Apparently I'm throwing the office into chaos

[Backroads]

I am quite fond of my boss. Fair guy, leaves us largely to our own devices but really knows when to step in, great to talk to. However, he is also prone to stress and is a father of young children and a bishop. He's in constant near-panic because myself and another co-worker decided to get pregnant at about the same time.

Now, other Co-worker is the one who is causing trouble by planning to give birth at the beginning of her department's busy season (I say this all tongue-in-cheek) while I plan on leaving at the tail-end of my department's busy "charter season". Yet Boss is just as panicked about me.

We are way ahead of where we were last year, billed all the LDS stakes a month earlier than normal, and have backup help should anything go awry. By all accounts, we should be fine, but my poor stressed boss is obsessed that everything won't be done by the time I leave.

Any little tips on assuring him all will be well? I get that it is his job to worry about this, but the poor man is going to have a heart attack for no reason.

Edited January 8, 2013 by Backroads

[Guest]

Write out your plan for making your exit as seamless as possible, pointing out all the ways that the office will be prepared. Print out 20 copies and tape them all over the office.

[Backroads]

I especially like the 20 copies portion.

[Guest]

I've worked for an anxious boss before. I was only mostly kidding about that part. :)

[Backroads]

What's funny is that he praises me about my tendency to play relaxing music and actually take my breaks and not freak out with my work. You think he would pick it up.

[NightSG]

Any little tips on assuring him all will be well?

Haldol and a dart pistol?

[Dove]

You may be "crossing boundaries" by telling your boss to "chill out" so to speak. I would suggest not engaging in his anxiety ridden behaviours. I.E., ignoring the behaviour that is negative and reinforcing/responding to the positive...as much as you can. Don't play into the tense negativity. Do your best, and your best to show him what you have done. Other then that, it's his problem.

[mirkwood]

Tell him you heard a rumor he was about to be called to Stake President. Then when his heart rate slows say, "see it could be worse."

[pam]

And it's possible you are reading more anxiety on his part than what he is really feeling.

[mordorbund]

You're not anxious because you've taken steps to be prepared. It's high time you force him to do the same. Work yourself into a tizzy, get stressed, throw papers in the air, cry loudly, forget about clients during office meetings, eat his lunch - you can blame anything on pregnancy. Your boss will start looking into ways to ease your load, only to find that by all accounts you're doing fine. He'll probably come up with a plan very similar to yours.

[Backroads]

And it's possible you are reading more anxiety on his part than what he is really feeling.

I considered that until last night. My department and I walked him through step-by-step everything we had done and also showed him the high number of stake payments we've received in the past two days (highly abnormal--our new billing system may have frightened them. It usually takes a month or two to receive money from stakes. And the quicker we get money the faster we get things done). Anywho, we even got him to say "I can't stop thinking about this."