Blog Post 18: Setting Expectations at Work
Throughout the pandemic, we’ve seen many headlines about the “Great Resignation” and issues with employee burnout. According to a study by Willis Towers Watson, 44% of workers are “job seekers” - employee retention is increasingly difficult. While there are many factors in this dynamic, burnout is certainly one of them. A study by the American Psychological Association showed nearly 3 in 5 workers report negative impacts of work-related stress, including cognitive weariness (36%), emotional exhaustion (32%), and physical fatigue (44%).
As we know, Type C people often give 150%, setting high expectations for themselves. In doing this, they condition co-workers and bosses to expect a lot from them. Defaulting to “yes” and taking too much on obviously increases risk of burnout for Type C, as we saw in our previous post. And when Type C people do burn out and are forced to pull back, this causes issues at work.
If you find yourself in a position where you’ve always given 150% and you see the need to take a step back, how do you actually do this? How do you communicate to your boss and your team that you need to set a different expectation for your performance? A lot of Type C’ers’ identity and self worth is tied to being this dependable, responsible, conscientious person. It can be very difficult, emotionally, to shift away from this identity.
Part of taking back your health is being aware of your needs and communicating this while sitting with the guilt that follows. You can start off with the delay tactic. Say, "Let me get back to you on that" to give yourself the time to evaluate both your needs and the needs of your employer. If you decide it’s not in your best interest to say yes, you can practice being assertive. You might say, “I know you need help with this project. Right now I have a lot on my plate. I don’t think I can help. I don't want my other work to suffer.” If you really think you can do this, you could offer a way to share it with someone else, or take a small part of the assignment. But make sure this will not hurt you or your work. Notice the guilt that arises from not doing it (you may feel like you're burdening someone else that will have to take it on), and sit with this discomfort - which will pass! This is the cost in the moment to take better care of ourselves in the long run.
If you are having a difficult time with your current workload and the opportunity for a delay tactic does not arise, you could schedule a sitdown with the boss and simply say, “I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed, I’d like to work together on how I could manage this workload better - perhaps there are some resources on our team we could tap into to help me manage this better?” It’s important to remember that Type C people often undervalue their own contributions. Don't forget it is hard to find workers who put in 150%! You might think you are a dime a dozen - but you are actually very hard to find. Conversations like these with bosses and team members are not easy for conflict-avoidant Type C people - but can go a long way toward mitigating burnout.