Stuff the boss, I’m stressed too.

Dear Aunty B, 

Last week you wrote about the boss stressed out of her brain. Well, how about her employees? I work in a company where half the middle management got made redundant late last year, so this year we have all had to pick up their tasks. Now we are almost as busy as we were in 2007 but with less bodies to do the job and more mistakes being made.

The problem is we keep being told that until we make up the budget numbers, no more staff will be hired.

So now not only are we stressed from too much work but our business is not doing as well as it could be. It feels like a catch 22.

Stressed out and over it,
Sydney

Dear Stressed out and over it,

You are not alone. A survey by the Australian Institute of Management pointed out last week that 76% of more than 2,000 executives surveyed say there is a skills gap in their company and 40% say they are seeing a negative impact on profit and performance as a result.

And 69% say the skills gap was putting more stress on employees with 52% saying it was causing low staff morale.

Which means that if you move to another job you will probably find a similar situation: too few people doing too much with too little training and resources.

So what you have to do is this: sit down with your boss and do a new job description. Work out what training needs to be done and try and find some courses over the quiet Christmas time.

This is a great time to climb the ladder, take a proactive stance and skill up. Then when things get better you will be indispensable – and the boss will always remember that instead of whining about doing too much, you took a positive stance – the stuff of a future leader.

Good luck!
Your Aunty B