I read an interesting article today in the Globe and Mail that hit close to home. I've been struggling in my job for quite a while trying to maintain a level of enthusiasm for the work that I am to do. It's a paradoxical situation.........one that I presume many encounter. I love some of the aspects of it, especially the counselling and connecting with clients. I love delivering workshops and teaching the frontline staff. I love the team I work with....a wonderful group of women who are supportive and caring for one another. However, my skills have never been recognized nor utilized by the powers that be. For years, I have been underutilized despite my enthusiastically persistant offer of ideas and openness to work on various initiatives or problems.
I'm a square peg who doesn't fit................. the struggle continues while I await a physical move into a new building, new office and onto a new team. OK..............does this make sense? I am hired as a counselling specialist to work directly with income assistant clients and to consult with the case managers and frontline staff. Management in all their wisdom have decided to move me onto a team that consists of public housing inspectors and maintenance people and with adminstrative staff who collect rent. How do I fit in with that crew? Where is the logic in this?
Fortunately.............an interesting job has been advertised............so once again I will throw all my eggs in one basket and attempt to land it. It at least provides hope and something to strive for. In the meantime, I picked up the paper tonight and this article glared back at me with flashing lights......................
"Burnout has been the subject of extensive research for nearly three decades. Most of us are familiar with its most common causes -- overwork, feeling undervalued, failing to understand the purpose of your work, a sense that the effort-reward equation is out of whack -- in sum, an inability to derive any satisfaction from work, indeed from life.
And it's getting worse. Over the past 15 years, I've noticed fewer and fewer people say they feel good about what they are accomplishing.
If I had to summarize people's experiences, it would be, "Welcome to the world of the half-assed job."
More disturbing, people used to complain about this. But we have all become so inured to the demands that many simply accept burnout as part of life. As one woman wrote to me: "What do I feel about my work and my life? Who has the luxury of time to think about it? I don't feel like I'm living my life. I feel like it's living me."
Not surprisingly, this can also lead to depression. People experience an erosion of self-esteem as they feel they are not accomplishing anything. And it is, after all, the sense of accomplishment that contributes to our sense of competence.
We may be overstretched but also understimulated, Indeed, it's a paradox of our times that we can be simultaneously overworked and underchallenged -- feeling like we are not learning anything new and have nothing to look forward to. Although we often think of busyness as an antidote to boredom, the truth is that boredom and restlessness are also often closely linked to burnout."
Read the rest of the article............................
One of the key suggestions to dealing with burnout and feeling underchallenged is to seek other avenues. That's always been my tactic. Whether it's extra-curriculars in the community or a creative project or finding a good book to read............that has always been what has saved me. But, the most effective and exciting activity that I have embraced which has helped me in more ways than one is writing and blogging. What an outlet this little piece of the internet has been. The only downfall? My desire to write a novel or something more substantial increases daily. I would love an opportunity to be given a big chunk of time to kickstart that process.
Somehow, I must sort out a plan to do so, because if I don't......................I will continue to be sucked into the vortex of the world of the underwhelmed. I will not let that happen.
All I can say is................thank God for weekend reprieves....................bring it on.
8 comments:
your back on one of my pet topics again..
One of my bosses had his first sick day in twenty something years a few weeks ago.. and that only coz his vision was blurry and he couldnt walk.. its hard to manage a high volume retail operation when you cant see and cant walk..
as a result of your post, I will suggest to him that he take a proper holiday. I doubt he will take my advice though. Burnout. its waiting in the wings : )
I can honsetly say I always thought burn out was some fancy term until I felt it's effects for real, but they crept in so insidiously, and being used to coping, I just did. I carried on working flat out and being recognised and valued by everyone apart from my employers. Thankfully, a passing conversation with a psychiatrist friend of mine made me see the signs that ultimately signaled the need for a new job, and the next adventure to be embraced.
Curiously my blogging started roughly the same time as this realisation!
I wish you all the very best with the job application - and why not write the book anyway? - it sounds as if exciting times might just be around the next corner, have a peaceful and lovely weekend, Katie
Oh I really hope you get the new job! It sounds like you deserve much recognition and appreciation!
Hey Mr. Monk.
Good luck trying to get the boss to see the light. Burnout is blinding.
Rainbow..... I too have had friends point this out to me and in fact took a summer off a couple of years ago to recharge and rethink. this town is brutal to try to find some other avenue, though I've tried. What makes this new situation so upsetting to me is that I was lied to by Management. They have announced originally that I was going to lead an new intiative focusing on Community Development... working with families of young children. I was pumped and game. now? They are just moving me with all my underwhelming bureaucratic work. Vision and the civil service don't see eye to eye. I will continue to search....
As for my novel? I have a few ideas, and I will make an attempt, but I feel like I need a bigger chunk of time to get into the zone...then I could tackle it piece by piece. Since that aint gonna happen, you're right. I need to figure out how to accomplish it instead of just thinking and wishing.
Paris......thank you for your comments. I will do my best!! Hope Spain is all that you want it to be. Enjoy your trip.
I'm with Rainbow Dreams on this one, and know the effects too well. Somehow, we are so hot-wired to work through it because so much depends on our part in making it all come together and work. We may not like it, yet we push on because we have bills to pay, and a family with needs.
I used to work a job cleaning apartments and houses many years back, and toyed with the idea of opening my own business in that area. Then one day something happened. I had locked myself out of my car at a place I was sent to clean. Feeling trapped in more ways than one, I finally entered the apartment, sat on the floor and cried for about an hour. I looked at the choices I had made so far in my life, questioned my decisions, and finally came to the conclusion that I didn't like what I was doing.... it was time for me to make some serious changes. I hated being referred to as a "maid", and shortly after, went back to the food business full time. It took many more years to work back up the ladder to where I am now... but the climb was worth the effort.
Burnout comes when we do the same thing day in and day out without the breathers Urbanmonk mentioned. We seem to think that nobody can replace our positions, or we are too wrapped up into our positions, that we get "comfortable" walking through the steps just so we can put the day behind us. We fail to grow and learn in that comfort if we do it for nothing more than to pay the bills.
I say, kudos to you for recognizing the fact that you are smarter than that, have the true wish to grow and learn, and want to push the envelope even further. You are one intelligent person, worth more than your abilities and compassion, and the government is lucky to have someone of your stature who gives a damn. Their loss, not yours. Go for it, girlfriend... the next employer will be fortunate to have you on staff.
As for the book.... you have every bit of talent it takes to write, even if time is pressed. Many writers down here got their start with short subject stories put together such as you have on your blog. No one ever wrote the great American novel... but their books were heartfelt, and beloved by many, regardless. I have had a chance to meet a few of these authors at book signings, and they were real down-to-earth people that just knew how to write a good story..... just as you are.
I apologize profusely for not getting over to comment on the last posts you've written... they were all beautiful, as always, but time got away from me, and I was only able to get to a few people on my links at a time before work called me away again. (We've got very busy this week... Yahoo for the revenue!) Still, that is but a poor apology, as you have become one of my favorite reads. Keep up the great work... I'll always be here to read, and hopefully find the time to cheer on your perspectives in a more timely manner.
Wow Ellen. Thank you for the warm encouragement and wishes. I'm so touched by your comments that I'm all veklempt!!
As much as I love the Maritimes, it has been very trying with respect to my career. It seems to me that for 19 years I have redefined myself over and over and over again...teacher, counsellor, program developer, daycare inspector, policy wonk, copywriter, workplace analyzer, afterschool coordinator, salesperson...........on and on and on. I'm so tired of it. ON the positive spin side of things..... I have managed to accumulate a whole host of skills that I can easily transfer into another job.
Maybe instead of worrying about what the next transformation entails, I should just agree on a "title" that I can take with me wherever I end up in this crazy government......yeah instead of assuming the moniker "Career Consultant" which is what I have supposedly been labelled for 12 years now and have never really EVER done that job..........I will get new business cards that say:
"Writer in Residence" YEAH!!
Ellen.........I know you're busy. Please don't every be worried about leaving a comment when you don't have time. I completely understand......
Very insightful post. I went through the same type of thing at my last job.
What seems to be a big problem in our province is that the money is very tempting to university students or recent grads. When you weigh the potential salary from a call centre against the money you can earn at a StarBucks the choice seems simple enough. So we don our headsets and turn on our computers to face the shift from God-only-knows-when to the wee hours of the morning, answering the same questions over and over and over....well you get the picture. The problem is that many of the employees are either people who have little education or people with a university degree. Now I am not saying that one is better than the other but when you think that the person sitting beside you is getting paid the same, getting the same incentives and possibly being promoted above you and you have a degree and the matching $40,000 student loan to go with it this can be pretty discouraging. It is easy to feel as though your skills and abilities are being undervalued. When you are told over and over again that you should be management but no opening become available it can be very discouraging.
That is the problem with this province and it is not a bit of wonder that many are looking west. Too many smart, skilled workers are not being paid what they are worth, burnout and depression soon follow and for many the only salvation is in the land of milk and honey (otherwise known as Alberta). I have been somewhat lucky: I was able to leave my call centre job behind to take on my current job but as the days go by I begin to feel that drain again, I realize that I will not be given a raise based on my initiatives, intelligence or contribution to my organization...I will receive only cost of living increases in April. That's it. I feel my eyes wandering west as well, I feel the tightness in my chest......
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