What Is Wrong With Me?

[naomanos]

I have a good job with great benefits as it is a state job and they are hard to beat compared to most private jobs. Certainly better than any private job I have ever held.

The problem that I have is that it causes m so much anxiety and worry that I get physically ill. I have had to take days off because of it. So much so I was given a warning that I need to watch my hours because I have called out when I didn't have time to take.

I mentioned before that there are quotas that need to be met. We get leeway the first two months which I am still in. The quotas are 94 case clears and 500 notes written per month. The last I checked I had 69 clears and 370 something notes. That was from the start of February till the last say. Not enough to meet the monthly quota and get at least a 3 in an evaluation to keep my job.

Part of the problem is that the numbers are based call flexing. Call flexing is where you are supposed to call and touch as many cases as you can, at least 30, in the 3-4 hours that you call flex and they expect that the majority of your calls will be voicemails being left. I call about 16 and get over 50% of those calls to answer the phone. So, the majority of my calls are not just leaving voicemails for me. I'm also not getting the amount of clears that they want. Alot of the reason is that I end up on the phone talking to some of these taxpayers over 30 to 45 minutes trying to figure out what they did wrong or find the return and payment they did make, but they hadn't applied to the wrong tax period, etc.

You are supposed to also do research on the cases that you called, left voicemail for and they never get back to you. I have research a case since the beginning of February. I haven't had the time. I do get some callbacks where they leave me a voicemail, so I have to handle those. I also have to prepare field visit requests and property lien checklists or do demand to appears. So I am way behind on my research that I am supposed to be doing.

I have mentioned these things that I am struggling with and was told that I need to manage my time better and that others can make the quota. My fiance (she works for the same department just different service center) has said the others are only a few people and not the majority of the people. They are outliers compared to the rest who cannot meet quota. I mentioned the answer percentage that I have and they say that's good, but that I still need to make the quota.

Yes, I get leeway, but that leeway is almost up and I'm not close enough. I am worried about being let go. I'm worried about my fiance getting mad or disappointed if I lose this job. She has told me that she will be disappointed, but not in me. She will see it as a failure on the department and not on me because she knows I am doing my absolute best while I am there. I want to believe her, but it's hard to.

Back to the anxiety and worry. I don't know how to stop that from happening. I have hydroxyzine for anxiety, but it puts me to sleep and I cannot take it before I go to work or at work. I want to keep this job, but I am very worried I am going to lose it because I cannot make my quotas.

I don't know what to do.

 

[In Awe of Him]

I don't know what to do.

My heart broke as I read your post. How terrible that you have a job that causes you such stress and the feeling that you have to perform.
I imagine that this is a truer reality than just saying the words because if you are missing the mark more often than not... you are doubly plagued with the threat of being fired.

There is NOTHING good about this scenario. I definitely will be praying for you. I do not know what the answer is either... but I know the ONE who has the answer. God bless you... and I pray PEACE and COURAGE over you. All you can do is your best and if that is not good enough... God will provide something better for you.

 

[bobinfaith]

Hello naomanos;

Some time ago I began to pray for you when you were transitioning to gainful employment with the state. Can I ask you a couple of questions?

What exactly is your job description? You don't need to be detailed, please be brief.

What is leeway?

I've worked a couple of jobs based on quotas when I was in the accounting field. Your quotas for February were 69 clears and 370 notes written out of 94 case clears and 500 notes written per month. This is average and not bad for a new employee (during training or probation.)

The KEY to meeting quotas is time management. Your manager who told you, "you need to manage your time better and that others can make the quota" is not good coaching. The question is, how do you arrive at time management?

You need to develop a system at your desk that will help you time manage and arrive at your quota. Have your quota worksheet visible on your pc, have your pen and notepad readily available if you use one, calculator, etc...everything you need is at your fingertips to manage. The more you use your system the better you get.

Once you master time management regarding quotas, you will find yourself meeting your quotas before month end. I've been there.

You seem to be a social person, one who can sit and have a conversation over a cup of coffee. So start minimizing your conversations with your customers by managing your conversations - get to the core of why you're calling them. When they start to open up you learn and can tell if they're trying to reconcile their tax liability/credit, or if they're bringing in too much detailed, personal issues.

Help them arrive at the bottom line, always going forward, end the conversation and move on to the next call. Always mind the clock on your pc, cell phone or watch.

Chances of getting fired during probation with the state is slim unless you are extremely underqualified, compared to a private sector.

As a former manager and small business owner, many new employees are afraid of failing, others are afraid of succeeding. Once an new employee gets their foot in the door, do they have what it takes to remain, or when they succeed in their new job do they have what it takes to sustain that success?

Very important. Please pray for you new boss, that God will equip them with the ability to train and manage you so you will succeed.

No doubt God blessed you with your new job. Why would He take you this far only for you to fail? In other words, your new job is giving you the opportunity to represent Christ while you provide customer service and encourage the people you call.

Pray with your fiance over the transition in your new job. Jobs play a huge role in ministry. God uses His servants in the workplace to fill the need of the employer, your being a salt and light in the workplace uplifts your associates, customers and vendors.

I've got to scoot now and get ready for Church, naomanos. My wife and I will include you and your fiance in our prayers.

God bless you, brother.

Bob

 

[In Awe of Him]

bobinfaith You gave good advice and I reacted from the heart. Thank you for taking the time to post effective solutions.
BOB to the rescue.

 

[naomanos]

What exactly is your job description?

I'm a tax collector for the state.

What is leeway?

It means I get two months in order to get to where they want me to be.

Where my anxiety comes in as well is that they add onto your case load every week. I may have cleared 20 one week, but like last week, my case count went from 150 up to 250, which means I now have more and more calls that are getting backlogged that need research on them.

In training, we were told we have 40 days to figure out what to do with a case. I have cases that I haven't researched yet that are coming up on 30 days and some that are coming up on 40 days that I just sent a demand to appear to which puts them outside of the 40 days that they want.

I don't chat with people. I am always bringing them back the reason that I called when they start giving me their life story. It is just sometimes it takes a long time to figure out what's needed to reconcile the account. They sometimes turn into small projects because I have to send in a request for corrections which takes time or it needs a credit card payment and that takes 10-15 minutes to do those over the phone.

I do thank you for response and will keep what you said in mind and I am doing the best that I can. This is a new experience for never having done this type of work. The only thing that I have experience with in this job is dealing with people at their worst and the documenting of what was said and done. I very much still learning how to do the job.

 

[LearningToLetGo]

As you scan your workload, certainly some tasks will appear simpler than others. You may consider handling the simpler tasks separately from the complicated to help up your numbers. After all, a ten minute call counts the same as a one hour call, yes? This may help you feel more productive and give a better sense of accomplishment.

 

[naomanos]

As you scan your workload, certainly some tasks will appear simpler than others. You may consider handling the simpler tasks separately from the complicated to help up your numbers. After all, a ten minute call counts the same as a one hour call, yes? This may help you feel more productive and give a better sense of accomplishment.

I wish we could do that. When flex calling we are required to sort our list by high dollar amount and then by how long it has been in our list. We're not allowed to look into the account, just run a quick search on a website called Sunbiz to look for an officer of a corporation or a member of an LLC authorized to speak to us and then make the call.

We're not allowed to look for simple ones or even to prep ourselves to see what we're calling about before dialing the phone number.

 

[LearningToLetGo]

I'm sorry to hear that. At this point it'd best to ask your trainer how to increase your efficiency. If possible, also ask the higher performers for tips. Wishing you all the best.

 

[bobinfaith]

As you scan your workload, certainly some tasks will appear simpler than others. You may consider handling the simpler tasks separately from the complicated to help up your numbers. After all, a ten minute call counts the same as a one hour call, yes? This may help you feel more productive and give a better sense of accomplishment.

I wish we could do that. When flex calling we are required to sort our list by high dollar amount and then by how long it has been in our list. We're not allowed to look into the account, just run a quick search on a website called Sunbiz to look for an officer of a corporation or a member of an LLC authorized to speak to us and then make the call. We're not allowed to look for simple ones or even to prep ourselves to see what we're calling about before dialing the phone number.

Hello LearningToLetGo and naomanos;

From reading your posts it made me think of a personal experience in 2007 my wife and I had with our tax return. We ended up owing a large sum of money.

I always regarded the IRS representatives as ruthless human beings. So I made the call surrendering myself and liability to the rep. I expressed that I wanted to make monthly payments until the liability was paid down. To my surprise the rep was very nice and helped me set up a "log on site" payment plan.

My phone call was unusual (the taxpayer making the call) but it was productive for both parties and I didn't have to spend a lot of time reconciling. The final monthly payment was made and the penalties and interest was only pennies a month, seriously.

I learned that day that the IRS representatives are just human beings doing their job.

God bless you, brothers.

 

[naomanos]

I spoke with my direct supervisor yesterday. And explained my difficulties.

She said that if I can just research 3 - 5 accounts a day after call flex, that's fine. She said the 40 day thing is not really a thing anymore because of the amount of cases we get. At some point I will be given 500 - 600 cases to manage. She said there's no way to do the 40 day limit with that many cases.

So that makes me feel a little better.

 

[Major]

I spoke with my direct supervisor yesterday. And explained my difficulties.

She said that if I can just research 3 - 5 accounts a day after call flex, that's fine. She said the 40 day thing is not really a thing anymore because of the amount of cases we get. At some point I will be given 500 - 600 cases to manage. She said there's no way to do the 40 day limit with that many cases.

So that makes me feel a little better.

My dear brother.

Listen to advice from one who has been there.

Go talk to your Primary care Doctor. There are lots and lots of medications for exactly what you have described!

 

[naomanos]

My dear brother.

Listen to advice from one who has been there.

Go talk to your Primary care Doctor. There are lots and lots of medications for exactly what you have described!

I have talked with him. I was put on hydroxyzine as I mentioned in my post. I take it as needed, but not when I go to work as it puts me to sleep.

I don't use it often as I don't have anxiety all the time. I was given 10 pills at the beginning of December and I have six left as of today.

I just get worried and have anxiety about my job because I don't want to lose it. It's a really good job and I don't feel like I will find another one that can match the benefits package and such. I've never paid this little for health insurance before. Paying this little is helping me out financially. The $180 I pay is a far cry from the $802 that I used to pay per month. This alone is reason enough to not want to lose the job.

 

[Major]

I have talked with him. I was put on hydroxyzine as I mentioned in my post. I take it as needed, but not when I go to work as it puts me to sleep.

I don't use it often as I don't have anxiety all the time. I was given 10 pills at the beginning of December and I have six left as of today.

I just get worried and have anxiety about my job because I don't want to lose it. It's a really good job and I don't feel like I will find another one that can match the benefits package and such. I've never paid this little for health insurance before. Paying this little is helping me out financially. The $180 I pay is a far cry from the $802 that I used to pay per month. This alone is reason enough to not want to lose the job.

Brother........Hydroxyzine is an antihistamine that is commonly used to treat allergies and also sometimes used for anxiety disorders.

It may not be the best option for everyone. While hydroxyzine works for some people, others may find that it does not provide adequate relief from their symptoms and from what you have said that seems to be your case. If you’re trying to find an alternative to hydroxyzine, there are several options available such as Buspirone and Venlafaxine.

 

[naomanos]

Brother........Hydroxyzine is an antihistamine that is commonly used to treat allergies and also sometimes used for anxiety disorders.

It may not be the best option for everyone. While hydroxyzine works for some people, others may find that it does not provide adequate relief from their symptoms and from what you have said that seems to be your case. If you’re trying to find an alternative to hydroxyzine, there are several options available such as Buspirone and Venlafaxine.

He was trying me on the hydroxyzine before putting me on more "hardcore" drugs. I also do not take it daily or even as much as once a week. I don't take it unless I absolutely have to and not when I go to work. When I have taken it, I noticed improvements in my anxiety. I just cannot take it every day.

As I stated, I don't have this all the time. After I talked to my supervisor the other day, I feel better about things.

Am I still worried that I will be fired because I'm not doing well enough, yep! That is most people that I know. I have never done this work before, so I feel extra pressure.

I thank you for your concern. If I feel I need something stronger I will talk with my doctor.

 

[bobinfaith]

I spoke with my direct supervisor yesterday. And explained my difficulties. She said that if I can just research 3 - 5 accounts a day after call flex, that's fine. She said the 40 day thing is not really a thing anymore because of the amount of cases we get. At some point I will be given 500 - 600 cases to manage. She said there's no way to do the 40 day limit with that many cases. So that makes me feel a little better.

Hello naomanos;

I have all the faith you will pass the leeway and be with the State for the long run.

Hang in there and allow the fear to process it's way out as you become more knowledgeable in your new job.

God bless you, naomanos.

Bob

 

[Musicmaster]

I have a good job with great benefits as it is a state job and they are hard to beat compared to most private jobs. Certainly better than any private job I have ever held.

The problem that I have is that it causes m so much anxiety and worry that I get physically ill. I have had to take days off because of it. So much so I was given a warning that I need to watch my hours because I have called out when I didn't have time to take.

I mentioned before that there are quotas that need to be met. We get leeway the first two months which I am still in. The quotas are 94 case clears and 500 notes written per month. The last I checked I had 69 clears and 370 something notes. That was from the start of February till the last say. Not enough to meet the monthly quota and get at least a 3 in an evaluation to keep my job.

Part of the problem is that the numbers are based call flexing. Call flexing is where you are supposed to call and touch as many cases as you can, at least 30, in the 3-4 hours that you call flex and they expect that the majority of your calls will be voicemails being left. I call about 16 and get over 50% of those calls to answer the phone. So, the majority of my calls are not just leaving voicemails for me. I'm also not getting the amount of clears that they want. Alot of the reason is that I end up on the phone talking to some of these taxpayers over 30 to 45 minutes trying to figure out what they did wrong or find the return and payment they did make, but they hadn't applied to the wrong tax period, etc.

You are supposed to also do research on the cases that you called, left voicemail for and they never get back to you. I have research a case since the beginning of February. I haven't had the time. I do get some callbacks where they leave me a voicemail, so I have to handle those. I also have to prepare field visit requests and property lien checklists or do demand to appears. So I am way behind on my research that I am supposed to be doing.

I have mentioned these things that I am struggling with and was told that I need to manage my time better and that others can make the quota. My fiance (she works for the same department just different service center) has said the others are only a few people and not the majority of the people. They are outliers compared to the rest who cannot meet quota. I mentioned the answer percentage that I have and they say that's good, but that I still need to make the quota.

Yes, I get leeway, but that leeway is almost up and I'm not close enough. I am worried about being let go. I'm worried about my fiance getting mad or disappointed if I lose this job. She has told me that she will be disappointed, but not in me. She will see it as a failure on the department and not on me because she knows I am doing my absolute best while I am there. I want to believe her, but it's hard to.

Back to the anxiety and worry. I don't know how to stop that from happening. I have hydroxyzine for anxiety, but it puts me to sleep and I cannot take it before I go to work or at work. I want to keep this job, but I am very worried I am going to lose it because I cannot make my quotas.

I don't know what to do.

This brought back to my mind how operations like that operate. What they are doing, when setting mostly impossible quotas, it's simply a tool they use as a driving force for goal-setting. Your wife is likely very correct, in that most of the people in your org are not performing at that level, and those who are may likely NOT be cranking out the quality results that they otherwise might if only they focused more on quality outcome rather than quota numbers.

The bottom line is that you are meeting numbers out as results, and they ads close to the prescribed quota values. What matters most is, are you working as unto the Lord in your performance? Remember that the Lord honors that, and He will shield you with His mighty wings (Psalm 91), or He will move you on to somewhere else He may desire for you to be. Trust and obey, for there is no other way...

Let His peace, which passes all understanding, so fill you and your every day. Stress only pushes one to mistakes and error. Be at peace in your Lord.

MM

 

[bobinfaith]

This brought back to my mind how operations like that operate. What they are doing, when setting mostly impossible quotas, it's simply a tool they use as a driving force for goal-setting. Your wife is likely very correct, in that most of the people in your org are not performing at that level, and those who are may likely NOT be cranking out the quality results that they otherwise might if only they focused more on quality outcome rather than quota numbers. The bottom line is that you are meeting numbers out as results, and they ads close to the prescribed quota values. What matters most is, are you working as unto the Lord in your performance? Remember that the Lord honors that, and He will shield you with His mighty wings (Psalm 91), or He will move you on to somewhere else He may desire for you to be. Trust and obey, for there is no other way...Let His peace, which passes all understanding, so fill you and your every day. Stress only pushes one to mistakes and error. Be at peace in your Lord.
MM

Good morning, Musicmaster;

Well said, brother. What you wrote should encourage naomanos, but it also blessed me.

God bless you, MM, and thank you.

Bob