Don’t like the job? or the co-worker?

This morning upon arriving in work my line manager explained that she would like to tell me some news before the rest of the staff members told me.

BOOM! Just like that the bombshell was dropped. My job share was doing a dual role post, part admin/part ward based. Unfortunately she wasn’t keen on the ward based part so has an admin position elsewhere.

For those of you who don’t know I reduced my hours back in January from five days to three. This was mainly due to child (namely Tigger) illness. We have no family support in terms of anyone being able to look after either child if they are ill so it falls to me (Mr Boo is a manager and it is difficult to juggle days at short notice).

Honestly I could have cried, the worry about what happens next consumed me all morning. In reality there are several options:

1. I manage the workload on my three days, although there is nobody there to answer incoming calls on Tues/Thurs
2. Find a replacement that will either cover the two days or to a dual role of two days admin and three ward based (worrying being that we might not click and I end up in a situation I was in this time last year)
3. Increase my hours to five days
4. I request to be moved to another department in order for a full time person to takeover my role

After my initial panic of what the hell happens now I began to think back over the time I have been in this role. An alarming thought the popped into my head… Is this job cursed or is it me?

When I started I took over from a temp (lets call her Pam). I went on a secondment to another role for a year and during that time they had three temps. One of these temps was Pam, she then returned again when I went on maternity leave with Tigger. Following my return to work after Tigger and a reduction in hours I did a job share with Pam. Pam and I did not get on, we have completely different ways of working. Anyway she left last year (hoorah), then when I reduced my hours again in January my current job share started.

So as you can see in a little under six years there has been a number of people come and go… but do they not like the job? or am I too difficult to work with??