"Work is kicking my ass" could mean 2 things depending on context, but they're not that different in meaning really.
Either it could mean "I've been working a lot and it's making me exhausted" or "I'm inexperienced/bad at my job and I'm doing really poorly as a result."
If you want something a little more polite you could say:
"Work is doing a number on me" (which could also mean you're either exhausted from work or that you're bad at it)