When your employee says they're overworked...

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The Tool to measure the Productivity of Overworked Employees

Let's say your employee comes to you this week, and again next week and the week after to advise you that they are overworked.  How do you know if they're really overworked or if something else is going on?  How do you know if you should hire additional headcount before justifying that new position? 

The first step is to understand what the employee is spending their time on. The Job Activity Log is a spreadsheet that is completed by the employee up to 15 minute intervals that documents what they're spending their time on. If the employee reaches out to you to communicate that they're not able to cope with their workload, this will not be an antagonistic ask. It is providing a step to solution that the employee should be happy to participate in. 

Depending on the job, the log is completed during a 2 to 4 week period to ensure that all monthly cycles of work are captured for the overworked employee.  Some employees may not be happy to complete the form citing that they are too busy to complete it.  Assure them that this is the first step to solution and to help the overworked employee manage their workload. 

Job Activity Log - the Fit-bit for Evaluating a Position is a good read for setting up a process for overworked employees using your Job Activity Log. 

Other Resources to Determine if your Employee is Overworked

Another tool that may be useful is the  Weekly Status Report that is completed by the employee every week that summarizes the employee's accomplishments and results.  This is an especially useful tool.

Additional Resources:  

blog/ariane-laird-virtual-workforces-small-business

blog/work-from-home-remote-workers-distracted

blog/my-honest-experience-working-home

Reasons why your Employee may feel Overworked

Once your Job Activity Log is completed by the overworked employee, you may discover one or more of the following: 

• The employee does indeed have too much work.
• The employee's productivity level is below the standard for the position.
• The employee is spending time on the wrong tasks. 
• The employee is taking an unusually long time to complete certain tasks. 
• The employee has many distractions during the day, including attending meetings where they are not needed. 
• The employee spends time on personal activities and is not aware of the frequency of these activities.
• The employee is absent frequently.
• The employee lacks the skills to complete certain tasks.
• The employee is using manual systems because they are not comfortable with automation or computers. 
• The employee's tasks rely on other stakeholders who are not meeting deadlines. 
• The employee is being pulled in many different directions by different managers.