So slow at work, how on earth do I explain this?

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Bloor
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So slow at work, how on earth do I explain this?

Post by Bloor »

Hello,

Could really do with some advice from you lovely people or even some kind words at this point.

So I work at a boarding kennel which i love (getting paid to cuddle doggos! Living the dream!) but I have a huge problem with being slow and lagging behind my colleagues with the cleaning and organising side of things. I am seeing lots of great advice about time management on here which has been very helpful in other areas of my life but I am stumped as to how to speed up in the physical side of things.I literally don't think I can go any faster and if I can I have no idea how. The first review just came up and it was...not flattering to say the least. I am slightly terrified as the minimum wage here has just gone up quite a bit and so many companies are getting rid of "the dead wood" and I reckon i'll be one of the first if not THE first to go on the bonfire of unemployment.

I did bring up my various problems (I have a few health problems such as arthritis and have recently had a few bouts of pneumonia) and
brought up my dyspraxia. My boss just looked confused and asked "what's that?". I tried to explain it but after mumbling a few sentences about coordination and poor memory I just sort of trailed off when I realised how much it looked like I was making "excuses". Am I making excuses? I tried to explain that dyspraxia was the reason I was slow not an excuse for the slowness. But I can't explain why I'm slow, I've read up about dyspraxia and "executive function" etc but I don't really understand why i'm slower than everyone else. Maybe it's nothing to do with the dyspraxia maybe I am just slow? It's got to the point where I am literally running instead of walking when cleaning, and doing everything at an uncomfortable speed which has just been great on my poor creaky knee. Thanks to this my already accident prone self has been getting into more scrapes such as some nice gross scars on my arm from an accident with some bleach. (Don't worry the dogs are nowhere near when i am being a clumsy hurricane of chaotic cleaning, I would NEVER put them in danger...just my self apparently.) Yet despite my frantic efforts to better my time I am still WAY behind my colleagues and I am utterly bewildered as to how.

I was hoping for some advice on what I could tell my boss/supervisors/co-workers so they don't just think i'm being lazy/slacking off. I can't put it into words and when I try I get unimpressed looks and the general feeling that i'm making excuses.

Thanks for any advice!
allesandro
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Re: So slow at work, how on earth do I explain this?

Post by allesandro »

I too am quite slow at performing tasks and as I understand that's common with dyspraxia. Try to assess the various components of your job from start to finish. If you can separate them and compartmentalize them on paper. Do a time study to obtain a baseline of how long it takes you to complete these tasks. Then try to assess what it is that thwarts quicker performance and completion. For instance, if you are thinking of other things while you are physically working write that down. If physical pain slows you down, write that down. If negative thinking or anxiety slows you down write that down. Then you must try to incrementally decrease the things that slow you down by slowly weaning yourself from the habit of engaging in them. You should also attempt to incrementally increase your ability to work more quickly as you decrease your engagement in things that may divert focus from engaging in the task at hand. Keep a record of your baselines, give yourself reasonable and slowly increasing incremental goals for increasing efficiency and when you have demonstrated for at least a week that you have made improvements, then increase the efficiency goal by decreasing the time allotment for each task. This is called behavioral shaping by increasing on task behavior. This will require constant adjustments and 'tweeking' if you have questions please feel free to pm me.
Tom fod
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Re: So slow at work, how on earth do I explain this?

Post by Tom fod »

It is a really difficult condition to explain and many of the examples are things everybody typically does from time to time difficulty being it's tends to be more the rule than the exception. The other annoyance is that many consider it to be a condition you should 'grow out of'

The Dyspraxia Foundation website is quite good and there are videos on You Tube that are helpful too. We're all affected to different degrees and have varying degrees of ability to cope from day to day.

How to Disclose to an employer is something that is asked often and part of the difficulty is it is you have to bare your soul and the fear of not being believed or accepted makes it all the more difficult.

Don't let anyone brand you a slacker! You'll find you have to work harder at things which can be both frustrating and demoralising.
Tom
Moderator/Administrator

With a foot full of bullets I tried to run faster but I just hobbled on to the next disaster.
(from Peter and the Test Tube Babies, Foot Full of Bullets)
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