ALT-3 Practical Ways to Explain that your Workload is too Heavy
Is your workload feeling a little too heavy at work? Plenty of workers across the country are feeling exactly the same way you are. It can feel like you are complaining if you ask for your workload to be reduced, or to mention that your workload is too heavy. However, there are ways in which you can ask for a lighter workload that your boss will understand.
The first thing you can do is to show your boss how your workload is affecting you. Say you are working in retail and you are expected to stock shelves while also ringing out customers. You can show your boss how it is impossible to both ring a register while also stocking shelves at the same time. How do you sort and stock while customers are waiting in line?
Point to some sort of objective data that shows your workload is too high. Perhaps you can show your boss that you are producing as many units as two people might average, but there are too many units to produce. The boss would then understand that you are doing a lot of work, but that you need help to keep things flowing.
You can always look to how many hours you are working as an indication of how high your workload is. If you are constantly working 50 or 60 hours a week, it can point to the fact that your load may be too heavy to hold. Perhaps the office is shorthanded, but you don't see a lot of companies with sufficient help with workers consistently working overtime. That is bad for business and costs the company money.
Sometimes the most practical way is to be direct and to the point. The best way to do this without sounding like you are complaining is to be direct about what parts of your workload affect you the most. Offer alternatives that will allow you to be more effective at getting your work done without it being as much of a hindrance. If your commute takes two hours off your day, you might suggest working at home a couple days a week, or working flexible hours to allow you to work during a quiet time of the day that offer fewer distractions.
Telling your boss that your workload is too much can sometimes be a recipe for disaster. However, if you are willing to offer proof that you aren't just trying to loaf all day, it can be an effective way to convince the boss that he is working you too hard. While you never want to slack, it can't hurt to point out where too much work can be affecting everyone in the company.
