Anyone else struggle with changes in their work routine?

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Afternoon all,

First post here

I have worked in two different sections within my current workplace doing analytical chemistry. The first section was good, I worked on my own a lot, and could even work evenings, with myself being mainly the sole responsible person of that analytical work. I knew what I was doing most of the time.

The second current section I work in I find completely unbearable. I have been here for two years, the first was OK, but the second has been unbearable. As I have been cross trained on many instruments, I do not know what instrument I will be on. In addition to this, I often am used to 'plug the gap' for when some of my (not so professional) colleagues leave early (again, which I do not know about), and have been running multiple instruments due to the fact the (now departed thankfully) section head has left. I also have to interact more with other people as the workload is shared between us. My anxiety has skyrocketed since being here, and after only recently being diagnosed, I feel that my Autism somewhat is the reason for this.

Just wondering if anyone else get a bit ruffled when they have a change in their work routine?

Many thanks,

Samuel

Welcome! Same thing with me, which is why I work from home, where I can plan and organise my routine the way it suits me.

Yes and no.

Yes, because I actually crave order and predictability.
Yes, because I actually want to have such lifestyle.

No, because I'm forced to deal with inconsistencies of the external world (polychromic cultures) and my internal workings (possibly an untreated medical issue that made me feel this inertia that refuses to go away a good portion of times I wake up from any nap or sleep) to a point that I couldn't maintain a consistent routine.

Also no, I don't have a lot of intolerance for change and uncertainty. Else, I would've been driven insane long time ago.


I look back at school years; well, I was young, impulsive, whatever. I gave it a pass and maybe I'd outgrow it so I won't stop trying.

But now I'm past young adulthood; no longer as impulsive but still as troubling in adjustment -- nope, "consistency" just doesn't work after 7+ years of full time job and self monitoring in any attempt to 'predict myself'.


Nowadays, I just need control.
I only need flexible and negotiable time schedule.
I want where I have a say on any possible changes.

I control where and when I spend my time, not merely adapt to it because someone else demands it or changes it for me.


I very much still want to be productive and do something with my life.
But I refuse to keep being nagged by any sort of urgency anymore. It just doesn't work with me chasing the clock after years and years of doing so.


Routine or no routine; I might as well would rather be late or miss it entirely than chase the time, barely keep up with too much effort and may not even worth the energy while all that haste and higher risks of mistakes...

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Depends on the severity of what the change involves.

My supervisor since being employed for 14 years retired last month. There was fear of who the new supervisor would be, but once I got to know who it was (a familar and friendlier face, It was pretty seamless)

While the change seemed scary, it was honestly a better one because I am now fully engaged throughout the workday as opposed to not always being certain what I should be doing in the past.

Sometimes change is a good thing, this was one of those instances.

I volunteer at one of the Salvation Army second hand shops. I've been there for five years. My job there is to hang clothes on a rack, tag them, and then count how many were men's, women's, etc. It's an easy, meditative job.

However, it's all changing. I've been asked to pre-sort the donated clothes now. Requires more concentration as I have to look for tears in the clothing, stains, missing buttons, etc. Those clothes go to third-world countries. Clothes that are fine get sorted further into price buckets. That's someone else's job.

The big change is to do with hanging and tagging. Clothes are now hung in categories - women's dresses, kids' clothing, women's tops, women's bottoms, outdoor wear and men's clothing. That's three racks. So instead of hanging clothes on one rack, I have to walk around three.

Tags now come with a barcode to be scanned with a scanning gun. I haven't done this yet.

Things used to be a lot simpler.

Yes, my work habits are actually one major reason that have made me suspect autism. I have always found finding routines in each work day to not only be comforting, but of utmost importance to me. Anything that interrupts that routine on any given workday can really set me off. That includes even tasks taking longer than average and going into time I feel like I should be doing something else. It, of course, includes tasks inserted in when my routine dictates I should be doing the task I'm expecting to do per my routine. It also includes being put to a completely different task than normal (like when I worked stocking, being put on an aisle I didn't usually work).

I have had meltdowns caused by this before, unfortunately. Especially when combined with an unusual task that was particularly stressful to me (like being put on phones at my last job).