Work Smarter Not Harder: Tips to Eliminate Excessive Workload

Welcome back. There's a lot of talk about hustle, culture, and the grind when it comes to work, but too much of that can lead to burnout. So today, how to work smarter, not harder.

Ooh, we like that. We're here with Beth Ridley, who is a leadership expert and workplace culture consultant. And she's got all the answers.

All the answers. Oh, yeah. Morning. Good morning. Good to see you.

I think this is such a thing. You've heard about it a lot during the pandemic when people were taking on so much more. But it's a culture that's sort of praised here that you work hard, you grind, all that stuff. So why do you think employees are taking on more work?

Well, some of it is due to turnover. So if you have a teammate that leaves or goes to another job or something like that, the work just doesn't go away. So you end up absorbing it and then you sort of own it and you keep it and it just sort of becomes the new normal.

Yeah.

Another really interesting thing that's happening is companies are trying to automate and bring in new technology to help address with workload. But guess what? That new technology, you need training, it's transitioning to a new system that's extra work and also slows you down a little bit on the front end. And then one of the things that's really interesting, when I talk to people about what's at the root cause of your overload with work, they're really good at their job. And so the people who are really good at their job, guess what? People keep throwing more work at them. It ends up being kind of like this vicious cycle.

Yeah. It's almost like you're penalized for doing your job well. It's like, oh, yeah, you're great at this, so I'm gonna give you some more. Exactly what can leaders do to help their employees better manage workloads?

I think it's important to get ahead of this so to be really proactive. And there's a couple things. One, I like to say, no leader is a mind reader. Right. So you don't exactly know when people are overworked. And most leaders, when they do find out, they do wanna be helpful. So some of it is about creating the environment where people feel that they can actually speak up. Because a lot of times you feel like if I say that I've got too much work, it's going to be held against you, or people are going to think that you're not a good worker or something like that. But leaders can at least create the environment so people at least have the opportunity to speak up and express if they're feeling overworked.

Yeah, you can also, as you say, the leader can help them prioritize some of their tasks.

That's a big one.

Because that would take a lot of confidence to ask.

It takes a lot of confidence to ask. But also, I'm not that good at prioritizing because I have my list of things to do and I'm one of those people. I don't know if you're the same. I like to do the easy things first. I like to that satisfaction of crossing.

It off the list.

But a lot of times those easy things are not the most important things. So I'll do all the easy things, thinking I'm being really productive. And then half the day goes by and I haven't tackled the big stuff, the important stuff. And. And then I'm working well into the evening. So some education around prioritization. Urgent doesn't necessarily mean important. And I also, I like to challenge people. Come up with a stop this list. Like, if you go through and think of all the stuff that you know what, actually it would be okay if I just didn't do this. Let me put this on this list. And then talk to your boss about. Are these things that maybe we could just like, not do?

Yeah, maybe it doesn't all need to get done, which is an excellent point. You also say that you should make delegations a team effort. And I think some people are a lot better at delegating than others. Yeah.

And again, it's all about creating this conversation. Right. So again, if I raise my hand and say, hey, I'm a sort of at capacity, can anyone help? It's not seen as a sign of weakness or, oh my gosh, you're just dumping your work on me. But if it's more of a collaborative effort and it really comes down to communication and again, sort of setting that tone among the team, occasionally we'll all need help. And even if I'm not trained to do your job, there may be small things that I could assist with or sometimes even just sort of the moral support is helpful as well.

So how does an employee speak up then without hurting their career?

Yeah, I actually think there's a way to do it that in fact can help your career. Because if you're seen as being proactive and thoughtful and strategic about how you think about work, that's actually a good thing.

Yeah.

So I think the first thing is to speak up before it's too late. So don't speak up if the deadline is tomorrow before it's approved or if you miss the deadline. Like, that's not a good look.

Right.

So be thoughtful, be proactive, because then.

It sounds like an excuse.

It sounds like an excuse. And then also there's not much that we can do either to help. Right. Also actually document your work so you're coming in with more facts and data as opposed to feelings. So it's one thing to say, I just feel overwhelmed. It's another to say, you know, I've got all these things. Here are the deadlines. They're really stacking up. I already looked at my work in terms of what's important and what's maybe urgent, and here's what I think, and it's still a little bit too much. That's a much more thoughtful, strategic conversation.

Because I do find. I don't know if you do. I think people want to be able to do more, but sometimes it's just not realistic. I think most people have really good intentions.

Yes, correct.

And I also think it's one thing to complain about something and say, oh, I'm overworked, or this is too much for me. I'm feeling burned out. It's also important, I think, to come with solutions, have ideas on how the problem can be solved. I think that can be very helpful to your leader, your manager.

Absolutely, absolutely. Because it's in everyone's best interest to make sure the work is sustainable. Because I guess if it's too much, you burn out, you'll leave. And then there's a lot of work for everybody who's left behind. So it really is a team effort, and it all comes down to prioritization and communication and a little bit of forward thinking.

Yeah. Be proactive. I like that one. Yeah. Good to see you, Beth.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

If you know anyone who could use some of Beth's advice, we're going to have this segment available for you to rewatch anytime on themorningblend.com.