Hi All,
I work in healthcare (4 years) and just started a new job in diabetes (I have my CDE but have not done a lot of complex care). I LOVED my old job but the workplace was toxic and my manager was a bit of a micromanager.
My new job of 1 week is overwhelming and so different and I've been having anxiety attacks every day about it. I even asked for my old job back but it's been radio silence (I was a great worker and left on good terms).
I'm part-time working from home (new to me), haven't met the team yet, and can hardly eat, sleep, move, let alone work. I have never felt like this about a new job and I'm so lost. My family has been very supportive but I feel so lost and alone. I have a bad feeling I made a huge mistake.
Struggling with how to move forward.
Oof. This sounds rough and I'm so sorry you're feeling this way.
Two things I assume are two:
That said, clearly and concisely asking for what you need might be the best way to handle this. It may sound something like this email to your manager:
"Hey Manager,
It's been about a week since I joined, and I wanted to check in to see how you're feeling about things. I'm really excited about the work that we're doing here at [Company Name] and I'm eager to continue my onboarding over the next few days and weeks.
In the spirit of clarity and making sure I'm delivering my best for you and the team, there's a few ideas/questions I have that I'd love to talk through with you.
Clear goals for the next 3-5 weeks | I'd love to pick your brain to understand what the key deliverables are that you need from me in the next few weeks. I never want to assume what is most important to you, so hearing from you what I should be focusing on would be super helpful.
A format for questions | I'd love to know how you prefer to answer questions that pop up from me. Should I keep a running list that we review all at once in our 1x1's, or should I just shoot you a direct message or email when a question pops up?
Team interactions | I'm excited to get to know the team and see how I can support them. Is there a team meeting or group chat that already exists that I could join?
Thanks in advance for your support here. I really appreciate it!"
Of course, you can modify that in any way you see fit, but I always recommend starting from a place of assuming good intent AND framing things in a way that makes it feel like you're trying to do the right thing by the company. This can really help put a manager/leader (esp inexperienced ones like you may have in this case) at ease and make them much more receptive to leaning in to support you.
Rooting for you!
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