Work related stress
The past few years my job has become extremely stressful. I had to have surgery last January that kept me out of work for three weeks. I haven't caught up with the back log yet. In March I was out for a week after I was hospitalized with a stubborn kidney stone. The past few weeks I have been experiencing sharp pains in my abdomen that get worse when I eat or drink. Yesterday I contacted my surgeon who told me to come right into his office (Not so easy seeing how his office is 100 miles away). He told me he thought my gallbladder was giving me problems, and I may have to be admitted. I came prepared to stay, but the ultrasound proved I didn't have gallstones. Instead I now have stomach ulcers. Now I am taking a lot of ulcer medication. My boss said he was glad to see me back at work, but when I told him I had ulcers he just turned and walked away. I wish he would have taken his darn ulcers with him, because he is the reason I have them.[:(!]
Trinity +++
Trinity +++
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I think you'd best see a shrink to help you process the stress.
When you are in the position of being near retirement with no viable options, the sadism comes out. Add to it that you're blocking a desirable title, making your boss increase pressure on you to vacate it.
Take notes and build a case of harassment or age discrimination.
Filing a grievance might also be an option.0 -
v35,
I filed a formal letter of grievance this past Monday. I just got called into my supervisors, supervisors, supervisors office and received a so called pep talk from him. They just wanted to ensure I didn't take my complainant outside our Directorate. Bottom line it didn't solve very much. There is no way I can please this guy.
Another CPT in our agency talked with me later, and told me that he too had been under a lot of pressure recently. He said that he had gone to a doctor, and had been prescribed medication that has helped him immensely. He recommended I think of doing the same.
My question now is has anyone here every taking happy drugs, and if so did they help?[?]
Trinity +++0 -
quote:Originally posted by Rosie
In that case you must have done a lot of sucking up to get to that point. Hey, I'm just reading what you said before. What with all your degrees, Military service and police dept. You couldn't have been on the job very long. Therefore it would take a lot of sucking up in a short period of time to be as rich as you are at the age of 43. Do the things you say happen? Of course they do. In my case however I stayed with the same company for 47 years and worked hard. Thats the only way I know. [:)]
Enlisted in the Army 3 weeks after I turned 17, cop at 21 for a few years, now I am 43. I have been doing this for almost 20 years. College at night my entire life while working full time. Sounds like you are a bit jealous that it took you 47 years of sucking up at one job and until you are in your 60s to get even close to where I am at 43.0 -
Wanna compare pay checks Charlie brown? I have been a supervisor for over 35 years and will match my pay, bonus's and other benefits with yours any day. You my friend are a pauper. You must work nights or be on vacation because I know a fine upstanding person like you wouldn't think of using a goverment computer at work to post and surf the net. I would but I'm just a lowly suck ass boss that would do anything to get ahead. Aww what the heck. You are right. I never could seem to get it all to gether. I have been sweeping floors and cleaning toilets all my life just to try and raise a family. Seeing as you seem to have a lot of money, could you loan me a ten spot till payday? I don't have enough to pay my bills this week and can't buy food. Pay you back next Friday I promise. I'm sorry. Please? 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Rosie
Wanna compare pay checks Charlie brown? I have been a supervisor for over 35 years and will match my pay, bonus's and other benefits with yours any day. You my friend are a pauper. You must work nights or be on vacation because I know a fine upstanding person like you wouldn't think of using a goverment computer at work to post and surf the net. I would but I'm just a lowly suck ass boss that would do anything to get ahead. Aww what the heck. You are right. I never could seem to get it all to gether. I have been sweeping floors and cleaning toilets all my life just to try and raise a family. Seeing as you seem to have a lot of money, could you loan me a ten spot till payday? I don't have enough to pay my bills this week and can't buy food. Pay you back next Friday I promise. I'm sorry. Please?
I work from home on my own computer over 50% of the time, it is called telecommuting. It is the modern world, you might want to try to get with it and get out of the old boy system you seem to love. Have a nice life, what you have left of it. [:D]0 -
You ar not going to loan me the money are you. 0 -
With all due respect to senior master advanced members, I would like to share this about bosses:
One of my first bosses was " the boss from hell". He was over a group of about six electricians. Almost all of us had symtoms of job related stress. We kept a giant bottle of Maylox in the tool cabinet. You could tell who was having a bad day by the "Maylox Mustache". 25 years later, I became the "boss" at a different job. I was determined not to be like "the boss from hell". I treat my guys like professionals. They know I've got their back. And they know that if I need to do a little "performance management", that I will say what needs to be said and that will be the end of it. I am not, and never have been their friend. But when their family member is in the funeral home, they know I'll be there. I've worked under 8 superentendants in the last 7 years. I tell them that I've got their back, also, but don't ever tell me to discipline a man for some bull reason. They know I'll walk. I've got my wife's pre-approval. I've got 2 years to go to be eligible for retirement, but I doubt I'll go out. Partly because I don't want some butthole mistreating my guys. Does my job have stress? You cannot even imagine! How do I cope with stress? Getting saved and becoming a Christian helps a lot, but mostly remembering that a job is just that, a job. It's not life. Life is life. Even if it's sitting in a wheel chair and can't move anything but your head, like my daughter. She'll tell you it's far greater than the alternative. If you've got five years left before retirement, you can do that standing on your head. But try to live some in the mean time.
Sorry for the long post. I'm going to shut up for a while. Bye.0 -
quote:Originally posted by jimdeere
With all due respect to senior master advanced members, I would like to share this about bosses:
One of my first bosses was " the boss from hell". He was over a group of about six electricians. Almost all of us had symtoms of job related stress. We kept a giant bottle of Maylox in the tool cabinet. You could tell who was having a bad day by the "Maylox Mustache". 25 years later, I became the "boss" at a different job. I was determined not to be like "the boss from hell". I treat my guys like professionals. They know I've got their back. And they know that if I need to do a little "performance management", that I will say what needs to be said and that will be the end of it. I am not, and never have been their friend. But when their family member is in the funeral home, they know I'll be there. I've worked under 8 superentendants in the last 7 years. I tell them that I've got their back, also, but don't ever tell me to discipline a man for some bull reason. They know I'll walk. I've got my wife's pre-approval. I've got 2 years to go to be eligible for retirement, but I doubt I'll go out. Partly because I don't want some butthole mistreating my guys. Does my job have stress? You cannot even imagine! How do I cope with stress? Getting saved and becoming a Christian helps a lot, but mostly remembering that a job is just that, a job. It's not life. Life is life. Even if it's sitting in a wheel chair and can't move anything but your head, like my daughter. She'll tell you it's far greater than the alternative. If you've got five years left before retirement, you can do that standing on your head. But try to live some in the mean time.
Sorry for the long post. I'm going to shut up for a while. Bye.
Well said. I've learned some of the same lessons in life and would like to share some experiences. While my present supervisor would disagree, what you've described is leadership.
Getting people to perform your will is not necessarily leadership. Treating people like professionals is key to leadership. When they know "you've got their back", there is more openness and honesty. When people know the supervisor with by there in the midst of the crisis, good people will perform. Many supervisors who do not know the job themselves are the first to blame the employees when the true problem is the process and not the labor. For these people, subjecting their employees is their definition of leadership.
Now, as far as handling job stress, I have learned a few things. When it comes to work, I have an addictive personality. I want to do as much as I can when I am there. I'll gladly give 10-11 hours a day. I don't consider myself a workaholic, but I hate working an 8 hour day without challenges.
What I've learned is not to think about work when I am not there. I won't think about anything seriously. When Big Bubba tells me my performance hasn't been there the last couple of days because he thinks he can push me to better performance out of fear, I let it bother me while I'm there. WHen I leave work, it blows out my ass like a big fart. I don't think about it. I don't care about it. I'll give 100%. I'll give 110% on occasion, but I will not give over 100% all the time.
That's how you blow a motor. Give too much for too long. Know your limit and stop there. Walk away at the end of the day.
Some might say I am bottling up emotions. Perhaps. But life is so much more enjoyable when I shut out work when I am away from the shop.
I used to worry about who is going to get injured next because the equipment is so run down and depreciated. On the way home I worried about what was going to breakdown tomorrow. While at home I thought about everything other challenge I am facing. Ironically, all this thinking about work did not improve anything.
There is a limit. Know where it is. Respect it.0 -
Jimdeere has it right. He knows. Also the people who blame their bosses for their own short comings don't have a clue and never will. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by jimdeere
With all due respect to senior master advanced members, I would like to share this about bosses:
One of my first bosses was " the boss from hell". He was over a group of about six electricians. Almost all of us had symtoms of job related stress. We kept a giant bottle of Maylox in the tool cabinet. You could tell who was having a bad day by the "Maylox Mustache". 25 years later, I became the "boss" at a different job. I was determined not to be like "the boss from hell". I treat my guys like professionals. They know I've got their back. And they know that if I need to do a little "performance management", that I will say what needs to be said and that will be the end of it. I am not, and never have been their friend. But when their family member is in the funeral home, they know I'll be there. I've worked under 8 superentendants in the last 7 years. I tell them that I've got their back, also, but don't ever tell me to discipline a man for some bull reason. They know I'll walk. I've got my wife's pre-approval. I've got 2 years to go to be eligible for retirement, but I doubt I'll go out. Partly because I don't want some butthole mistreating my guys. Does my job have stress? You cannot even imagine! How do I cope with stress? Getting saved and becoming a Christian helps a lot, but mostly remembering that a job is just that, a job. It's not life. Life is life. Even if it's sitting in a wheel chair and can't move anything but your head, like my daughter. She'll tell you it's far greater than the alternative. If you've got five years left before retirement, you can do that standing on your head. But try to live some in the mean time.
Sorry for the long post. I'm going to shut up for a while. Bye.
Well said. You sound like a great boss and family man.0 -
quote:
Well said. I've learned some of the same lessons in life and would like to share some experiences. While my present supervisor would disagree, what you've described is leadership.
Getting people to perform your will is not necessarily leadership. Treating people like professionals is key to leadership. When they know "you've got their back", there is more openness and honesty. When people know the supervisor with by there in the midst of the crisis, good people will perform. Many supervisors who do not know the job themselves are the first to blame the employees when the true problem is the process and not the labor. For these people, subjecting their employees is their definition of leadership.
Also well said. The good bosses I have had over the years, including my Army Sgts, lead just like you are describing: treating people with respect and like professionals. The best one I ever had was also a Naval Reserve O-6, he got activated and now we are stuck with the female boss I had mentioned. The bad bosses I have had did the other thing: blame the employees and treat them like subjects which is what she does all the time.0 -
I think after 47 years $7.50 an hour is pretty good. I may get a ten cent raise this year because I have been doing a lot of sucking up for the last six months. Got paid yesterday afternoon and my money is all gone this morning. Sure you won't loan me a few bucks? I'm always behind in my bills. 0 -
I have always had jobs which were performance driven, and extremely measureable. I set high goals, and did what it took. For years, I was in the air or on the road 6 days a week. I followed the challenges of my profession, all around the world.
I have had nothing but outstanding bosses, who measured their success by my success.
I'v been involved with bad programs, bad products, bad factories, bad union people, but never a bad boss.
After reading all this, I realize how fortunate I've been.
Thank you all for giving me these insights to myself.
Doug0
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