Job related stress and burnout

K

K8tiedee

New member
Hi,

I have been with my employer for 18months. When I received my ADHD diagnosis I shared the report with my manager. The report said I would need reasonable adjustments, such as regular breaks.

I had been on long term sick leave for 18months prior to starting this job due to burnout but didn’t have a diagnosis at the time, so it was depression and anxiety.

Since the beginning of the year we have been permenantly short staffed because the contract manager does not believe we need anymore staff despite his superiors telling him to hire more people. This past 10 days have been hell today has been incredibly challenging and resulted in my telling them I will not be back at work until they can confirm there will be enough staff for us to operate appropriately.

I’m afraid this had caused another burnout. I can not afford to be off sick and I don’t see why I should be because they have caused this but I don’t know how I stand legally or how I should proceed with this.

Does anyone know how I could get someone to come to any meetings with me for support? My husband is my line managers manager so it’s a little bit difficult for him to come with me.

I’m so angry and upset by the whole situation. Am I asking for too much to have enough staff so that we aren’t constantly having to do the work of 2 or more people? No reasonable adjustments have been made for me, infact no one has even spoken to me regarding it.

And to top it all off we had to complete a ‘sunflower training’ course. Which is a 27 minute video on how we need to be considerate of customers with ‘hidden disabilities’!!
 
Hi,

You need to investigate what reasonable adjustments would help you. Perhaps having regular rest breaks and regulat 1:1 with your line manager to discuss and prioritise workload. Various alarms and reminders, to do lists and schedules to help tbe executive functioning.
You could also apply to Access for Work to pay for assistive technology and an ADHD coach. They would also pay for your employer receiving a training about your condition and neurodiversity. We provide such training.


One thing that is difficult is your statement that you would not be at work unless they do something. This could potentially be classed as misconduct or even gross misconduct with immediate dismissal.

It might be difficult to prove that your employer caused your burnout.

Maybe at this stage getting reasonable adjustments would change the situation for you.
 
If your manager has the report suggesting reasonable adjustments I'd say it would be the first step to ask for a meeting to discuss this and maybe explain the impact on you of being short staffed - which I imagine makes it even harder to get regular breaks.
Hope the Manager is open to meeting and discussing your needs. After all it is in their interests to support the staff they do have.
 
I've been out of the workforce now for 25 years. When I was in work I bowed to the pressure and suffered stress related problems. Now I'm wondering what happens if people decide to work steadily at a reasonable pace then go home with tasks undone. Are they protected from unreasonable expectations,?
I ask against noticing the shift over the last 40 yrs from '9 to 5' to '8 to 6' which I notice my children having to do - as a minimum!!
 
K8tiedee said:
Hi,

I have been with my employer for 18months. When I received my ADHD diagnosis I shared the report with my manager. The report said I would need reasonable adjustments, such as regular breaks.

I had been on long term sick leave for 18months prior to starting this job due to burnout but didn’t have a diagnosis at the time, so it was depression and anxiety.

Since the beginning of the year we have been permenantly short staffed because the contract manager does not believe we need anymore staff despite his superiors telling him to hire more people. This past 10 days have been hell today has been incredibly challenging and resulted in my telling them I will not be back at work until they can confirm there will be enough staff for us to operate appropriately.

I’m afraid this had caused another burnout. I can not afford to be off sick and I don’t see why I should be because they have caused this but I don’t know how I stand legally or how I should proceed with this.

Does anyone know how I could get someone to come to any meetings with me for support? My husband is my line managers manager so it’s a little bit difficult for him to come with me.

I’m so angry and upset by the whole situation. Am I asking for too much to have enough staff so that we aren’t constantly having to do the work of 2 or more people? No reasonable adjustments have been made for me, infact no one has even spoken to me regarding it.

And to top it all off we had to complete a ‘sunflower training’ course. Which is a 27 minute video on how we need to be considerate of customers with ‘hidden disabilities’!!
Click to expand...
In its simplest terms, since my own later in life diagnosis in 2021, there is a point-blank refusal to understand, accept nor acknowledge the realities of the problems that we as autistic people face, our disability is not regarded as real and it is dismissed and ignored, even down to post-diagnostic assessments and appropriate adult autism support, including but not limited to the DWP, even within the current jobs market and the current state of the U.K. economy, where Labour’s policies are only making this worse, where Labour has always been the nasty party, far more so than the Tories - already, mental health and also disability needs its own separate body away from the NHS, which is ill equipped, including in terms of proper staff training, to properly deal with mental health and frankly, for decades, the NHS has been deliberately mismanaged and taxpayers money has been wasted, as it was always the intention to privatise the NHS - we are simply seen as an annoyance, an inconvenience to them and they simply want rid of us
 
what would happen if you completed the work of one hard working person and ignored what was left over? Even suggest the same to the other staff?
 
I've been told by a family member that I'm not autistic. In my 70s I've long ago learned to mask effectively 95% of the time. I still let slip my real thoughts an do things that can embarrass but not very often. I've realised the world will not adapt to us. Each must find their tribe and work there. Maybe there are individuals or pockets of people within a work environment where we would feel more at home? It's worth the search.
My happiest life was working in a school that celebrated difference, had huge patience with pupils and was known for taking the rejects from other schools around. It was often derided for being leftie, liberal, soft, undisciplined. I loved working there and my 3 children thrived. I can see the success not just in grades, exams etc but in confidence and individuality.
 
K8tiedee said:
Hi,

I have been with my employer for 18months. When I received my ADHD diagnosis I shared the report with my manager. The report said I would need reasonable adjustments, such as regular breaks.

I had been on long term sick leave for 18months prior to starting this job due to burnout but didn’t have a diagnosis at the time, so it was depression and anxiety.

Since the beginning of the year we have been permenantly short staffed because the contract manager does not believe we need anymore staff despite his superiors telling him to hire more people. This past 10 days have been hell today has been incredibly challenging and resulted in my telling them I will not be back at work until they can confirm there will be enough staff for us to operate appropriately.

I’m afraid this had caused another burnout. I can not afford to be off sick and I don’t see why I should be because they have caused this but I don’t know how I stand legally or how I should proceed with this.

Does anyone know how I could get someone to come to any meetings with me for support? My husband is my line managers manager so it’s a little bit difficult for him to come with me.

I’m so angry and upset by the whole situation. Am I asking for too much to have enough staff so that we aren’t constantly having to do the work of 2 or more people? No reasonable adjustments have been made for me, infact no one has even spoken to me regarding it.

And to top it all off we had to complete a ‘sunflower training’ course. Which is a 27 minute video on how we need to be considerate of customers with ‘hidden disabilities’!!
Click to expand...
Hello,

May I ask what it is you do. I understand it may be difficult as your husband is your managers manager but, if you think your line manager is not doing his job the next step would be to take your complaint to a more senior member of your company.

Your husband will have to put his personal feelings aside and deal with it professionally.

Where you stand mentally my advice would be, as someone who has adhd myself you should take an hour or so out of your day put some headphones on and listen to some music you like, close your eyes and focus on your breathing.

This helps me every evening as I am in a similar situation with where I work. Listening to music you like what ever that may be helps with the over stimulation and the feeling of being depressed by listening to something you really enjoy then it also helps you focus on your breathing. Focusing on your breathing allows your mind to start to calm and gives it something to focus on which will relax you.
 
That sounds incredibly tough and unfair—needing support but feeling unheard just adds to the burnout. When someone close was in a similar bind, having a trusted advocate at meetings really helped, even if it wasn’t family. Maybe a union rep or an external support person could join you? Also, finding little ways to manage stress, like natural aids from places like gomicromagic.com, gave some relief during the hardest days.
 
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definitely doing a 6 day week in 5 days now in terms of hours - and I'm having to do more in those hours than we did 30-40 years ago, in fact even just compared to over 10 years ago
 
Hi @bluelyn . I WFH majority of times and not being present doesn't lower the demand .

Yes if stuff comes in mid-late afternoon - I will say I will look in the morning. I start around 7 (I do around 2 hours work focused without changing my status to "online") and by 3pm my cognitive battery is flat, so understand what you say.

So finding something that suits you - in terms of hours is one aspect. My productivity drops to about 1/3rd if i'm in the office - I have an adjustment saying requirement to attend the office should be minimised. So maybe look for hybrid /remote roles if they suit what you want. you may find roles where 9-5 is less restrictive, so your preferred hours and your high output in those hours are a positive.

I understand what you say about your productivity- I have performance anxiety which can show up as different things including trying and doing more that others, this is linked to the burnout cycle, pushing through proving to ourselves first especially when demands are raised, we don't like to raise the flag on our struggles. I'm finding this a tricky area to deal with at work