Hi Eva. I’ve been working at a company for three years now. This past year the workload has doubled, but we’ve stayed the same in number.
I leave the office last every day, and on weekends I answer emails. I’m sleeping badly and I’ve started getting angry at everyone.
If I tell my boss that I can’t manage, I’m afraid he’ll see me as weak. What should I do?
Hi. The fact that you’ve held on this long doesn’t show weakness. It shows that you’re carrying more than fits in one day.
When the work doubles and the people stay the same, the problem isn’t that you “can’t keep up.” It’s that the load doesn’t fit.
“Saying ‘it doesn’t fit’ isn’t a complaint. It’s information.”
Go to your boss not with a complaint but with a picture: write down what you do in a week and how many hours it takes. Ask him which of these is a priority and which can wait. That way you’re giving him a solution, not a burden.
And start with something small for yourself: one evening a week without emails. If your sleep and your anger don’t improve, it’s worth having a talk with a doctor or a counselor· burnout is something real.
With warmth, Eva
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