Employment Advice Column: Dealing With New Employee Stress

Dear Joanna,

I am happy to report that I started a new job as a purchasing assistant this week and even though I have a job coach from Reena’s Channels program, I am still very nervous and uptight about being in a new place and new on the job! All the staff are welcoming and nice to me but I still feel like a stranger in a strange land. Please can you help me be less overwhelmed at my new job.

Signed: Overwhelmed

Dear O,

It’s normal that you feel anxious about starting a new job but you don’t want to let this stress get in your way of being a fantastic employee.  I consulted with Reena’s  job coaches as well as some resources online and would like to share the following tips that could help you with new employee stress:

1. You are not in a competition. If you are feeling unsure about your skills and being able to learn and perform the tasks of your job compared to others in your team, remember that you did get the job offer. The employer wants you for your skills and experience. You have earned the job offer and you don’t need to prove anything to the employer. You just need to focus on learning the tasks, asking your job coach for help as well as making sure your boss knows what you have completed at the end of the day.
2. Show that you love to learn and are teachable. Demonstrate to your employer that you enjoy learning new tasks and new skills and you are not afraid to admit when you don’t know something or you did something wrong – but always like to learn from your mistakes. If you need extra time to learn a task, try to figure it out with your job coach and perhaps there is a video or youtube training on this. Check it out on google.
3. Showing up / Being present. Research demonstrates that being reliable, responsible and punctual is one part of success as a new employee but showing up also means listening, seeing, observing and following instructions. Being in the moment rather than thinking about your stress of what you can’t do.
4. You don’t have to be perfect! Focus on the positives – what you are learning, how you are learning from your mistakes, and taking notes of your progress on the job week to week. Set realistic milestones or goals for yourself. You can ask your job coach and employer to help with that. For example, if your boss wants you to enter in 100 suppliers into the company software database per week, then definitely work towards this. Progress could mean reaching these goals or learning a couple of functions in the new database software and being able to use these skills with ease. Measure your progress in small bits – bit by bits! You still need to learn the rules of the company. You are not perfect and you cannot expect perfection.

I hope these guidelines can help you be less overwhelmed and stressed at your new job and enjoy the journey to be a superstar employee!

Joanna

To submit your questions and comments to this column IN CONFIDENCE, please email jsamuels@reena.org