Much as I admire our executive team, I don't think they really see the challenges we have "down here" on the product level. I have been unable to string together more than 1-2 vacation days at a time for the past two years because of the volume of work we've had. Our additional wellness week in December-January may have been enjoyed by many, but most of the CMs I know found it impossible to take the time. Our offices were closed, but our vendors and customers had needs. We watched as other roles were able to take vacation time, but we were not -- not if schedules and projects needed to stay on track. As the "hub" in the wheel of projects, we answer to many teams and vendors. And with our workload, backup team members do not exist.
It's discouraging and frustrating to see employees in other roles talk about vacations and time spent with family. I currently am working on 7 publications in 5 disciplines, in various stages of development. I don't feel as though I can give any of them the time and attention they deserve.
The losses of solid, experienced personnel on this level have been high -- too high. Adding to the volume of daily product work we have is the training of new teammates.
Process change is also continual, and will leave one's head spinning. Change can be good, but many of the process changes do not seem to be well thought out -- at least not in terms of how they affect those of us "down here." After adding stress and ultimately failure, programs that promised to alleviate our workload are abandoned because they were really not well thought out.
I do not believe that the management levels in place in between my level and the executive team are communicating our needs and concerns adequately.
There are allegedly "stay" conversations that are supposed to take place when an employee is considering leaving, but none of these seem to be counteroffering more compensation or a balanced workload. My manager does what she can, but is limited in her abilities to do much.
