Too nice.... and getting taken for granted

[sparklingfaces]

So I know I've been a bit inactive lately, this is just my busy season at my "real job".

I work in the Health Insurance Industry, and I have 4 groups that are currently going through open enrollment.
Anyways, there's a crap load of work and I feel like I'm being overwhelmed by my supervisor who is STILL giving me more work to do... I dont want to let anyone down and I don't want it look like I can't handle my job... but dang!

I am only one person... on top of that, she's giving me shitty crap to do... stuff she doesn't want to do... like making 600 copies of a 20 page booket... "it shouldn't take you more than an hour" was her response to me....

okay - now I dont know if yall have ever made 600 copies of anything... but it takes WAY longer than an hour..... AND! while I'm making these freaking copies... she's sending me 20-30 e-mails askings about 30 other things I should be doing but had to stop to make her freaking copies!!!

I dont think it would bother me so much if she didn't take 2 hour lunches while I have skipped my lunch every day for the past 3 weeks........ROAR!

Sorry guys, had to vent..... I just need to know what to do...?
How do I say some thing when it's my BOSS?

I've told her I'm SUPER busy but she just continues what she's doing. Giving me "emergency projects 2 hours before she needs them and expects me to drop EVERYTHING i'm doing....AHHHHHHH!!!

( it's sunday.... I've been working since 6 and it's midnight.... )

[Sherry]

Geesh Vi, I hope they're paying you overtime.  I wish I had some good advice, but I have a hard time with telling people these kind of things too, let alone my boss.    This is why I got out of the rat race and became my own boss in the first place.  I knew what kind of a worker I was and the things I was doing without having to convince other people.  Plus I hate having to deal with the politics of office life. 

When she's saying, "it should only take you an hour." it makes me wonder if she's not trusting in you, that she's trying to tell you something with that statement.  Maybe start telling her how long things are taking and whatnot.  When you turn in the copies, tell her "this took __ hours to copy.  Crazy, huh?  Who knew 600 copies would take that long?  Plus the copier kept getting jammed, blah, blah, blah."  Then give her a list of everything you're doing.  People who seem to insuate you're not getting things done, may need a detailed list of everything you're doing and maybe they'll get the point and back off.  That's what my cousin Nory does.. lol.  She doesn't just tell you that she cleaned the floor, she got down on her hands and knees and scrubbed the floor.

[sparklingfaces]

you know - I think I'm gonna start doing that... I think the issue is that she doesn't know how long it takes, she just sees that it gets done.

[twinkletattoos]

I'm totally feeling your pain. I've been working 50 hour weeks for the last 3 weeks and it doesn't look like that is going to be stopping anytime soon. I work day shifts during the week and then graveyard on the weekends. It is really hard switching back and forth. In addition to that I run my webstore, our bouncy castle business, and my 10 month old just started walking.

I'm tired! When the recession started they laid off a lot of our hotel workers and now that we are busy again instead of hiring more people they just overwork the ones they do have. They know they are doing it and they don't even seem to care that we all have families & personal lives. If the benefits package weren't so good I'd probably just leave.

[Alison]

  This is why I got out of the rat race and became my own boss in the first place. 

Oh dear.  Here it is, 2:30 a.m. - just got in from tonight's gig,
gotta be up at 8 a.m. for tomorrow's gig,
but I have to get back to a client first
and read the Bible.....

want to see a few friends this week and maybe the dentist
because I haven't found a Minute to do that all week (or last week either),
but I'm my own boss
and my own worker
and everything has to get done and I don't like to say no to my clients
including the 'just one more' people at the end of a Five-Hour-with-no-breaks-gig today,
but I learned. 
If I could say 'no' to my own children, I have to remember that other people are not more important than my own children.  It's just our mixed up ideas of 'who has Power'.  There is a point where I do say 'I'm sorry, but no.  Thank You, but no.  I have to go."

But on my own, the prep work behind closed doors
so I'd show up all super-prepared for any possible contingency, so I can seem sooooo good, well,
that I do.  Never stop til it's done and then more comes in.  Wouldn't want to be unprepared. 

I think it's an arrogance.  Of trying to be perfect.  And it's Time Now for me to trust that I will be able to do a good job even if I don't get to every possible item on my list of things to prepare.

But
but I have to tell my client that her deposit arrived and the day is hers.  Don't I? 
And then I have to write it on my Calendars to make sure I don't forget to go.  Don't I?
Where/when can I ever lighten up and trust

---------

Lol - that's where I'm at.  I can feel your pain.
How's it going these days, Vi?  Are you here?