The Working Boiling Point

Today I just need to vent.

I used to love my job. Really, really love my job. Ever since my return from my leave of absence it seems like all the work-related issues I had previously, have coalesced and formed a bigger mountain of stress. A couple of incidents recently have caused me to boil over today and spur me to action.

The frustrating part is that the main cause of my stress is person-oriented. My relationship with my manager used to be a really great, symbiotic one. We were a great team. We were so in synch that it felt like we were twins. Lately however, my manager has been so stressed out that he practically locks himself up in his office and has stopped communicating to the rest of the team. I'm trying to be understanding and supportive, but now it's affecting all our business relationships, and hurting our personal one to boot.

How can I be satisfied in my job, when my manager's morale is low, and all he wants to do is bitch about how everything sucks? We need to be proactive. I'm so through with managing my manager. I cannot spare the psychic energy to cheer him up, and urge him to make decisions. Heck, I did that with my last boyfriend, and we all know how that turned out! I figure two years of his dissatisfaction is about the maximum I can tolerate. Enough is enough, especially when he has recently taken to lashing out at me with negativity and resentment. This is not the boss I used to know.

Based on some advice, I'm now drafting a proposal document for him about the issues we currently face, and my recommendations for solving them. Hopefully, seeing it on paper will help him see the outcome of his recent actions. I'm removing the emotional piece out of the equation so he can read the document and provide feedback on his own time. This way I don't have to have a "big talk" with him in a confrontational way. At least with this product, I'll know I gave it one last final try. Once I've done that, I'm officially starting the job hunt.

I just wish we could fix this because other than these issues, I really enjoy what I do, and where I do it. It's unfortunate that it must come to this.