work stress. my maiden voyage.

[vash]

this sucks.

i am at a new office (1 year). first let me tell you about my old office. there was a 7 person team. all licensed engineers. the supervisor would divide up the projects to us to run. then some other PE would line up behind us and help run the show. basically, sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow. but we built a system that had a deep deep bench. the stress was spread out between the 7.

i moved. new office. i was assisting when i got here. made sense since the boss didnt really know me besides the recommendations that came with me. but you know how the public sector is.."take this guy..he is "highly recommended"..yea right. it is a damn sport around here passing along work-turds.

well, i started dusting off survey equipment, and doing big calculations that are clearly listed in my job title. the boss realized i was "old school". i built bridges the old way. now i get ALL the new projects. i am blessed that i didnt get the big paving job that is all night work, but i got all the technical projects. one job: HWY 1 fell out. we need to get it up and built ASAP. i was waiting for plans and doing field measurements to help the designers. my boss said words of horror to any civil engineer. "you need to guess" WTF? guess?!..i'm like a dumbass version of Spock.. i dont guess. i like plans and measurements. well. designer gave me a verbal and i did just that..guess. layed out a project with a tape measure and paint cans. it is coming out damn near perfect. i get the plans tomorrow, but seen the prelims..i got it right.

my real contract projects start up April 17. i have two of them. the paperwork is huge. my boss paid me a huge compliment. he said since i showed up, he has to do way less work. he called me his "right hand". he also encouraged me to take a promotional exam. i am missing my 7-team. i am it..solo here. i work with knuckleheads..that survey equipment? i turned it on and found out it wasnt used since 2005..

i have never really been stressed at work. now i am. i damn near almost had a panic attack yesterday. i look up and see i missed lunch more often than i like. i find myself reaching for a beer first thing i get home. sleep is restless. i know what stress looks like. even my BP is elevated. the recent rains have kept me off my mtn bike. i dont ride like i used to..i did yesterday and i think that is the key. exercise. it is raining again today..but i think i will jog it.

you high pressure job guys..any secrets.? the occasional PPOT distraction is a godsend.

[vash]

i get the summer interns again this year.

[Jim Richards]

You need to convince your boss to let you hire your well qualified right-hand man or woman*. Hope it all goes well for you, Cliff.

* had to list both genders as my wife was a CE w/ a PE.

[sammyg2]

If they get a horse that will run, they'll run it into the ground. Most bosses are like that.
Don't let them do it.
They're gonna use you all up at this rate.
It's time to make demands. more $$$$, more time off, more help, whatever it takes to make it worth it.
Or walk.
Neil Young was wrong (about so many things) ... it is NOT better to burn out than to fade away.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Didn't you start a thread about your wife having an opportunity in the town you just moved from? (I didn't read the outcome- I've been out of town)

But if so, I would be looking at her window of opportunity as a backup. Tell the boss what you need to get the job done right. Take some time to really think out what you need and what will work for you. Present it to him. Make this an opportunity for him to show you his true colors, and use that as an indicator on which way to lean with your wife's decision (if it is not already too late for that).

I worked in my own "ridden hard and put away wet" scenario recently. When I was expected to produce twice what my coworkers were asked to do, with me taking a reduced compensation while the others were unaffected, it was time to leave. Since then, the directors responsible for that environment mysteriously vamoosed, so I am back helping out there again, on my terms, and happier than ever.

Until then, more exercise, beer, and PPOT.

[widebody911]

Originally Posted by vash

i get the summer interns again this year.

Are they hot?

[Baz]

Vash....take a deep breath once in a while, buddy. Also remember to keep everything in perspective (I know it's hard sometimes). It's only a job. Important...but not important enough to ruin your life!

Curious as to where you went to school?

Hang in there......

[look 171]

What stress? No stress, here. Just going on about my normal day screwing off the computer. Lunch? What's that? 5 hour sleep all day everyday. Ride my bike every saturday trying to kill others come the hills. other then that, its pretty much all work and more work. I have no choice, must find solution and must get done.

You get used to it Cliff, but do take it easy and your body will adjust. May not be good for you. I just feel bad for guys that have problems at home and have to deal with the stress at work. That's tough.

[sammyg2]

Meanwhile .....

[unclebilly]

Originally Posted by vash

this sucks.

i am at a new office (1 year). first let me tell you about my old office. there was a 7 person team. all licensed engineers. the supervisor would divide up the projects to us to run. then some other PE would line up behind us and help run the show. basically, sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow. but we built a system that had a deep deep bench. the stress was spread out between the 7.

i moved. new office. i was assisting when i got here. made sense since the boss didnt really know me besides the recommendations that came with me. but you know how the public sector is.."take this guy..he is "highly recommended"..yea right. it is a damn sport around here passing along work-turds.

well, i started dusting off survey equipment, and doing big calculations that are clearly listed in my job title. the boss realized i was "old school". i built bridges the old way. now i get ALL the new projects. i am blessed that i didnt get the big paving job that is all night work, but i got all the technical projects. one job: HWY 1 fell out. we need to get it up and built ASAP. i was waiting for plans and doing field measurements to help the designers. my boss said words of horror to any civil engineer. "you need to guess" WTF? guess?!..i'm like a dumbass version of Spock.. i dont guess. i like plans and measurements. well. designer gave me a verbal and i did just that..guess. layed out a project with a tape measure and paint cans. it is coming out damn near perfect. i get the plans tomorrow, but seen the prelims..i got it right.

my real contract projects start up April 17. i have two of them. the paperwork is huge. my boss paid me a huge compliment. he said since i showed up, he has to do way less work. he called me his "right hand". he also encouraged me to take a promotional exam. i am missing my 7-team. i am it..solo here. i work with knuckleheads..that survey equipment? i turned it on and found out it wasnt used since 2005..

i have never really been stressed at work. now i am. i damn near almost had a panic attack yesterday. i look up and see i missed lunch more often than i like. i find myself reaching for a beer first thing i get home. sleep is restless. i know what stress looks like. even my BP is elevated. the recent rains have kept me off my mtn bike. i dont ride like i used to..i did yesterday and i think that is the key. exercise. it is raining again today..but i think i will jog it.

you high pressure job guys..any secrets.? the occasional PPOT distraction is a godsend.

I have lived your life... I got the Blood Pressure and associated time off work because of it.

I have my BP under control now and I have a family with kids aged 3 and 6. I'm not going to let work give me a heart attack - I owe it to my family.

We sold off my old department and the team that I built up. My current title is 'Senior Technical Advisor'. At any given point, I have 20 things on my plate. I do my best to get through what I can in a day / week. The company is operations focused so customer requirements and day to day fire fighting come first. The rest of it gets pushed to the back burner or 3rd partied.

I do have an intern starting May 1st which will help with my detail design work and have been cleared to hire another engineer to assist with my day to day.

My advise to you is to make your boss aware of your work / stress levels. Get permission to hire someone competent (and that you trust) to help you out with the mundane tasks that don't need your full concentration. Don't forget to live - I know I did for a long time. I invented and developed technology which my company later sold... I got the blood pressure and the heartache, they got the cash.

[Captain Ahab Jr]

Some good advice, first step is to let your boss know how you are feeling, you sound like the type of person your boss should value and if he is any good he will do something to lighten your workload. Make sure he knows exactly how you are feeling, don't threaten to jump but make sure he understands working this way has to change one way or the other.

I'm in the same boat as you at the moment, for the last 6 months I've tried to make up for a lack of time, resource and competence working on a high profile project which is a first for my client (I'm freelance).

From the beginning I've worked every hour I can, taken on as much responsibility as I can, taken on as much of everyone else's workload as I can because they were not keeping up with the pace, done everything I can and said everything I can to avoid missing the deadline. Basically everything in my life other than work has been put on hold in my effort to make the project happen.

We are now late, the time lost is unrecoverable and now my boss is trying to do something even though it is too late as he now has to explain the delays to his boss.

I'm used to working to stupidly tight timescales at an incredibly fast pace on highly technical projects that involve making it up as you go along with no margin for error to deadlines that can't move. Sometimes the pressure is good, sometimes the pressure is overwhelming but there is always pressure.

I have already primed my boss that if they want me to do this again we need to sit down and talk money and hours as I'm not prepared to do more of the same for the next 6 months. No threats from me have been made at all, just said the balance needs shifting to my side by a large margin and we need to discuss this once the dust settles. The reaction I got was very positive.

Choose your time to discuss this carefully so as to maximize the benefits to you without the company thinking you are holding them to ransom. If you can't find a way forward that works for both of you then don't burn any bridges on the way out.

When you do have the meeting focus on how you have positively contributed, explain the extra value above and beyond what you are being paid for you think you are bringing to the company and how much more effective you would be if you workload was lighten and you were given some help. Good employees are hard to find, if he is any good at his job he will do everything to keep you.

In short for now suck up the stress, keep going until the time is right to make it clear something has to change. Give the company time to react, if they don't react in a way that restores the balance to your life then resign. Hope this helps.

[wdfifteen]

Sorry to hear it. BTDT. I kicked the W2 world 31 years ago. People try to say I only did it for the money.

[pavulon]

There now. Soon to be 52, 50-55 hour work week, 10 hours of commuting, eyes burning, everything aches, sciatica. No end in sight. Sucks.

[lendaddy]

I'm in management...in automotive. Gigantic ball of stress 24/7, it's my normal. I don't have any answers but know you're not alone.

[Pazuzu]

Is this why engineering schools are bursting at the seams, because it's such a great field?

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Jim Richards

You need to convince your boss to let you hire your well qualified right-hand man or woman*. Hope it all goes well for you, Cliff.

That, if the rest of the team sucks, then they need to be recommended out to other teams and you need to get some new guys in (maybe some of your old 7 man team) or just guys that don't suck so you can start sharing the wealth.

And you need more money.

[legion]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

If they get a horse that will run, they'll run it into the ground. Most bosses are like that.
Don't let them do it.
They're gonna use you all up at this rate.
It's time to make demands. more $$$$, more time off, more help, whatever it takes to make it worth it.
Or walk.
Neil Young was wrong (about so many things) ... it is NOT better to burn out than to fade away.

[rusnak]

I see no end in sight for my stress. Building two projects for my company, and two more in the planning stages. I'm going to be hiring a bunch more people in a few months.

My thinking is that we have a company culture - a set of values and beliefs. These values have come from me. I think we are going to successfully navigate the transition to where the values come from the crew as well. I don't work with Bozos. I also tend not to hire managers who want work/ life balance during work hours. When you're working, you're working, and your off time is yours. That way, the rest of us don't have to carry your slack.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

If they get a horse that will run, they'll run it into the ground. Most bosses are like that.
Don't let them do it.
They're gonna use you all up at this rate.
It's time to make demands. more $$$$, more time off, more help, whatever it takes to make it worth it.

I rarely agree with sammy but I think this is good advice... although I wouldn't ask for money first but better help to take off some of the load so you are not so stressed.

Originally Posted by sammyg2

Neil Young was wrong (about so many things) ... it is NOT better to burn out than to fade away.

Neil young is never wrong!!!

[vash]

again..thanks for allowing me the vent.

i