u/Comfortable-Wafer698

I'm in my early 20s work in a junior finance role. I've been in the role for around five months.

When I started, I expected there to be a learning curve and accepted that it would take time to become fully comfortable with the role. However, I'm increasingly wondering whether the workload is simply too high for one person.

I rarely seem to have enough time to complete everything by the relevant deadlines. There are also situations where deadlines are missed because something needs management approval and my manager doesn't have time to get to it before the deadline. I understand that she's busy too, but this can have a knock-on effect for me: for example, when payment runs are delayed, suppliers start chasing for payment, which creates additional emails and work for me that I then have to deal with on top of everything else.

I'm also responsible for a large number of separate legal entities, so I have to switch between different sets of accounts and tasks frequently. On top of the day-to-day work, I'm regularly given additional projects which I don't feel I have enough time to complete to the standard I'd like. I'm also often interrupted with ad-hoc tasks, some of which can take an hour or two.

I've spoken to my manager about the workload and asked how I could manage my time better. She told me that they're impressed with my work and that it's simply a role that I'll "never get on top of." I've also been given audit preparation work which has taken several days.

It's not unusual for me to work roughly 8am–6pm, particularly when things are busy. I've reached the point where I'm constantly thinking about work outside of working hours, and it's started affecting my sleep and relationships.

I became overwhelmed recently and had what I'd describe as a breakdown, and I've currently been off work because of it. Despite communicating that I've been struggling, there hasn't been any cover for my workload, so I'm concerned that everything will simply be waiting for me when I return.

My main question is: is this just what working in a busy finance role is like, or does this sound like an unusually high/unrealistic workload for someone five months into the job?

I'm particularly worried about what happens when I eventually take annual leave. Does this mean I'll always have to work ridiculous hours before/after holidays just to catch up?

I'm in my early 20s and work in a junior finance role. I've been in the role for around five months.

When I started, I expected there to be a learning curve and accepted that it would take time to become fully comfortable with the role. However, I'm increasingly wondering whether the workload is simply too high for one person.

I rarely seem to have enough time to complete everything by the relevant deadlines. There are also situations where deadlines are missed because something needs management approval and my manager doesn't have time to get to it before the deadline. I understand that she's busy too, but this can have a knock-on effect for me: for example, when payment runs are delayed, suppliers start chasing for payment, which creates additional emails and work for me that I then have to deal with on top of everything else.

I'm also responsible for a large number of separate legal entities, so I have to switch between different sets of accounts and tasks frequently. On top of the day-to-day work, I'm regularly given additional projects which I don't feel I have enough time to complete to the standard I'd like. I'm also often interrupted with ad-hoc tasks, some of which can take an hour or two.

I've spoken to my manager about the workload and asked how I could manage my time better. She told me that they're impressed with my work and that it's simply a role that I'll "never get on top of." I've also been given audit preparation work which has taken several days.

It's not unusual for me to work roughly 8am–6pm, particularly when things are busy. I've reached the point where I'm constantly thinking about work outside of working hours, and it's started affecting my sleep and relationships.

I became overwhelmed recently and had what I'd describe as a breakdown, and I've currently been off work because of it. Despite communicating that I've been struggling, there hasn't been any cover for my workload, so I'm concerned that everything will simply be waiting for me when I return.

My main question is: is this just what working in a busy finance role is like, or does this sound like an unusually high/unrealistic workload for someone five months into the job?

I'm particularly worried about what happens when I eventually take annual leave. Does this mean I'll always have to work ridiculous hours before/after holidays just to catch up?

Edit: I'm being paid 30k for this job.