Work angst

Why am I so compelled to chuckle at my friend's angst? Could it be because she brought it on herself? Is it that her overt bragging about her new important job with the big money increase and great benefits like 4 weeks' vacation isn't quite the bed of roses that she anticipated it would be? I know it sounds like jealousy but it's not. I've had my share of luck in the job market so I am grateful for where I am on my career path. And I want nothing but success for her too. But it takes a certain temperament to handle stressful situations on a daily basis and I'm not sure she is emotionally equipped to handle it.

From the beginning, I worried. She described the job in great detail. Running a department, managing other's schedules, planning weekly meetings, all while getting the responsibilities done that she is and always was qualified to do. Now I know there are many people who can fit the bill, after all, someone quit this job and moved on to a better one in order to make it available. But you have to understand my friend's personality traits. She is like a rollercoaster. The mood swings go up and down at an extremely fast pace. As soon as you get over a hill, we're flying down the opposite extreme. I've always labeled her as passionate. Whether good or bad, the emotions are clear, sharp, and distinctive. You will always know where you stand with her.

When she got the job I was happy for her. Working at Aurora is an awful thing. Every slacker and loser employee that I worked with at my last job got in with Aurora, they took all the leftovers nobody else wanted when our employer went out of business. That is why I will never take a job there. Don't want to be lumped in with all those crappy people.

With her emotions on her sleeve, my friend is clearly going to have trouble managing many, many tasks at one time. She is a hard worker, but one thing at a time is a better pace for her and the concept that you cannot possibly finish a task all at once will eventually put her over the edge. I think she's getting close to that edge.

When I mentioned my up-coming vacation to her today, her response was, " At least you can go on vacation."

What does that mean? I wondered.

So I asked her: "I thought you got lots of vacation in your new job."

She responded: " I do. Can't ever get away from here. I have committee meetings 3 times a month.....and different weeks and a million other tasks. If I'm not getting ready for some meeting, I'm working on credentialing. I have been pushing for an extra body. We are dealing with a change of command right now so nothing is really getting dealt with. "

Closer and closer to the edge.

The problem as I see it is that she has to let go. Come to terms with the idea that you cannot possibly complete everything and make that known to those you work with. Delegate back to others the stuff you can and try not to take control of everything. Things may not turn out exactly as you like them to but then you are not driving yourself crazy either. It takes a certain demeanor to be able to handle a multi-task environment and I'm afraid that she doesn't have what it takes. I do wish her well but when you're losing sleep over getting your job done, you have to ask yourself if it's all worth it.

I bet she starts looking for another job within the next year.