What You Can Do About Work Overload
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Source: Partner Advantage Advisory The people who would benefit most from this article may be too busy to read it. Perhaps you can urge some of your overloaded colleagues to read it. Different personalities react in different ways to overload. Some simply stop working. They wander the office, often stopping for distracting conversation with co-workers. This is the least harmful reaction because they do not camouflage the problem. Everyone knows they have quit. Some keep very busy but accomplish very little. They spend their time organizing, preparing checklists, shuffling papers, and making things neat. This can be dangerous. Imagine if an employee did this in a hospital emergency room. Others devote all their energy to just one thing and neglect everything else. Some of those neglected tasks can be crucial. You can identify this behavior—these people often resist interaction, saying they are too busy to respond to you. Dealing with overload problems requires confronting them. Hold meetings explaining how people react to overload. Ask people to write down the three things they do to cope. This may help them recognize what they are doing and make behavior adjustments to correct it. Try to eliminate overload, not by reducing the work, but by providing support. People often take pride in being overloaded. Instead they should recognize it as a problem that should be corrected. From Partner Advantage Advisory, September 2005, p. 2. Hudson Sawyer Professional Services Marketing Inc. www.hudsonsawyer.com. Subscription $279 per year; single issues—$25. Orders |
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