7 Common Struggles for New Employees: A Practical Guide to Answering 'Is It Just Me?'
🌱 New Employee Work Worries
'Everyone else is doing it fine, so why am I the only one...' is a misconception. Your worries are a path everyone walks.
Fumi Koyane | note School for Working Professionals
May 2026
A few weeks after joining the company. 'I didn't think it would be this hard,' 'I feel like I'm the only one not doing well'—are you feeling this way?
I can state clearly: it's not just you. Most of the worries new employees feel are 'milestones' that everyone experiences every year.
📌 Before reading this article
This article is not about saying 'you are struggling because you are not good enough.' It is about saying 'there are proper ways to deal with those struggles.' The fact that you are worried is proof that you are taking your work seriously.
📋 List of 7 Struggles
01
I don't know when to ask questions
02
I can't remember my work even after taking notes
03
I don't know how to report when I make a mistake
04
I don't know how to prioritize tasks
05
Feeling down by comparing yourself to your peers
06
Feeling anxious because your work speed is slow
07
Having days when your 'motivation' doesn't last
01
Not knowing when to ask questions
Your senior colleagues look busy, so you can't approach them. You send a message on Slack, but it stays on 'read' without a reply. You wonder, 'Is it okay to ask about such a small thing?' and end up getting stuck on your own.
Even when told to 'ask anytime,' not knowing when that 'anytime' is, is the reality for new employees. If you hold back and stay silent, problems often grow larger before they are discovered, leading to even more trouble.
Adopt a '15-minute rule' for yourself. When you encounter something you don't understand, try researching it on your own for just 15 minutes first. If you still can't solve it, make sure to ask. Simply adding a phrase like 'I'll think about it for a bit before asking' improves the quality of your questions and leaves a better impression on your seniors.
The best time to reach out is during a 'break in the work.' Clearly stating the time, such as 'Do you have just one minute?', makes it easier for the other person to decide.
02
Not being able to remember work even after taking notes
You took notes diligently, but when it comes time to do the task, you don't understand what you wrote. You end up asking the same thing multiple times and feel like you're getting 'that look' again.
If the goal becomes just 'writing things down,' the content won't stick in your head. As a new employee, the volume of information is so high that it's natural to forget things as soon as you write them down.
For notes, 'review them within the same day and rewrite them in your own words.' This alone will significantly change your retention rate.
When writing, keep the three points of 'what, why, and how' in mind. If you write down not just the steps but also the reasons 'why you do it that way,' you will be able to apply that knowledge to other situations. The habit of summarizing 'what you learned today' in just three lines during the five minutes before you clock out is effective.
03
I don't know how to report it when I make a mistake
I made a small mistake. I thought, 'Maybe I can handle this myself,' so I stayed quiet, but it ended up becoming a big problem later. I was afraid of being scolded, so I couldn't speak up.
It is natural to feel afraid of reporting a mistake. However, the sooner you report it, the smaller the problem remains. If you keep it to yourself, it is often discovered only after the situation has become irreparable.
When reporting, convey it in the order of 'fact, impact, and response.'
Example: 'I accidentally sent X instead of Y (fact). This may cause inconvenience to the client (impact). I will send an apology email immediately (response). Could you please check it?'
Even if you are afraid of being scolded, 'you for speaking up early' will definitely be valued. Being found out for hiding something will cause you to lose much more trust.
04
I don't know how to prioritize tasks
I was asked to do multiple tasks at the same time. I didn't know which one to start with, so I ended up leaving them all half-finished.
Priorities are not something you set by 'feeling,' but something you judge by rules. If you have rules, you won't get lost.
The criteria for judgment are only two things: 'deadline' and 'who will be inconvenienced.'
1. Start with the one with the closest deadline.
2. If the deadlines are the same, prioritize the one that affects other people's work first.
When you are asked to do multiple tasks at once, confirm on the spot by asking, 'Should I finish X or Y first?' Asking about priorities is the behavior of a capable professional.
05
Feeling down by comparing yourself to your peers
Your peer, A, already has responsibilities, while you are still only doing simple tasks. You feel like you are the only one whose growth is slow, and you have started to feel depressed about going to work.
It is natural to want to compare yourself to your peers. However, you are only seeing the surface. You might be good at things that A struggles with. Having more assigned work does not necessarily mean faster growth.
Change your axis of comparison from "your peers" to "yourself one month ago."
Every Friday, write down just three things you became able to do that week. When you look back after a month, you will see that you are definitely growing.
You cannot measure your own growth by comparing it to others. Only your past self is an accurate point of comparison.
06
Feeling anxious because your work speed is slow
It takes you two hours to do what a senior colleague does in 30 minutes. Thinking that you might be causing trouble, you fall into a vicious cycle where you get anxious and make even more mistakes.
Speed only increases with practice. It is natural for a new employee not to be able to work at the same speed as a senior colleague. Your seniors were the same at first. Anxiety only increases mistakes; it does not increase speed.
Make it your goal to acquire "accuracy" before speed. The correct order is: be able to do it without mistakes, then get faster little by little.
It is also effective to decide how many minutes you will spend on a task before you start. By setting a time limit, you can increase your concentration and prevent sluggish work.
07
Having days when your "motivation" doesn't last
You were so motivated before joining the company, but lately, it's hard to wake up in the morning. You have started to think, "Maybe I'm not cut out for this job."
Losing motivation is not a problem of your personality or your aptitude for the job. It is simply that your brain and body are tired from adapting to a new environment. Everyone feels drained during the first three months after joining a company.
Instead of 'waiting' for motivation, intentionally create 'small senses of accomplishment'.
Write down what you need to do today and cross it off when you finish. That alone builds up a sense of 'I did it'.
It is also important to review your sleep, diet, and how you spend your days off. Many motivation issues are actually caused by physical fatigue. Just by creating time on the weekend where you don't think about work, your Monday morning will change.
Summary—What to do first when you are struggling
The essence common to all seven worries is that 'you are not uniquely incompetent.' Every new employee experiences all of these. The important thing is not to bottle it up, but to take small actions.
⏱️
If you don't understand after thinking for 15 minutes, always ask.
Time spent struggling alone is a loss for everyone.
📝
Rewrite your notes in your own words within the same day.
The goal is not to have 'written it down,' but to have 'understood it'.
🚨
Do not hide mistakes; report them immediately.
The sooner you speak up, the smaller the problem remains.
📊
If you are unsure about priorities, confirm them on the spot.
A capable professional is one who can ask, "Which should I do first?"
🌱
If you're going to compare, compare yourself to "who you were a month ago."
Comparing yourself to your peers only lowers your motivation.
📌 In conclusion
The fact that you are struggling is proof that you are genuinely engaging with your work. A new employee who never struggles is one who isn't thinking about anything at all. If you are worried right now, you are in the right place. Don't rush; take it one step at a time.
Thank you for reading until the end.
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Please let me know in the comments what you are struggling with the most.💬