Workload management icon Workload management

Includes a work environment where assigned tasks and responsibilities can be accomplished successfully within the time available, and where workers have the resources needed to do their job well.

“We have a weight to carry, and a distance we must go. We have a weight to carry, a destination we can’t know. We have a weight to carry and can put it down nowhere. We are the weight we carry, from there, to here, to there.” – Book of Counted Sorrows

Overview

What is workload management?

Workload management is present in a work environment where assigned tasks and responsibilities can be accomplished successfully within the time available. This is the risk factor that many working Canadians describe as being the biggest workplace stressor (e.g. having too much to do and not enough time to do it). It has been demonstrated that it is not just the amount of work that makes a difference, but also the extent to which workers have the resources (time, equipment, support) to do the work well.

An organization with good workload management would be able to state that:

  • The amount of work workers are expected to do is reasonable for their positions.
  • Workers have the equipment and resources needed to do their jobs well.
  • Workers can talk to their supervisors about the amount of work they have to do.
  • Workers’ work is free from unnecessary interruptions and disruptions.
  • Workers have an appropriate level of control over prioritizing tasks and responsibilities when facing multiple demands.

Most people are not only willing to work hard, but consider a “good day’s work” as fulfilling and rewarding. Workload management is important because there is a unique relationship between job demands, intellectual demands and job satisfaction. Job demands reduce job satisfaction, whereas intellectual demands, or freedom to make decisions, increase job satisfaction. Even when there are high demands, if workers also have high decision-making ability, they will be able to thrive. Having high decision-making freedom also allows for positive coping behaviours to be learned and utilized.

If any system is subject to excess load without rest, it will break. This is as true for people as it is for equipment. Increased demands, without opportunities for control, result in physical, psychological and emotional fatigue, and increase stress and strain. This has a negative influence on performance. Emotionally fatigued individuals also have a diminished sense of personal accomplishment and an increased sense of inadequacy. One of the main reasons workers feel negatively about their jobs and their employers is excessive workload.

FAQs

  • Cultivate a work culture that clearly values the quality of work done, not simply the quantity (e.g. hours worked).
  • Assign workload equitably. Consider different levels of responsibility associated with different positions.
  • Allow flexibility, as appropriate, on prioritization of tasks and deadlines.
  • Ensure that the necessary equipment and supports are available to help complete work in a timely manner (e.g. tools, technology, support staff).
  • Generate, communicate and implement timely strategies for dealing with peak periods of demand (e.g. adding temporary staff, job pools, job sharing).
  • Acknowledge and appreciate workers’ efforts during times of high work demand.

  • Provide new staff with precise and realistic information about job demands and expectations.
  • Assign tasks based on strengths and abilities of individuals, ensuring fairness throughout the process.
  • Provide education on topics relevant to managing workload (e.g. time management, use of technology).
  • Provide education on resiliency, stress management and burnout. Include information on signs, symptoms and effects of stress, as well as evidence-based strategies for self-care.

  • Communicate regularly with staff about how they can best manage and adjust their workload.
  • Inform and prepare staff for anticipated periods of increased work (e.g. seasonal demands, peak shift hours).
  • Actively involve staff in the development of strategies to better manage workload (e.g. reducing or eliminating redundant or unnecessary tasks).

  • Create written job descriptions that include clear and reasonable expectations. Revise and refine as needed.
  • Provide pay or accrued time off for approved overtime worked.
  • Ensure that systems are in place to cover staffing shortages (e.g. due to vacation, sick leave, unfilled positions).
  • Conduct job assessments to determine workload demands, fairness in work distribution and areas for improvement.
  • Provide non-salary perks during times of excessive work demands (e.g. meals, coverage of transportation costs).

Action

Next steps: Committing to improved workload management

A work environment where tasks and responsibilities can be accomplished successfully within the time available.

  • enhanced performance and productivity
  • reduced staff stress and/or burnout
  • fewer job-related errors, incidents, accidents and injuries
  • increased retention

  • Do issues related to workload management present a greater risk to particular groups of employees (e.g. new employees, certain jobs, shift workers, etc.)?
  • What are the strengths in your workplace in terms of workload management (e.g. what do you do well and what should you continue doing)?
  • What could your workplace do to improve in this area (e.g. what could you do more of and what could you do less of)?
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Workload Management is psychosocial factor 9 from CAN/CSA-Z1003-13/BNQ 9700-803/2013 – Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace. Retrieved from: https://www.csagroup.org/article/cancsa-z1003-13-bnq-9700-803-2013-r2018/. See also Guarding Minds at Work (Samra et al.): Retrieved from https://www.guardingmindsatwork.ca/resources.