Excessive workload is one of the main reasons people feel dissatisfied with their work and, consequently, it harms the activity of companies. This article will tell you what the causes of task overload are, how they affect individuals and businesses, and what can be done to change this situation.
What Is Overwork, And What Are Its Causes?
The term ” overwork ” refers to an excessive workload that reduces employees’ productivity and prevents the entire achievement of the objectives set. Among the reasons why this overload occurs, the following should be highlighted:
- There are many meetings in which relevant issues are not discussed, or there are employees who should not be in them.
- The low coordination and organization between the team members and between the workgroups generate chaos and confusion in the day-to-day working people.
- The imbalance between work time and rest time is because the brain needs to take a break to perform at its best and not slow down productivity.
- You are taking on too many tasks, forcing workers to work overtime to complete them.
- Poorly managed expectations, such as believing that the more work you do, the more personal or professional value you get.
How Does Work Overload Affect?
Overwork has negative consequences for the person who suffers it, and its effects affect both their personal and work life, among which are :
- Memory loss
- Trouble sleeping and resting
- Stress
- Depression
- Frustration
- Low productivity
- Lack of empathy
- Low tolerance for criticism
Why Is Excessive Workload Also Detrimental To The Company?
In addition to being harmful to workers, overwork negatively affects companies. By having people who are saturated and unable to work in full use of their faculties, the teams’ performance drops and, with it, the general production of the organization. If this issue is not dealt with in time, it can become a severe problem for the company.
Likewise, the overload of employees can also have negative consequences for the company at an economic level. If workers work too many overtime hours because they are tired and perform less well in their tasks, the company will have to pay for those hours, although it will be assuming a higher cost for the same results.
Tips To Reduce Workload
Overwork is a problem that must be stopped at the individual level and at the company itself. In each of these dimensions, there are a series of guidelines that will help minimize task overload and increase productivity at work:
- At the individual level
- Designate a specific time for each task you are going to perform. In this way, you will avoid spending unnecessary time on some activities that you have to carry out, and you will be able to keep your most perfectionist side under control.
- Organize your work in advance. Plan the day before what you will have to do the next day and prioritize according to the relevance of each topic. This will help you to be more efficient in your performance.
- Set realistic break times and use them to relax, and while you’re working, try to keep distractions like social media to a minimum.
- Learn to delegate tasks. Instead of getting everything under control, trust the right people to help you get the workload done.
- At the business level
- Eliminate unnecessary meetings. Carry out the essentials and summon only the necessary people.
- Improve communication between the workforce and between leaders and their teams. In this way, everyone will feel more comfortable asking for help with tasks that they cannot solve and that is weighing them down, or if they cannot cover all the assigned work.
- Make a rational distribution of tasks to team members. Realistically estimate how long it takes to do each of them, and then assign them to those who can do the best. If you are not the only person in charge of establishing the tasks, always remember the workload that can come from another side.
- Learn to trust your employees and reduce task control reviews from experienced employees.
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