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New job frustration!?

I began a new job with a great company 3 months ago. They originally hired me to help with admin work as they sell homes and conduct interviews for potential homeowners.

The thing is, the admins who were there before me screwed up BIG time, losing a bunch of files, and apparently my company skipped over interviewing hundreds of people months before I came along.

NOW, my boss is coming down on me as I'm trying to help them fix the mess left behind and she's basically threatening that we could lose our jobs for being in this mess, which existed when I came onboard a couple months ago.

What do I say to her when she tells me to work faster and do MORE work - of which is all leftover nonsense from the workers before me!! I can't possibly work any faster or fix the screw-ups from last year.

I do like the job and it suits my skills, but how do I deal with demands that I just can't meet if I wasn't with the company when everything got out of whack. I know they hired me to help and repair things, but they're asking for some tasks that - at this point in time - are impossible to carry out.

Any advice on how to address these irrational demands?

5 Answers

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  • 1 year ago
    Favorite Answer

    I'd quit. I've been in a job where I was ordered to go faster and faster, and I ultimately wound up suicidal. Please keep in mind that this sort of work-pressure situation can literally drive you insane. You need to prioritize and protect your mental wellbeing. Your employers don't even deserve any notice. If I were you, I'd quit and let them know the reason why, and I wouldn't give them two weeks' notice. 

  • 1 year ago

    First, you're making a false assumption.  You think the the current "crisis" isn't your problem because you didn't created it.  That isn't true.  The crisis belongs to all of the current employees because they are the only ones who can fix it and the only ones who will be impacted if the problems are fixed.  

    As for your boss, you and other other people all need to sit down and discuss reasonable expectations in terms of workload, hours, and the number of potential homeowners who can be processed in a given time.  If the company demands are greater than what you can or want to do, then look for another job ASAP.  

    It sounds like your boss in panicking because this office has messed up.  Heads are probably gonna role.  Even if you had nothing to do with creating the problem, if the company decides to close this offer, you'll be out of a job as will your boss. 

  • Pearl
    Lv 7
    1 year ago

    i would just talk to them about it and tell them youre doing the best you can

  • 1 year ago

    I agree, ask for help.  But ask for specific help, such as help to prioritize the many tasks necessary, and assign how much time to devote to each one.  If your boss says, "Figure it out for yourself," you could prepare a document outlining the tasks, the amount of time and effort you think each one deserves, present it to her and ask her to sign it, "So my duties will be clear."

    Telling you to "Work longer, harder, and faster" is just fobbing off her supervisory responsibilities onto a subordinate.  I can understand her motives – she's just as frustrated with the situation as everybody else is, and is probably under pressure from her superiors, but you don't have to let her dump the whole mess onto you.

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  • 1 year ago

    Ask her for help. She needs to understand the difficulty of your job to lower her expectations.

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