Ruth Spellman OBE is the chief executive of the Chartered Management Institute. She replies:
A few weeks ago I overheard a discussion about responsibilities at work where someone commented that they felt overburdened with their task list. The response was unhelpful. They were simply told that ‘overload is a matter of perspective’ and that they were imagining a problem.
One person’s mountain of paperwork is another person’s challenge, as some people can handle heavier workloads than others. Yet a Chartered Management Institute survey shows that to cope with excessive amounts of work, the average manager works 1.3 hours a day over contract – roughly 40 extra days a year.
You cannot afford to let the situation get out of control, as the likely result will be missed deadlines and poor performance. Talk to your line manager and explain the problem before that happens – they have a duty of care to ensure you are able to deliver.
You will be expected to take some responsibility yourself and the key to managing overload is to develop an attitude of control.
Organise yourself by spending a few minutes at the start of each day working out what you need to do and what information is required. Ignore anything else – train yourself to focus. Control the environment in which you work. Have a clear desk and turn off your emails for a while.
This will enable you to handle one task at a time with a clear mind.
If you find you are making mistakes or having to re-read information, it is time for a break. You are more likely to succeed if you keep yourself refreshed.
Turn to others for help. One person covering for several staff is just not practical. Asking other members of the team to help is not a sign of weakness but rather an indication that you are thinking
of the team as a whole.
Tags: Ask an Expert, Chartered Management Institute, Enterprise Zone, Job clinic, Managing staff
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