Lumbered with someone else's work? Get organised
My boss has taken maternity leave. In her absence, I have taken on many of her responsibilities. Although I'm happy to help out, I sometimes feel as if I'm doing two jobs rather than one. I know it's only temporary but I'm worried that my work and personal life will suffer.

Managers should not expect staff to take on another full-time job as well as their own, without extra support. Maternity leave can last six months and more, and new Health & Safety Executive standards give your employer a responsibility to reduce your exposure to stress.

You need to determine the demands on your time, identify the crucial tasks and gain control of your workload. Do a job analysis: this should involve looking at all the tasks you have to do, for your job and your manager's, and then check what support, resources or even training you need for each task.

This will give you the confidence to sit down with the line manager you are reporting to during this period and prioritise all outstanding work. You need to be really clear on what you need before this meeting. You can then agree on the areas you should concentrate on and those that can be shelved.

By being proactive, not only do you have a better chance of controlling the workload, but additionally your temporary line manager will see you as a positive member of staff who takes the initiative.

During the time it takes to prioritise your work, you should try to decrease your stress levels, so use stress reduction techniques such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation or positive thinking.

Source

Housing Today

Postscript

For further tips, see www.stresstips.com This week's Job doctor is Stuart Clarke, director of Housing Association Coaching stuart@hacoaching.com.