How to Deal with the Fast-paced Work and High Pressure as a Newcomer in the Workplace?

Nov 18, 2023 workplace-psychology, occupational-burnout, workplace-challenges

How to rearrange work time for new employees

I’m not sure how many college students are using schedule apps these days.

I still remember one thing I used to do at the beginning of each semester in college, which was to enter my study schedule into an app and then arrange my gaming and studying time based on the schedule.

Except for the second semester of my senior year, the first three and a half years were basically determined by this schedule.

This actually reflects a characteristic rhythm of college life: certainty is greater than uncertainty.

This is easy to understand, after all, courses and teachers are already arranged in advance, so there is basically no situation like the PE or art teacher being absent, and those classes being replaced by Chinese or math classes.

However, this characteristic undergoes a huge change when entering the workplace:

The uncertainty of workplace work is far greater than certainty.

Tasks assigned by your boss at the last minute can disrupt your plans; various unexpected issues during work may require you to handle them urgently; suddenly, there are several additional requirements from clients that need to be met urgently…

Gradually, you realize that there are no fixed “courses” in the workplace anymore, and there is nothing that is 100% certain.

I think the “newcomers” described in the title are probably in a stage where the sudden increase in uncertainty has impacted their mentality.

This is normal because everyone needs an adaptation period when facing changes; there is nothing particularly abnormal about it.

So, how to solve this problem? I think the method is actually quite simple for new employees: use a “schedule” again.

Of course, this “schedule” is no longer the content found in schedule apps, but rather things like work calendars in Dingtalk, WeChat Work, or Feishu.

The specific operation is very simple. Set up a schedule in advance for the things you need to do next, such as the time of a certain meeting; arrange a time to consult someone for a certain matter in advance, and so on.

There are also various to-do list functions. I won’t go into detail about the specific operations. They are all similar among different platforms, and I believe young people nowadays can figure them out easily after playing around for a few minutes. (The main reason I won’t provide a detailed review is that I haven’t been paid. Writing about this stuff is too tiring. I’ll do a more detailed product evaluation when someone approaches me.)

Readers may have a question at this point: Didn’t you say that most things are uncertain? Are you suggesting that by writing these things in the schedule, they become certain?

Of course not. Scheduling conflicts are normal, and it’s also normal for a scheduled meeting to be interrupted by another matter.

However, making advance arrangements for work time can help you prioritize your work and manage your work expectations more effectively.

Here, I would like to introduce an important concept from the book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” regarding prioritizing tasks: “First Things First,” which involves categorizing different tasks based on their importance and urgency.

In simple terms, it means immediately doing tasks that are important and urgent, doing more tasks that are important but not urgent, occasionally doing tasks that are urgent but not important, and avoiding doing tasks that are neither important nor urgent as much as possible.

I won’t go into detail about the specific ways to differentiate between tasks. I strongly recommend that new employees read “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”

That’s all.

In essence, workplace-related questions are quite similar. I’ve written answers to two similar questions before. If readers are interested, they can refer to them.

In today’s society, there is less and less that can be changed through hard work, and the changes that education can bring are becoming smaller and smaller. Some things are not available to you now and will hardly be available in the future.

We often joke about our bosses promising things to their employees, but have we ever thought about how our parents/teachers/media… are also promising things that are out of reach to young children?

I believe that the root cause of the phenomenon of young people “lying flat” and “slacking off” is the expectations imposed on children by Chinese parents and the media. As their dreams shatter with these expectations, young people see through the true nature of society. The parents paint a beautiful fairy tale for them, but the real world is so cruel that no matter what, they cannot avoid being mercilessly beaten by society. Rather than futile resistance, it is better to lie flat and slack off.

When we were children, our parents and teachers often asked us what we wanted to be when we grow up. We would answer: “scientist, actor/actress, doctor, lawyer, teacher…” These were all high-status professions that our parents instilled in us. To put it in fashionable terms, these were the top-tier professions in the job market, and only a few extremely talented children could climb to these positions. The vast majority of children are just ordinary. It seems that we have never heard a child say they want to be a cleaner, nanny, salesperson, waiter/waitress, customer service representative, driver, hairdresser…

The reality is that once these children enter society, 80% of them end up as delivery drivers, couriers, restaurant servers, unloaders, salespeople, shop assistants; and the remaining 20% enter the workforce as office clerks, various administrative assistants, technical personnel, which may seem glamorous on the surface, but the actual life is not optimistic.

Parents and teachers say that we need to give our children dreams, but I want to say that dreams are within reach, while delusions are not. Dreams can be realized, through college entrance exam planning and career planning, a certain percentage of people can ultimately achieve their life dreams, at least with some chances of success.

In short, we were instilled with the lifestyle at the top of the social pyramid from a young age. During the growth of children, we have exhausted our abilities and resources to provide them with a life they should not have, a lifestyle that compares to the rich: the best food, the best things, the best clothes; we would rather go hungry than treat our children poorly.

Parents are like housekeepers for their children, taking care of them and not requiring them to do housework, laundry, cooking… as long as they study well and complete their homework. Once the children enter independent life in society, it’s like the fall of the Qing Dynasty, suddenly losing servants. They used to receive everything without lifting a finger, but now they need to do everything themselves, and suddenly lose their sense of happiness.

Parents who were born and raised in an era of material scarcity had low desires, and their threshold for happiness was also low, so it was easy for them to feel happy. I could make a meal with just a green onion and a dish of soy sauce, but our children cannot accept this kind of life. They would rather go hungry than eat such a meal.

Parents have had illusions. We cannot accept our children’s mediocrity. We assume that as long as they get into college, they will have a bright future. Education can change their destiny and achieve upward mobility. Investing in quality education far exceeds the investment in vocational education. We make our children learn drawing, calligraphy, musical instruments, dance… these can only be hobbies that cultivate their character, but provide no competitive skills for their future careers. Of course, these skills can be used to show off at company annual events. If we spent this money on vocational skills education, it would add many points in the workplace.

The children have also had illusions, thinking that the fairy tale world told by their parents is the real world, and they are confident in their future. Until they leave the campus and enter society, they realize that what they want is “life”, and they can only satisfy their “existence” in the real world. But they are not content, unwilling to admit reality, and being the only child in the family has led them to develop many bad habits, such as being pampered, unable to endure hardship…

The media has painted a picture of life for young people: an average monthly salary of over ten thousand, a standard luxury house, commuting by car, matching handsome men with beautiful women, having money to spend recklessly.

The children who enter society become part of the “bottom illusion layer”, falling from the illusory high-status life to the lower class of society. They have to run around for their lives and as time goes by, they find that the future is no longer clear, becoming particularly blurry, and their dreams seem to become more distant. The family has already exhausted all resources to nurture them, and there is no more support for their lives.

Misunderstanding of Education

Are you, college student, starting to feel proud when society calls you a talent?

The mechanism of educational elimination does not eliminate children, but eliminates parents who lack an understanding and comprehension of education.

Many parents and even educators have a wrong understanding of education. In essence, modern education is about imparting non-physical labor skills. By mastering these non-physical labor skills, one can enter an office and engage in specialized work, thereby escaping the working environment of facing the ground, back facing the sky, and being exposed to wind, sun, and rain. That’s all!

No matter what kind of work one does, it can generally be divided into two categories: repetitive work and creative work. The salary level depends on the scarcity and irreplaceability of the position, as well as the value created for the country/society/business.

Creative work requires talent, and those who possess such talent are worthy of being called “talents”. Only by engaging in creative work can social mobility be achieved.

Repetitive work can be done by both physical and non-physical laborers through mass production. Physical laborers can do the work after an apprenticeship, and knowledge workers can do the work as long as they meet the educational requirements. Those engaged in repetitive work cannot be called talents; I believe they should be referred to as “consumables”.

Don’t think that having a doctoral degree makes you a talent. You are just a high-education tool-wielder, no different from ordinary workers.

Physical laborers operate excavators, electric screwdrivers, angle grinders, and welding machines; you operate sequencers, synthesizers, centrifuges, spectrometers, and spectrophotometers. The difference lies in the tools used.

Both types of work are about completing assigned tasks and require performance assessments. A contractor assigns tasks to migrant workers, and a research and development supervisor assigns tasks to advanced workers.

The work done by tool-wielders does not possess “scarcity” and “irreplaceability”. Countless college students join the ranks of tool-wielders every year; if you don’t do it, someone else will. Advanced workers are not creating value; they are selling their time for surplus value, not fundamentally different from physical laborers.

Only “talents” can create value for society and businesses! “Consumables” are just expendable products in the process of societal development.

Graduating senior year, full of aspirations: ideal job offer with a monthly salary of over ten thousand; comprehensive social insurance and benefits; weekends off and on-time departure from work. Navigating the workplace, giving guidance: printing resumes, dressing professionally; crowded job fairs; sending resumes, but no one reads them. Priority given to sales in job selection; feeling dejected until the end; campus recruitment is over, and the Lunar New Year is around the corner; after the Spring Festival, it’s time for spring recruitment. How much salary is determined by you; social insurance and benefits are on you; working on weekends is non-negotiable; working hard, finally signing the contract. Getting a certificate and taking photos, leaving campus; renting a house with a four-thousand-yuan deposit; it’s really helpless, parents need to send money; handling entry procedures, with a monthly salary of three thousand. Just arrived, working overtime every day; as for expenses, I don’t dare to mention; working hard every day, another Lunar New Year; living frugally, saving up two thousand. After buying the train ticket, running out of money; returning home, family is happy; parents are getting older, their worries evident; a five-hundred-yuan red envelope puts a smile on their faces. Staying at home during the Spring Festival, avoiding going out; having conversations with acquaintances, what to talk about; worried parents express their concerns indirectly; how’s the girlfriend, how’s life changed. Sighing deeply, filled with bitterness; I feel ashamed of my parents; supporting myself has become difficult; impeding others, how can I have peace of mind. Don’t worry, just wait until next year; looking at each other quietly, looking up at the sky; the Spring Festival is over, returning to work; day after day, year after year. Salary increase is too slow; tall buildings everywhere, what does it have to do with me; life is difficult, times are tough. I hate the original poster, asking incessantly; your eyes, why are they listless; the source is from Zhihu, author unknown.

In my opinion, the current Chinese workplace is more like the relationship between pets and their owners. The recruitment and job hunting process is akin to buying a pet.

Fresh university graduates are like the puppies displayed in a pet shop window. The graduates from prestigious universities are purebred, while others are mixed breeds. Nonetheless, they are all priced and sold.

Job seekers at the age of 35 are like stray cats and dogs looking for owners. If you cannot make the owner happy (create value for the company), or your upkeep (salary) is relatively high (dog food), or you are already old (35 years old), you will be heartlessly abandoned, left to roam as a stray in society, like a homeless dog, waiting for the next owner to pick you.

Some owners prefer pleasing cats that are obedient and well-behaved (submissive and easy to manage). Others prefer loyal dogs that will bite when told to (have the ability to execute tasks). And there are some owners with peculiar preferences who only like female dogs.

Job seekers who cater to the preferences of the owner are more likely to find employment. Their skills (abilities) to guard the house or catch mice are not important. Being obedient, well-behaved, submissive, and having strong execution abilities are more important.

What is happiness?

Above desire is pain, below desire is happiness.

Pain
---------- Desire ---------- 
           Happiness

Therefore, many people achieve happiness by reducing their desire. This is the most direct way, but the desire cannot be infinitely reduced.

Desire
---------- Survival ----------
           Living

Below desire is “survival,” and below survival is “living.” For many people, accepting a low-paying job is not about reducing desire, but about survival.

Desire allows people to maintain happiness. By lowering the value of desire through compromise, one will eventually fall into the valley of despair.

Only by constantly challenging oneself and increasing the value of desire can one continuously experience a sense of happiness.

The former mindset belongs to the poor; the latter mindset belongs to the rich.

Improving work efficiency and accumulating experience

The company won’t wait for you. If you work slowly and slow down everyone’s efficiency, you will naturally be “trained” by your superiors. If you are emotionally fragile, then you can only stay at home.

In the company, the goal is to produce results and sell these results to clients. This is the only way we can receive salaries. Sometimes, if the company’s efficiency is low, projects will be taken away by other companies. Therefore, efficiency is the foundation for the company’s survival, and quality is the guarantee for the company’s survival.

If you can’t keep up with the company’s pace, you need to find a way to catch up. If not, you will be eliminated, and there are plenty of people waiting for jobs outside. If you want to stay in the company, then you need to find a way to keep up with the company’s pace.

If you lack experience, then make up for it through hard work. If you don’t understand something and want to commute like the experienced employees, unless the company is owned by your family.

As a newcomer, without experience, you need to accumulate it. As long as you are diligent in summarizing and good at learning, you should be able to understand your job within three months.

So, how do you summarize?

You must prepare a work notebook for yourself. What work did you do each day? What work do you not understand? How does your superior handle it? Take notes on everything, and then summarize it in the evenings when the experienced colleagues have left for the day. If this task were given to you, how would you handle it? Compare your methods with those of your superior one by one, and you will gradually understand your job.

I remember when I first started working, it was like climbing three steps in one stride. I would run up the stairs. When my superiors assigned me tasks, I would handle them as soon as possible. The more tasks I handled, the more I understood. And the more I understood, the more opportunities I had for promotion. When you start working, you have the passion for it. Only when you put in the effort will you see results. If you keep worrying about what your superiors will assign you, and you do less, naturally you will understand less, because you are just starting out.

Young people have the passion for it. If you give it your all, only then will you have peace of mind. You won’t be anxious, even if you have to switch jobs. If you have such ability, do you still need to build psychological resilience every day when going to work?

How to Deal with Workplace Stress

Don’t get entangled in the emotions caused by stress. The key to overcoming negative emotions is to understand their causes.

For young people, they should be able to adapt to a fast-paced environment.

From a psychological perspective, the lack of control over things is the fundamental cause of feeling stressed.

As a new employee in the workplace, entering a completely new environment filled with uncertainties can make one feel a lack of control.

1. Being surrounded by unfamiliar people

Colleagues in the workplace vary in age, experience, and background, making it difficult to navigate interpersonal relationships and not as easy as during the student days.

2. Feeling uncertain about many work-related factors

During student days, it was clear what to study today, tomorrow, and next year. How many credits I had and whether I would graduate with a diploma and degree certificate were known in advance.

Everything changes once entering the workplace. Just when you get familiar with your current job, will there be new assignments tomorrow? Will the colleagues above and below me cooperate smoothly? Will my work be recognized by the supervisors? Can I be converted to a regular employee as scheduled? Is promotion and salary increase possible? There are too many uncertainties, which intensify the sense of pressure.

How should one deal with it?

1. Don’t rush to success, accept being a “newbie”

As a newcomer in the workplace, it’s difficult to start off perfectly. Accepting oneself as a novice, maintaining a calm mindset, and reducing self-blame and complaints.

Every newcomer goes through a gradual process of maturing and growing. Give yourself some time and space to learn, adapt, make mistakes, and explore.

A beautifully crafted sculpture requires countless cuts and strikes to take shape.

2. Maintain curiosity

Curiosity is the catalyst for growth.

Don’t just focus on immediate success or failure, pay more attention to significant matters related to personal growth, such as company management, processes, goals, assessments, and promotion mechanisms. Take the initiative to understand, ask questions, and comprehend. This way, the road ahead gradually becomes clear.

Pay less attention to gossip between colleagues and learn more from the successful and failed experiences of senior colleagues to gain experience and insights.

Next, it is time to explore oneself. Review one’s own work and growth experiences, identify strengths, and acknowledge weaknesses. Consider: “How should I proceed and what goals should I aim for on the path ahead?”

3. Express your own demands

In the workplace, unlike in school where teachers are dedicated to teaching and clarifying doubts, everyone is busy with their own tasks, and few people proactively offer help.

Precisely because of this, if there are unclear aspects of the work, it is important to speak up and express your demands, actively seeking assistance.

If one’s questions and demands are not expressed, it can lead to difficulties in work handovers, and colleagues may think you are deliberately creating problems.

Regarding company management, processes, assessments, promotion mechanisms, as well as work goals, requirements, and methods specific to one’s position, it is essential to speak up if there are areas that are not yet understood. If there are deviations in the work, the leader might assume that you are not putting in enough effort.

By speaking up about the things that are not understood and seeking help, one can learn and improve, gradually enhancing the sense of control over their work.

(Follow me for more workplace tips and insights; If you found this helpful, please like and provide feedback; If you have any questions, please leave a comment or send a direct message)

#Roundtable: Workplace Employees, is Your Mind Clouded?