New survey suggests some employees have more work than they can handle





Workers today may have too much to do and too little time to do it, a new survey suggests. Seventy percent of executives polled said the average employee is at least somewhat overburdened. One in 10 said the workload is significantly too heavy.


The survey was developed by OfficeTeam, a staffing service. The poll includes responses from 150 executives with the nation’s 1,000 largest companies.


"Many people are more productive when they’re juggling multiple tasks, but the amount of work should be within reason," said Liz Hughes, executive director of OfficeTeam. "Project loads that are consistently unmanageable can lead to burnout and the associated problems of reduced morale, high turnover, and increased hiring and training costs for businesses."


Hughes said the best managers do more than acknowledge their employees are stretched too thin—they offer solutions. She suggests the following:


• Talk to staff. How do employees view their responsibilities? Are unrealistic deadlines impacting the quality of their work or level of job satisfaction? Their perceptions may be very different from yours.


•Ask for activity reports. Review each employee’s tasks to determine which projects are taking the most time. Make sure the most critical initiatives are getting the majority of resources.


• Reward smart work habits. Someone who is putting in long hours may be working hard, but is he or she also managing time wisely? Clarify your expectations with employees, and take steps to recognize teamwork, innovative ideas and problem-solving skills.


• Get help. Bringing in temporary staff to assist during periods of peak activity or for special projects can alleviate some of the burden on full-time workers.


• Keep your door open. Maintain an environment in which employees are not afraid to ask for help when workloads become too heavy. Be willing to reallocate resources as needed.



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