Being OK with imperfection

[Byelka]

Currently my office is being monitored by our state agency. This past year has been really challenging for the whole office. We had a few staff members take medical leave or maternity leave, I had to let go one new staff member because she wasn’t meeting training expectations, another staff member left for another opportunity. All of this leaving us very short staffed. As a supervisor this meant I had to step in to help staff, leaving my regular responsibilities to the side. Due to the stress of all of this I requested back in August to step down from my supervisory roll. My boss allowed me to do this but it took a lot longer to transition than I had hoped, December first my replacement took over. Now with the state auditing us I’m facing a lot of the things that have been left undone from the year. My boss has brought it up recently, which I’m frustrated by because I mentioned back in June, July, August when I asked to step down, and October when things really all came to a head with my work load, that I was really behind and didn’t know how I would be able to catch up. At the end of the day I know I just have to be OK with the fact that I left things undone. I know this with be a finding in the state audit. I can point to a lot of things that went wrong this year, complain that I didn’t get enough support to do what I needed to, but at the end of the day I made a choice to leave the position behind, I wasn’t motivated to stay overtime or whatever else it would have taken to get it done. I could have, but I didn’t want to. I was overwhelmed and chose to say no. And honestly I think that’s what I needed to do. It may mean my reputation may take a hit, but I decided to take care of myself over my job for the first time in a long time. I’m still struggling with the anxiety of anticipation going along with this audit though. Any support would be helpful.

[Eowyn7]

I totally understand the pressure you must be feeling. I also have a job where we are pressured to work overtime and it is a lot for me to handle. I can't imagine being a supervisor on top of that. I think we are human and you did your best, you tried to communicate that you needed assistance and that is the best you could do. Your boss should have brought in more help. I understand you are afraid they may come down hard on you. At the end of the day it is just a job and not worth sacrificing your mental health. Just continue to do your best and be honest about your workload. That is the best you can do. Please keep us updated on how this goes, ok?

Also I'm a bit curious what line of work you are in - I'm in finance/accounting.

[Txnut60]

Read Dr. Brenee Browns book. The Gift of Imperfection.