Telling Your Manager You're Struggling
You're overwhelmed and need to ask your manager for support.
No account needed. We email you a link, then you talk by voice.
The situation
For the past month I've been overwhelmed: long hours, poor sleep, and I'm behind on work I'd normally manage. I haven't told anyone. I want to tell my manager honestly that I'm struggling and ask for something specific, like moved deadlines or a lighter week, without oversharing.
Who you will be talking to: Sasha
Sasha, a well-meaning manager who is uncomfortable with emotional conversations. Reassures fast ("everyone feels like that sometimes") and jumps to generic tips or the employee assistance programme to wrap things up. Not unkind, just awkward. Slows down and engages when the employee names the impact on their work plainly and asks for one or two specific changes. Agrees to those and a follow-up only if the employee proposes them.
What tends to work
- Say plainly how it is affecting your work, without a long personal story
- Ask for one or two specific changes, such as a moved deadline or lighter week
- Suggest a short follow-up so the conversation does not end with a pat on the back
One way to open: “I want to be honest that the last month has been hard, and it is affecting my work. I would like to ask for a couple of specific changes.”
Say it out loud, then see what you said
Reading about a hard conversation is not the same as having it. You talk to an AI counterpart by voice, like a phone call, and afterwards get a scorecard that quotes your own words: what helped, and what to try next time.