Supporting Safer Healthcare

Does just walking into your office in the morning cause anxiety?  

Despite your best efforts, are you greeted by stacks of paper, an over-flowing in-box, dozens of unread emails, a blinking phone message light, and reminder sticky-notes plastered everywhere?  Did you carry work home last night in an over-stuffed briefcase, or respond to emails and phone calls on your ever-present Blackberry?   

Do you feel overwhelmed by constantly increasing job demands?  

If so you’re not alone; there are some very capable, hard-working people facing that challenge right along with you.  

First, let’s talk about what not to do.  

DO NOT  

1.  Blame your supervisor for not rescuing you.  

• Decide that you really shouldn’t have to explain the obvious to your boss, he knows you need help and just doesn’t care.
• Complain at every opportunity about having too much to do, and wonder why you are apparently the only person in the place who cares at all about doing a good job.

2.  Keep quiet and take on every new task you’re given  

• Believe that if you say yes to every project someone will eventually realize you’re over-burdened and offer to help.
• Refuse to admit that you can’t get everything done and accept that you’ll just have to work harder and longer to keep your job.

3.  Hide what’s not getting done in the hope that no one will figure it out.  

• I once took over a position where my predecessor had left suddenly without giving notice. On my first day I had to call Maintenance to open the locked desk drawers. You guessed it – piles of unfinished work had been carefully locked away. Not a pleasant way to start a new job, or finish an old one for that matter.
• A colleague once told me that after an employee left her company, Maintenance discovered unfinished work hidden in the ceiling tiles above his desk.  At least he gets points for creative hiding.

Now let’s give some thought to strategies that may actually help.  

DO

1.  Communicate with your supervisor – frequently and respectfully  

• Even if you have great rapport with your boss, it’s best not to bring up the subject of being overworked and overwhelmed out of the blue.  Respectful discussions need to occur on a regularly scheduled basis regarding priorities, goals, job performance and workload. 
• Develop a brief reporting tool to share with your supervisor that shows your progress on current assignments, pending work, etc.  If a goal isn’t being met, offer a brief explanation as to why.

2.  Learn to negotiate  

• Sometimes the best answer isn’t yes or no.
• Explain how a new request impacts current assignments and suggest strategies for prioritizing your most import goals. 
• Be prepared to offer suggestions as to what tasks might be eliminated or transferred.
• Make it a point to bring up, not just problems, but potential solutions as well.

3.  Consider ways that you may be sabotaging your own success    

• Are you a perfectionist, working and reworking even low-level tasks until they meet a perfect standard?   If so, think return on investment.  Some projects may justify that level of scrutiny, but for those that don’t you’re simply wasting your time, and we’ve already decided that you don’t have enough of that to squander.
• Are you a socializer?  I’m a believer in the power of networking and connections, but it’s another area where return on investment must be considered. Can you limit the time you spend visiting with co-workers?
• Do you spend so much time and energy on crisis-management that you never have time to organize and plan?  Break that cycle or you’re doomed to the life of a “headless chicken.”

 4.  Understand that sometimes, it is what it is  

• As an employee you have certain expectations; your supervisor and organization also have expectations.  You may find yourself in a situation where the two simply don’t mesh. Only you can decide whether it’s one you can (mostly) happily live with every day.
• As long as you hold the job and accept the pay check, do your best work; but don’t be afraid to look around and see what other opportunities are available. 
• If you do decide to move on, don’t jump right back into the same situation.  Look for an organization culture that aligns with your own.  We spend way too much time at work to do it in an environment that makes us miserable.

Related reading:  

http://www.cio.com.au/article/204793/
how_talk_your_boss_about_being_overworked  

http://careerplanning.about.com/od/workrelated/a/overwork.htm