Hi everyone,
I have stumbled upon this forum in an attempt to finally pinpoint what has been making my work life so difficult. I have been struggling with my organisation, time management and general performance at work since I was promoted to manager two years ago and I feel at such a loss. I can tell that my line manager is getting fed up with me and we have already had several conversations about my performance.
I was diagnosed with dyspraxia at 17 and always received support during school and university, but never felt that my dyspraxia held me back “that much” until starting work!
I started off as a hotel receptionist, I was a high performer and got promoted to supervisor within a few months. Within a year and a half I was promoted again to my current job as hotel manager at the age of 23. I felt very proud of my achievement and never once thought I would struggle like I have in this role.
Even two years in, I still feel completely disorganised and overwhelmed with my task lists, I often forget to do important tasks, will take months to complete a task that should take several minutes, struggle to remember HR processes, mess up things that I have been shown how to do a million times. On top of that I feel like my team members and my boss think of me as incompetent and thick. As someone who has always been a high performer it is so frustrating and embarrassing to constantly feel like I just cannot do my job correctly.
Despite trying to get to the bottom of why I feel like this for the last two years, I had fallen into the trap of believing that I was just lazy or a bit “thick”. It wasn’t until today that I was yet again brought to tears by a stupid mistake I had made, that I considered maybe my dyspraxia has something to do with this.
Coming to this form and reading all your similar experiences has truly made me feel that I am not alone! And that maybe there is a reason why I am struggling so much.
Has anyone else experienced this, and have you managed to make progress in your workplaces? I would honestly take any advice at this point.
Thank you! <3
Dyspraxia ruining my success at work??
Moderator: Moderator Team
Re: Dyspraxia ruining my success at work??
Hi Ellie
Sorry to not be welcoming you under better circumstances
You're not thick or lazy. You're clearly overwhelmed and I've certainly been there in my Administrative roles.
When you've had your performance chats with your line manager has support been mentioned. What are your employer's policies towards disability/neurodiversity like? Remember this is an explanation not an excuse.
What are you able to delegate to colleagues
Do.you need and can you access any additional training?
You clearly showed potential to have been promoted and I believe you can with help turn things back to where you were.
Sorry to not be welcoming you under better circumstances
You're not thick or lazy. You're clearly overwhelmed and I've certainly been there in my Administrative roles.
When you've had your performance chats with your line manager has support been mentioned. What are your employer's policies towards disability/neurodiversity like? Remember this is an explanation not an excuse.
What are you able to delegate to colleagues
Do.you need and can you access any additional training?
You clearly showed potential to have been promoted and I believe you can with help turn things back to where you were.
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)
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)
Re: Dyspraxia ruining my success at work??
Hi Ellie.
Have you had a dyspraxia assessment while at work? I had one a few years ago and it looks at dyspraxia but from the perspective of how your work is affected. There was then follow up support about coping mechanisms that would work in line with how I think (as identified by the assessment) and tailored to the work I do. I think the usual process for this is an occupational health assessment through work, then a dyspraxia assessment. The report from the assessment will then suggest support such as support sessions with a dyspraxia specialist to work out tactics for you. Your work will probably have a policy where they would pay for this.
As a general point about dyspraxia. Yeah it's annoying and you will make mistakes. I have forms at work where I have highlighted in red bits I need to fill in or I miss bits. I get colleagues to read through important documents before signing them. Don't be afraid to identify what your weakness is and ask for a colleague to check you have something right.
Time spent organising isn't wasted. I just accept I might have to spend half an hour organising tasks for a day where colleagues take 5 minutes. I have stuff written down where other people remember it. But this is where the coping mechanisms worked out with a dyspraxia professional I mentioned above come in. On a day when every thing is on top of me I day to myself "dyspraxia is annoying, I need to spend time using these coping mechanisms to support me and organising work when I have important stuff I could be doing. But if I run the coping mechanism/ organisational tool then it will look after me and I won't drop important stuff."
When you feel silly or thick remember, it's the dyspraxia slowing you down. Also it is a lot of us, it's defiantly not just you.
Andrew.
Have you had a dyspraxia assessment while at work? I had one a few years ago and it looks at dyspraxia but from the perspective of how your work is affected. There was then follow up support about coping mechanisms that would work in line with how I think (as identified by the assessment) and tailored to the work I do. I think the usual process for this is an occupational health assessment through work, then a dyspraxia assessment. The report from the assessment will then suggest support such as support sessions with a dyspraxia specialist to work out tactics for you. Your work will probably have a policy where they would pay for this.
As a general point about dyspraxia. Yeah it's annoying and you will make mistakes. I have forms at work where I have highlighted in red bits I need to fill in or I miss bits. I get colleagues to read through important documents before signing them. Don't be afraid to identify what your weakness is and ask for a colleague to check you have something right.
Time spent organising isn't wasted. I just accept I might have to spend half an hour organising tasks for a day where colleagues take 5 minutes. I have stuff written down where other people remember it. But this is where the coping mechanisms worked out with a dyspraxia professional I mentioned above come in. On a day when every thing is on top of me I day to myself "dyspraxia is annoying, I need to spend time using these coping mechanisms to support me and organising work when I have important stuff I could be doing. But if I run the coping mechanism/ organisational tool then it will look after me and I won't drop important stuff."
When you feel silly or thick remember, it's the dyspraxia slowing you down. Also it is a lot of us, it's defiantly not just you.
Andrew.