Are you working under a lot of pressure/ Overloaded at work? How to Inform Your Boss That You Are Overworked? Here's how to seek help.

  Are you working under a lot of pressure/ Overloaded at work? Here's how to seek help.

   Asking for help is not equivalent to failure. If you are overburdened at work, the discomfort is not benefiting anyone - not you, your manager, or your co-workers. The longer we delay calling for help, the worse the problems may be and the fewer options we have to solve them.

Determine what kind of help you require.

It's essential to figure out why you need help and what that help would entail before approaching anyone for help.  Are you overworked because it's a hectic time of year?   If that's the case, you should be conscious that everyone else is probably anxious and overworked as well. Perhaps you've been asked to perform more work than you can fit into the hours in the day, or you're taking on the part of a colleague's responsibilities? Is a project eating the time you allocated for your daily tasks? Taking the effort to figure out how long you'll need help and what responsibilities you can outsource to others will be a significant step to begin your conversation.

Can you ruin your career by asking for help?

Asking for help can be seen as a sign of strength rather than weakness. If you can easily reach them, it shows that you strive for high quality and that your company has the best interests. Until it becomes clear that everyone on your team is overloaded, contact your colleagues for help. Most people will be flattered that you've asked them for advice or help if you're genuinely in need. However, be careful that you appear to be working hard on your colleagues and make sure that you respond positively when asked for help.

If you complain to your boss that you can't handle your job, you run the risk of a negative outcome. Don't just go knocking on their door to surrender or complain about how much work you have to complete when you ask your boss for help. Address the problem in a way that demonstrates you want to be able to do your work correctly.

How to Approach Your Boss/Manager for Help

• Act quickly — the longer you wait to seek help, the worse the problem will grow and the fewer alternatives you will have for resolving it.

• Make a list of the projects you're working on right now and rank them in order of importance.

• Calculate the time it will take you to complete each task.

• Consider alternative solutions to the problem in advance — for example, how might work be redistributed or prioritized? How can your boss/manager assist you in resolving this issue?

This demonstrates that you've tried to think through the problem on your own and that you're not expecting your boss to solve it for you—you're working together to complete the task. Remember, your boss may also feel overworked and stressed. Demonstrating that you still want to be responsible and accountable for the work you need help with is an intelligent approach.

Finally, receiving help should not be a challenging task for an employee. Your request for help will be viewed as an attempt to solve a problem for the benefit of the team and the company as a whole by an effective manager.

If you request your boss for help, and they do not, that ought to be a huge red flag that it is the wrong team or company for you.

How to Inform Your Boss That You Are Overworked

Most individuals nowadays seem to have much too much on their plates. Everyone laments the fact that they are overworked. So, how do you tell your employer you've got too much on your plate? Nobody wants to come out as a slacker, uncommitted, or uncooperative. How do you maintain your reputation as a diligent worker while addressing your uncle?

What Experts Have to Say

It may be tough to speak to your employer about your excessive schedule, no matter how busy you are. According to Julie Morgenstern, productivity guru and author of Never Check E-Mail in the Morning, there are two reasons for this. First, you may be concerned that by speaking out, you may lose your job. "You get this sensation in the pit of your stomach that if you can't do the job, someone else can; you feel disposable," she adds. Second, "the natural inclination is to believe that 'I'm not working hard enough, clever enough, or effectively enough.'" I think I'll be able to manage it.' As a result, you suffer in silence." However, Liane Davey, cofounder of 3COze Inc. and author of You First: Inspire Your Team to Grow Up, Get Along, and Get Stuff Done, doing so is risky for your career. "You overcommit because you are ambitious or want to impress your employer, but when you fail to deliver — or provide hurried or low-quality work — it sends a message that you are unreliable." So, if you're feeling overwhelmed, don't hesitate to tell your boss. Here are a few suggestions for smoothing out the discussion

Allow yourself some leeway.

Being busy and overwhelmed does not imply that you are a poor worker. Morgenstern advises, "Don't be too hard on yourself." "Most businesses are attempting to accomplish more with less. Therefore there is more work to be done than there is time to do it." "You are not lazy, and it does not reflect poorly on you" if you are a good performer who sometimes declines a request or requests a respite. She claims that saying no now and then boosts your reputation. "Bosses want their workers to speak out if something is preventing them from functioning at their best." Davey believes it's the "responsible thing to do" for the company to acknowledge you can't manage all that's been given to you, even if it's unpleasant. "You leave your colleagues in the lurch if you're submerged and can't fulfil your commitments."

Seek advice and assistance.

When you're overworked, Morgenstern recommends getting an outside viewpoint on your task. "You may become grounded with the assistance of a third party." She suggests giving a trustworthy friend or coworker a rundown of your tasks and responsibilities. "Ask her to look at the quantity of work you have and give you an honest judgment on whether it is too much for one person," says the author. You may also seek guidance and "coaching on methods for coping with overwork" from your employer, according to Davey. Requesting assistance allows you to clarify expectations while also enabling you to work more effectively. "Say, 'Preparing this report for the finance department takes me approximately five hours a month.' Is this in line with your expectations? Do you have any ideas for how to make the procedure more efficient?'" "It's not like your boss hasn't ever felt the same way," after all.

Offer solutions

Morgenstern claims that having a frank discussion with your boss about your workload necessitates the proper attitude. "You and your boss are working together to achieve the company's objectives." To make sure you're on the same page, she recommends starting the discussion by "establishing the organization's common goals." "Then explain what is preventing you from achieving your objectives." Make your statement as precise as possible. For example, you might remark, "This task requires a lot of time-consuming research," or, "Now that I am leading a team, I am spending more time preparing and have less time for day-to-day work." The next section of the discussion is critical: Provide three solutions to the problem. Morgenstern advises, "Never go to your employer with a complaint until you have a solution." You might, for example, propose that some duties be completed quarterly rather than monthly, that colleagues assist you on a specific project, or that the company employ a temp to help ease the burden. Your objective is to find "projects that can be pushed back, delegated, eliminated, or scaled-down."

Prioritize your tasks.

When you're already overworked, having your employer give you another more task is painful. "They often allocate tasks without knowing how long it will take to complete each task," Davey adds. You should describe everything you have on your plate and then ask, "Which of these is the most important?" What would you do with the remainder of your time?" Morgenstern suggests that you ask your employer to "describe the amount of effort" he expects from you on specific tasks, as well as "what a maximum, minimum, and moderate effort looks like." Whatever occurs, Morgenstern advises not agreeing to anything new at the moment if you are uncertain about your ability to perform. "Say, 'Tell me what's required of me on this, and I'll see what I can accomplish depending on the other projects I'm working on.' Is it possible for me to contact you again tomorrow?' You can buy yourself some time."

Offer to assist

Even if you have a lot on your plate, it's courteous and professional to assist when you can. According to Davey, you should tell your employer, "I don't think I can take on [this project] without jeopardizing the other work I've committed to, but I can carve out time in my schedule to give guidance to the person who will execute it." Offer to attend brainstorming meetings, read early manuscripts, or act as a sounding board, for example. She adds, "And then make yourself accessible." Even if your bandwidth is limited, providing a tiny lifeline is a means to establish your "character as the responsible worker dedicated to the organization's success," according to Morgenstern.

Be truthful.

There are moments in everyone's lives when traumatic personal experiences overshadow everything else. Morgenstern advises being open about it if you're going through one of those times — your mother has been diagnosed with a severe disease, or your kid is struggling in school. "If I ignore this, it would cause tremendous stress in my family and impair my work performance," you could tell your employer. Your attitude should be "grounded and as focused as possible," and your tone should be clear. "Make it situational and time-bound," Davey agrees. "Say something like, 'This doesn't happen very frequently, but the next two weeks are going to be a bit of a tsunami for me.' 'I require assistance.' Your honesty will be understood and appreciated by a decent, reasonable employer. "Trying to be the hero to the point of exhaustion is not the greatest solution."

Keep in touch with your coworkers.

Not often does telling your employer that you're overworked have the intended impact. When the employer refuses to make adjustments, Davey advises giving your coworkers "a heads-up" that you're overworked. "They may give you some slack if your employer won't," she adds. They may be able to take something off your plate or work around a snag in your schedule. "And even if they can't help, they've at least been warned" that you're overworked and won't be able to give it your best, and you've "avoided anything that might jeopardize their trust." If your employer is consistently unconcerned about your workload, Morgenstern advises that you may need to look for a new job. She claims that overworking is "unsustainable" in the long term.

Remember the following guidelines:

Do:

1. Seek guidance from your boss or a colleague on cutting down on the time

you spend on specific tasks.

2. Ask whether priorities can be changed or if trade-offs can be made upfront.

3. Inquire if there are any little ways you can assist colleagues and

initiatives in demonstrating your desire to contribute.

Don't:

•  

1. Don't be too harsh on yourself. Occasionally declining a request or
requesting a respite does not imply that you are a slacker.
2. On the spot, say yes to additional work. Give yourself some breathing
room by informing your employer you'll assess your workload and get back to
him.

3. When your supervisor refuses to listen, keep your coworkers in the dark.

Give them a heads-up if you're going to be underwater so you don't lose their

trust.

The First Case Study: Provide solutions and be receptive

to suggestions.

After a year as vice president of product strategy, Lisa Sterling was elevated to chief people officer of Ceridian, a Minneapolis-based supplier of human resources software. The idea at the time was for her to perform both jobs at the same time.

Lisa, on the other hand, became overwhelmed by the task after a few months. She knew she needed to speak with her employer, Ceridian's CEO, David Ossip, but she was apprehensive. She says, "I'd never gone to a boss before and asked, 'Help me.'" "We got along well, but I was afraid [he] would second-guess his choice [to elevate me] and think I wasn't up to the task."

Lisa started the discussion by outlining the organization's "priorities," as she "understood them." She wanted to be sure she understood where David intended her to concentrate her efforts. She then provided him with a "thorough list" of the many initiatives she worked on, both on the product and HR sides. She continues, "Then I discussed where I felt I was making excellent progress and where I thought I was suffering."

Finally, Lisa proposed a few potential options. "If you're going to come to me with an issue, make sure you've thought about how you would solve it if you were sitting in my chair," I tell my staff.

Lisa recommended that some organizational efforts be put on hold and that particular product launches be postponed temporarily in this instance. Another option was to employ a product strategy director to take over some of her duties.

Her employer well-received both suggestions. He also provided her with some excellent leadership training and recommendations. "As I advance in my career, he warned me that my work would become less about day-to-day management and more about growing my team," she adds. "I realized I was too engaged in a lot of things. I wanted to strengthen my delegation skills and get out of the way so that my teammates could focus on their work."

Lisa is relieved that she spoke out. She describes the experience as "eye-opening." "I never would have received this executive-level coaching if I hadn't sought help."

Case Study #2: Be open and honest with your employer — and be ready to walk-on if they are unfair.

Janine Truitt used to work as an HR associate for a central hospital system. The company, located on Long Island in New York, was quickly growing its workforce, and the HR department was struggling to keep up.

Janine remembers, "I was in charge of everything from entry-level jobs to senior management positions throughout ten sites." "I was also assigned to special projects and workforce planning for hospital expansions by my boss."

She was at her wit's end after almost a decade in the healthcare industry. But, before approaching her supervisor, she discussed her burden with her closest coworkers. "I spoke with them more for moral support than to seek agreement on whether it was too much," she explains. "Everyone felt terrible for me since they were carrying far less than I was."

She requested a meeting with her director to address the situation, and when they talked, she was forthright and honest. She adds, "I told her I didn't think the present workload was sustainable." "I was never worried about the consequences of speaking out; I was worried about disappointing my coworkers and, ultimately, the patients."

Janine offered many suggestions on how to fix the issue. She suggested, for example, that entry-level hiring might be handled by a younger staffer, allowing her to concentrate on more important jobs. She also requested that she be included in discussions about the enlargement project early in the process.

"That way, I'd get a head start on the requirements and be better prepared to staff them in the future."

Unfortunately, none of her suggestions was accepted by the employer. "One thing we did was buddy up when there were comparable jobs to be filled at the same facility," Janine confided in coworkers when she was upset. That alleviated some of the pressure."

Despite this, Janine claims that her plate "remained overflowing" until the day she resigned. As the chief innovations officer, she now works at Talent Think Innovations, a company strategy and management consulting firm.

She doesn't remember her former work fondly, but she did learn something from it. "One of the essential factors in operating an effective company is workforce planning," she adds. "You must ensure that your workers are not regularly pushed beyond what is acceptable if you want to maintain customer and employee retention strong and attrition low."