I am Human

 

The past three weeks were tremendously stressful. I inherited many cases with unresolved issues and needing pressing responses, countless tasks, and meetings required two to three times a day. To get these tasks completed promptly would require the assistance of more than one person. Also, with the amount of attention needed on this one case, it would be impossible to focus on or complete tasks for any other assigned clients.

Without giving any specific information on this case, it involved stabilizing housing, addressing violent behaviors, mental health issues, and countless meetings and paperwork. There are years of history on this case that one person could not review in three weeks. However, I was expected to know the case history in a short amount of time and also resolve the immediate concerns with little to no support.

I felt neglected and that I was being set up for failure. We call it being "Dumped on."   When a worker gets overwhelmed and is victim to the department's demands, it can cause burnout. It is a cycle. As a result, workers either quit or go on leave. In most cases, a social worker leaves for the following reasons: high caseloads, complicated issues with limited resources, lack of support from management, social workers being violently threatened by clients, and extreme demands from leadership, among other reasons.

Over the past three weeks, I could not come up for air, so to speak. I received numerous emails and phone calls regarding this one case. Everyone wanted something from me, including answers that I could not address because I was only recently assigned the case.  

I asked my manager to throw out a lifeline. I explained that there were many immediate needs to be addressed, some beyond my current skill level. For example, I have worked in a specialized unit for almost a decade. However, these newly assigned cases required skills that I am no longer familiar. There has also been a lot of updated procedures for the different task. The response I received was that I basically needed to learn quickly to get the job done.

I became emotionally fatigued, experienced terrible headaches, and felt no sense of accomplishment. They did not consider the fact that I am a single person: a human. I was expected to work non-stop, without error or support. . . like a computer.

Ultimately, this case remains unresolved despite all of my efforts and the stress I endured.