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"post_content": "Half my team got laid off and while I’m grateful to have my job still, I feel like I’m drowning in the additional work. All of their responsibilities have been assigned to me, the most junior person on the team. \n\nWhen I brought up that this was a bit much for one person/didn’t think this was sustainable (hinting at the fact that some of the other existing team members should pick some of the laid off peoples’ work), team lead went off on what I’m sure he thought was an inspiring speech about...",
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Keep track of everything you are doing above and beyond your normal position and leverage this for a raise/promotion once corona settles.
And then get the hell out
Yeah beware of anyone who tells you that the shit sandwich they served you is an amazing way to try new experiences lol
Go on LinkedIn. Find the job you want 3 years from now with the right salary. See all the skills and responsibilities that come with that job. See where your current shortcomings are...and use this opportunity to get training on those shortcomings with your current job and find a way to get those responsibilities now while you can still learn and make mistakes and it’s forgivable
OP, R/GA is right. And the thing is, I can just about bet you that most of the things you’re having to handle now, will be in your future job description. It doesn’t get easier, and then it will be a point where it won’t be you covering for lost peers, it will be you covering for lost employees (which the company can’t hire to replace for whatever reason.) This, also, is the feather in your cap for your next interview. Most companies don’t want someone that “ain’t never been through nothing,” so make this hard time your bitch and find out what your ending is going to be. Are you going to be the hero that lives... or dies... under pressure?
Set boundaries and let them know when you need help and/or might have difficulty delivering. Communication is key. And let them know that you need time to take care of yourself too.
Adding to this. In my first agency job my team reduced from 8 to 3 people in just a few months. I created a Tello board so my manager new exactly how much I was working on at a given time. Think the columns were ToDo, On hold, In progress, done Worked for me and when it was time for a promotion I was able to negotiate a +20% increase
Do what you can but don’t kill yourself. They aren’t invested in their employees for the long term.
How “this is the time to really get creative” and “sometimes the best work is done under pressure” and “I’m the only one with the skill set for these projects”... I just feel defeated and stuck. And post-layoffs now they aren’t allowing for paid overtime.
They're not wrong, you'll grow from this, just make sure you focus on yourself and grow in the way most advantageous for you. I won't say don't get used, that's the nature of work, but use em back wherever possible and stay focused on #1.
In the short term, I’d advise you to proactively set up daily, “mini-status” morning calls with your team/manager to discuss your daily priorities. Come prepared with a list of your immediate to-dos in order of what you think needs to get done first. I have to do something similar every morning with my small team to keep 10+ workstreams moving simultaneously. Priorities and deadlines shift and it’s really helpful to set up a REASONABLE daily to-do list for everyone while also keeping an eye on the next things coming down the pipeline. I’m available to DM if you want to talk through some logistic or organizational ideas!
You have 100% the right to say this and feel this way, people who say otherwise probably just relate or in the shoes of your lead also trying to take advantage of their employees with no OT, yes you can grow and learn from this but you can grow and learn from a lot of shitty things in life, BUT that doesn’t make it right...
There is nothing worse than being abused by your company and being told to be grateful and take it “as a compliment”.
Seems like the typical situation where the person making the resourcing decisions doesn’t have a good grasp of the roles. You should put in writing any challenges you have so that you’re covered when they come looking for a scapegoat. And yes- per other comment- get out when you can.
This same thing happened to me last year. As the most junior person on the team I had to take a lot of responsibility and make a lot of decisions that were way above me (especially for someone who just graduated college). What I did was got organized, focused on each task, was honest with my team on timing, delivered high quality work, and built a relationship with the client. I had also lost my manager though all this (he still hasn't been replaced). So a lot of the work I was doing with almost no direction or guidance. It's best to stop thinking you're the most Jr person and pretend you're able to do all this (take it until you make it). Once things calm down a bit go up to the person on your team that can pull weight and tell them you need a promotion ASAP. Worked for me. Got my promotion same day with a 30% raise. Feel free to message me if you want to talk about anything specific.
That sucks I’m sorry, but maybe think of it as a complement that they’re trusting such a junior person with more responsibilities.