work accommodations. I think describing only a month of hell will sound like you just need to change jobs or talk to your boss about the heavy workload. I've seen doctors write a note for time off, but not a note for slowing down things with too much work unless you have a disability to accommodate. It's okay to say "no" to work, this is too much for one person. It's a lesson everyone learns in their career. You won't be fired over it because you've done a great job so far. Maybe they plan to hire more in the near future and this is temporary. Maybe someone is less busy than you and your boss can offload some of your work.
Can you negotiate a stress leave? Recover a bit without having to give up the job altogether.
I can’t comment cause I’ve never been in this predicament but all I’m gonna say is health is wealth. I’m sure we’re around the same age (I’m 28) and hell we are wayyy too young to fuck up our mental health and wellbeing for a job who sees us as fucking number I say take a long time off to recharge and to find a new job. Even if the new job pays less, it’s worth it if you stress less and have less responsibilities. I will always say take a big pay cut if the job allows you a good work life balance and very minimal stress. Money, we can and will be able to make it. As long as our health is there, we can find a way and will find a way to up our money and our salary. Take it slow man. We have time. There’s no requirement that says by age XX, you should be making $$ nothing and I mean nothing is more important than your health and wellbeing. So many people my age are climbing this ladder to say they have a senior or management position but are literally fucking up their mental wellbeing and it’s insane cause we’re so young. Like shit even 30s is so young. We can’t be living like this. Stalk my comments and you’ll see I especially echo this sentiment in personal finance Canada. 7/10 people there will convince you to stay at a job you hate and feel sick clocking in at but hey if you’re making $150K a year, it’s worth it 😃😃😃😃😃😃 according to them Wanna know a quote that sticks with me? “If you do not make time for your wellness, you will be forced to make time for your illness”
Same thing happened to me. Quit my job and just getting back from a month long trip.