Is this workload normal?
Six months after being made redundant I landed a job as a junior designer in Canary Wharf, London. I felt like all my hard work designing my own branding projects, 2 websites, creating a new portfolio, carrying on with uni studies and boosting my Illustrator / Photoshop skills had finally paid off.
I was aware things would be twice as intense, working in such an environment in a city (I'm originally from the countryside, 150 miles further north, so it was quite the change). I also signed-up for an international design competition prior to getting the job so that + uni work + a full-time job was at the back of my mind from the start. I work for a Chinese / Taiwanese-based firm - cultures I'm not familiar with, so that was to be quite the learning curve too. However, having been at my new workplace for a month, I've got some questions that I hope someone might be able to answer because I'm burning out.
Question:
Is it normal for a workplace to ask a new starter in their first month to totally rebrand the whole company in accordance with global parent company guidelines in their first month, alongside manage their social media (3 instagram posts per week + 1 TikTok), organise an extensive photoshoot for all products and create a new 'lifestyle' feel to attract a larger Western demographic (my idea), write weekly newsletters, build a new website, create a line of merchandise, go out and learn how to take photos yourself and use them, create blog posts, setup and launch a gift card service, run competitions, create window murals for shops, plan new decoration for 5 to 7 stores, create posters, create signage, send everything off to get printed / manufactured, boost an Instagram following from 12k above 20k organically, create and launch a sub-brand, create the brochure for said sub-brand and also battle against amends / decision changes?
I cannot stress how grateful I was to land such an role but I feel like I work dawn til dusk 7 days a week and today I was told I wasn't doing things quickly enough. I don't have too many friends down here and don't know many designers, so I don't know who to turn to for advice. I'm really burning out and I'm worried I'll get turfed out before my 3 month trial is up due to being unable to constantly churn out high quality work that entire teams of people would typically produce. I have a12-months rent contract, a car, etc, and I feel totally stuck. I've worked my whole life to find a design job but I feel like there's a massive lack of understanding on how much time and effort is required to go into all of the aspects I outlined above AND carry out those tasks professionally / to a high standard.
Or am I just not cut out to be a designer? :(
Replies18
- Hey everyone! I'm sorry I'm only just getting around to replying but I just wanted to say how totally blown away I was from seeing the outpouring of support and advice from the creative community and I really appreciate it!As I said before, I'm not usually home from work, fed and settled until 9pm and then I have uni, so I'm only just mustering the energy to reply, but I feel motivated again to not let this situation fester any longer.I still want to make a difference to the company I work for because I have so many ideas and think the products could be way more popular if I was just given time, patience and more breathing room to execute some of them properly and not rushed for the sake of meeting self-defeatingly short self-imposed deadlines which help nobody (not even the customer base). Furthermore I sympathise with a different culture trying to integrate with another, and there are some really lovely, interesting folks I've met who I'd like to continue working with, if I'm fortunate enough.On the other hand, I will have to now keep my options open for work elsewhere as I don't want to risk a toxic situation continuing to impact my mental and physical health or be booted out beforer my trial period is over and be stuck with bills and no way of paying them. I don't know if anyone has any suggestions here, or if there's anyone who would like to give me a shot as an East London-based designer? Haha! I never blow my own trumpet usually, but I feel like I really do have so much patience, drive, positivity and ambition, as well as so many ideas and a love for art, design, learning, exploring, creating and sharing. I just want to have a job where all of that is valued as much as me and I've gone 27 years having never had that feeling. I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling like that, and I'd help everyone if I could just help myself first.Regards,Alex
- Hi Alexander,Firstly, well done for going for gold! You have been working super hard and the experience is all worthwhile for the future.Do you record your time for all the different tasks? I do this using Toggl and I find it handy when communicating to clients about their expectations. Some people just don't quite understand the amount of time and effort that can go into designing something as "small" as a social media graphic.By presenting time reports, it can take the emotion away, so it becomes factual. I find this handy for challenging conversations about workload!You have done right to trust your instincts — yes, this is too much (for anyone)!I hope this helps! Sending support your way. :-)
- Hi Alexander,In line with all these previous (great) comments, I would agree that the tasks expected of you are not in keeping with the role of a Junior Designer.Well done to you for putting in the hours and for trying your very best to meet all these requirements, I do hope you have gained much from this experience (I am sure your will have). Although, you certainly should not be expected to work such long hours and 7 days per week (this is both very unhealthy and unproductive).Also, as a Junior Designer you should certainly have a good, experienced line manager (who hopefully understands the role of a designer and the time required for good design), who you can turn to for support and discuss your concerns with.Don't be afraid to speak up and raise your concerns and I would also suggest you keep a diary of all the work you have undertaken each day, tasks completed and any discussions you have with your colleagues and employers (especially about your work overload), this can be very useful if and when any disputes occur.Additionally, you should not be expected to use your own equipment unless you are working as a freelancer.I do hope you can resolve this issue amicably with your employers, don't feel you have no other options, I am sure you will be able to find another opportunity.Take care and best of luck.Mandie
- Hey Alexander,Everthing I would add to this conversation has already been covered by some of these brilliant posts, so all I want to reiterate is:this doesn't sound normal, it's far too much for a junior role (in terms of workload and I'm assuming paygrade) and your seniors clearly have no clue that what you're doing is a minimum 10-person team workload. Their expectations are massively out-of-kilter.I know it's easier said than done but really hope they're open to hearing you explain to them that you can't be expected to do all this, never mind "quickly" and to a good standard.Really wishing you the best of luck.All the best,Laura
- Hey AlexanderDefinitely sounds like you’ve been thrown into the deep end.On one hand it sounds like in a junior role you’ve got exposure to a really nice range of projects, however the expectations and demands are taking a toll. Junior roles typically need a lot of support and I didnt catch in your message how the rest of the creative department is structured? If perhaps you are the entire creative department then I am afraid yes there are big red flags there... as you need support and guidance in a junior role, There potentially needs to be someone more senior there to check work / sign off work / help steer the quality of work and also importantly set realistic expectations for what the company needs to achieve, how long that will take and what good looks like... Basically I am asking who’s got your back inside the organisation as your already talking about ‘churning out’ work and that’s not an inspiring or rewarding environment to work in.The other thing I want to point out is that it sounds like the expectation is for you to fulfill several roles for his company. Whilst it’s not uncommon for a designer / studio to create content for websites and social platforms, manage their own projects and handle production / photoshoots etc... it sounds like the onus is being placed on you to deliver the work and manage company KPI’s to across an array of streams. This sounds like a workload shared across a small team with different specialities and ranges of experience.The company you work for may be trying to economise and get ‘more bang for their buck’, it could also be down to the company having a lack of knowledge / experience of running an in-house creative department and what human resources requirements this involves. It could also be a workplace culture thing, and not an enjoyable one at that.It’s definitely not a case of whether you are cut-out to be a designer. It’s just that you’ve been thrown into the deep end of the pool and the wave machine has been turned on. This is super corny but use that pool analogy and ask what you need... do you just need to just catch the edge of the pool so you can take a breath? Move to less deep water? A swim coach? A surf instructor?It’s not for any of us to tell you what you should do but we can remind you that you have agency over what you want from your career.Good luck!
- Firstly, well done for reaching out.Without going into the detail it sounds like the workload is overwhelming.Branding; I’ve worked on branding/rebranding projects that take months.Social media is a separate role as are:Project manager, art director, copywriter, web developer, merchandiser, photographer, retail fit out and interior designer, artworker and production manager.No wonder your head is spinning.You are cut out to be ‘a designer’.But, I’m afraid there is one more role you need to consider.Educator.Talk to your employer before this becomes corrosive.After all we are in the communications industry.
- Hey Alexander, so sorry to hear your experience of this after being so excited. Don't worry you're defintiely cut out to be a designer and this is definitely not a normal or ok amount of work to put on a new designer. There's some really great advice on this thread, so great to see. Nothing more I can really add other than well done for asking and checking in with this community. Please do connect if and get in touch if you have any other questions! Good luck, and look after yourself!
- Hi Alexander,Sorry to hear about your experience. I think it's clear from your outreach and everyone's reaction that yes this workload is too much for your level and job role.It is a difficult situation to be in so please try not to doubt yourself. In terms of dealing with this, I would refer back to your original job description and mark out what tasks are listed and what is outside. This should give you a list of additional tasks that have been added to the original job scope. Then I would roughly calculate how long each task in your original scope would take (for example brand assessment 32hrs, social media 8hrs per week etc). Then do the same for each additional task. When doing time estimates it's always best to overestimate how long things will take as you find once meetings, correspondents and all the extra stuff that comes outside of the actual task will mean it takes longer.Once you've done this you now have a plan of action which you can then go to your manager and set more realistic deadlines. Keep in mind that full-time staff should be working around 35hrs per week so try not to work outside of your contracted working hours. It's been proven that overtime doesn't actually produce more and better work it actually hinders the process. If you stick to your hours and take time off then you'll realise that you become more efficient and productive within your set working hours.Once you've created your scope & task plan and noticed there are tasks you're not qualified to do or you don't know as they don't fall under the designer role then be open about this. If you've applied for a job with one scope then they've added tasks that you shouldn't be doing then it's up to them to hire someone else to do those tasks.As for using your own equipment. You should never do this. Companies should supply and pay for the equipment (hardware and software) that their employees use.One last thing it's worth knowing your rights as an employee in the UK and you can find all the information you need here:https://www.gov.uk/employment-status/employeeWhat I've mentioned isn't an easy task. I've certainly been through having to put my foot down on many occasions about hours, tasks and my rights over the years. It's never a nice thing to do and I honestly wish it didn't happen but there are a lot of companies and people who like to exploit their workers.I hope this helps and good luck with trying to get it sorted.If you have any more questions or fancy a chat just let me know,Alister
- @Alexander Machin "I've had to bring my own equipment as the correct design equipment wasn't supplied and won't be purchased until I "prove myself"" - massive red flag right here
- Sounds exploitative to me and a lot of these things seem like they should be the responsibility of someone more senior (not doubting your abilities, just thinking of paygrade!)
- Hey! Thanks for sharing your exprience with us and appreciate you are seeking advice on this.To me personally it sounds like you've been thrown into a quite extreme working environment, especially considering that you are a junior designer. Some of the work is normal, but not at that pace and all of it at once. Especially considering that you do not have someone to mentor you through it (guessing here as they didn't provide you with the right equipment + you didn't mention another designer).At the beginning of jobs it is always important to draw lines around skills/ capabilities (design skills, workload, etc), payment expectations and future goals you would like to achieve within the company and skills you want to learn/ develope. If your gut feeling is telling you that this is not the way for you, that you should go with your instincts rather than being pressured into overworking and being unhappy. Being a designer is hard work, but also great fun especially if you are in a place that appreciates your efforts and mentors you.There are many great studios and in-house spots out there that work in a different way that might be healthier for you. Though I do get that currently is not the easiest time to change jobs, especially in London.Whatever you decide to do, it's not a failure just a step forward to the creative you want to be!(happy to chat further if you need any more advice)
- Some of this stuff isn’t unusual for a new or junior hire, but the pace at which you’re expected to do so is a real red flag. I understand other cultures have different work cultures but this feels too much for a entry-level role.More than that, your instincts are clearly telling you something is off else you wouldn’t be asking about it. I would suggest you trust those instincts because it’s one of the most valuable thing a designer, in-studio or freelance, can have and they can save you from some pretty horrible situations.
- Hi this definitely sounds like a toxic work environment. I have proven myself recently that I now not a junior design I manage 2 websites, and blog plus LinkedIn and any any hoc design work and digital artwork. If your using your own equipment sounds familiar to a job I had many years ago- I left it as I was doing all marketing and graphic design. It is a testament that you can do all of these things but you need speak up about your concerns. Or find a job that is fair, - with a clear job description and expectations I thought I was only suited to artworker job but then took additional classes to become a graphic designer.
- Wow, you have been thrown in at the deep end and then some. Definitely speak to them and just be honest. If they want to move that quickly, they need more resource for both design and social, whether that's expanding the team or outsourcing. Kudos though, despite the stress of it all you've got some great experience there. Hope it all works out :)
- This is not normal even for a Senior and also you're doing jobs usually covered by several professional figures with unreal expectations. Please don't burn out or think it's you. Try to speak up, even if unfortunately I think it's a toxic work culture.
- Hi Alexndar,The workload you described definitely not for a junior. I would recommend you to tell them they expectations are unreasonable for your level os seniority. I mean, not straight like this but voice out that your tasks require more than one person. It also can be that you fill out some of the tasks for agencies etc.. But definitely don't sit there in silence and wait till they voice out that something is off.
- This is slave labor. I'm sorry you have to go through doing all this. You should have a team to help you!
- I should add that I've had to bring my own equipment as the correct design equipment wasn't supplied and won't be purchased until I "prove myself". I'm having to sacrifice lunch hours and work 1 to 2 hours overtime most days just to try to slow down the rate I'm falling behind.
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