You can tell when people have hit that point where they tip from “stretched” in their work – the busy, adrenalin-inducing pace that we tend to work well in – to “stressed”. Instead of the “stretched” 20-30 minute lunch breaks, they either become non-existent, or people will sit in the lunch room for the full hour, staring blankly at the gossip magazines, but not chattering about what Britney’s doing now.
They will probably start to take more sick days, after pushing through the sniffles for a week, it then hits and they’re off for a week or more at a time.
The counseling sessions in the car park also begin. De-briefing, letting go of all that baggage before going home, you’ll find 2 or 3 staff members up in the carpark ten of fifteen minutes after they left the building. Still talking clients, off-loading it all before concentrating (hopefully) for their drive home.
I found my OTs up there today, and joined them, giving them one more person to share it with, to empathise, to give an example of my own, not to be a part of it, but to acknowledge that, yes, it’s a general feeling right at this stage, it’s not just you, or your profession, or just our team. It’s across the board.
There is a lot of change about to happen, with all the “big decisions” coming down on August 10. We may need more than a carpark debrief then.
Friday drinks, anyone?
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
oh dears *hugs*
We’ll get there :)
Wonderful tips.
I hope everything is ok Fiona! :)