SCRIPT B
John. nervously Sorry to bother you Mary but can I have some time to talk to you about a work matter?
Mary. Yes, yes that’s fine You look worried. How can I help?
John. Well…, well… it’s really hard for me to admit but it’s to do with my current work load. It’s to do with what’s happened since the re-structuring took place. Pause.
Mary . You need to talk to me about some concerns that you have following our re-structuring?
John Yes, yes if you don’t mind.
Silence for a few moments
Well, when we worked out together what my new role would involve it all looked pretty manageable but for some reason the reality of it seems very different. I, I (hesitates)
Mary . there’s no rush, take your time.
John. I don’t think I’m coping very well at all. I think perhaps you misjudged how time consuming some of the smaller tasks would be and I’m really struggling with it all at the moment. More softly I feel pretty useless actually.
Mary. I can see how hard it is for you to tell me all this John. It seems that what we thought was pretty straight forward on paper now seems almost overwhelming for you in practice – that maybe I’ve overestimated what’s possible and you’ve lost confidence in your capabilities.
John. Yes, yes that’s right. I do feel overwhelmed. I’m not eating well, I’m not sleeping properly anymore, I’m constantly feeling sick. I’ve even been starting to wonder whether I should consider resigning.
Mary. Goodness, that’s quite a shock to hear you say that, but the pressure of all of this is affecting other areas of your life now – maybe it’s time to get out? Is that it?
John. yes, that’s right.
Mary. That seems a huge decision to be thinking about making John, I’m wondering if there maybe other alternatives to consider before you decide? Have you had any thoughts on other options?
John Well I think what I’d really like is to arrange a time together so we could look at why I’m struggling so much – maybe see whether there are areas which I need more training in or whether I could designate some of my duties to others. That sort of thing.
Mary. That sounds fine Realistically we might not be able to meet for a few weeks as I’m on Annual Leave from tomorrow but I can see how urgent this is for you. Let’s see the earliest time we can make and also what support may be available to you in the mean time. How does that sound?
John. Yes that’s great. Thank you.