How To Deal With Overloaded Work? Tips, Causes & Symptoms

Have you ever experienced the pressure of completing a task within a tight deadline?

This is when work overload sets in, where the amount of work becomes overwhelming, making it challenging to manage effectively. Work overload can happen for various reasons, either temporarily or consistently, leading to a higher-than-usual workload.

In this blog, we will learn about the following:

• Overloaded Work In A Job
• Why Does Work Overload Happen?
• 4 Tips To Deal With Work Overload
• 4 Ways to Get Rid Of Overloaded Work
• Symptoms Or Signs Of Overload Work

What Do You Mean By Overloaded Work In A Job?

Overloaded work in a job can be explained as a situation where growing companies can't afford to hire new people. They overburden staff with extra hours.

When an employee is burdened with a huge amount of work in their organization that exceeds their capacity, it can lead to overload in his/her job. When individuals face this, they may experience stress, less productivity, and overall job satisfaction.

People who face this in jobs tend to have a tougher working phase. They are pressured to work overtime and might be paid or unpaid. The employees face short breaks, very few days off, and no vacations. Furthermore, they end up hating their jobs and cannot manage a healthy work-life balance.

Why does work overload happen?

According to a study by Katherina Kuschel from the University of Desarrollo, there are mainly two types of work overload in a job:

1. Qualitative Work Overload

Qualitative work overload is the work overload that happens when the work tasks given are too challenging according to their skill, experience, or capabilities. Some characteristics of qualitative work overload are:

• The work might be highly ambiguous.
• Special skills are required to complete the task.
• No preparation or adequate training has been provided to the employee.
• The employee has to multitask several tasks leading to an overload.

2. Quantitative Work Overload

Quantitative work overload can be understood as too much work and responsibilities assigned to be completed within a given timeframe. It relates to the amount of work rather than the difficulty of work.

Some characteristics of quantitative work overload include:

• The employee has excessive tasks piled up, requiring more time than regular hours.
• Rapidly switching between tasks instead of focusing on one thing at a time.
• There are not enough people to handle the amount of work. The work hasn't been properly distributed among people.

4 Tips to Deal With Work Overload

1. Gamifying the work

We can gamify the work into a game by rewarding ourselves after completing the task.

2. Using automation techniques

Some work can be automated using automated tools or computer software. This can help in reducing work overload and additionally save time.

3. Time Capsule Technique

This technique is used by setting a time limit for a specific work. This is so that the focus is generated only on that work without distractions. In this way, there is no delay and overlapping of work.

4. Setting Deadlines

Deadlines can be challenging, so if anyone sets deadlines for their work, they can finish their work/project before the date of submission/completion.

4 Ways To Get Rid Of Workload

Dealing with this requires systematic planning and creative thinking, i.e., “thinking out of the box.” Here is a list of suggestions with both systematic and creative thinking:

1. Prioritizing the tasks

The first and most common way to get rid of work overload is by prioritizing our tasks. We can segment our tasks according to our priority, what needs to be done first and what is not to be done, and focus on the prioritized task to avoid overload.

2. Taking Breaks

Some people habitually do work continuously without any breaks. Taking breaks help refresh our mind and also boosts productivity. They must schedule short breaks within our work so that we can relax in between our working hours.

3. Saying No

Many employees have the habit of agreeing to every task their head assigns them. They can decline politely when asked for additional projects if they are already piled up with projects and works.

4. Delegating the work

It is impossible for a single person to handle and manage all work sections. So employees can delegate some part of their work to others to avoid overload.

Symptoms or Signs of Overloaded Work:

Work Overload can affect a person both physically and psychologically. Overloading at work is very common today. Companies look to cut down expenses, so they decide to keep fewer employees, which leads to an overload of the working.

Work Overload Symptoms can be categorized into:

1. Physical Symptoms
2. Psychological Symptoms

1. Physical Symptoms

I. Lack of motivation

A person might feel demotivated in his workplace due to constant work pressure on him/her. This might also lead to disengagement in work.

II. Constant fatigue

Even after rest, there is a constant feeling of lack of energy and motivation to do work. This is a symptom of work overload.

III. Sleep disturbance

Pressure to handle work can lessen sleep hours effectively. Overload can also lead to insomnia, restlessness, and insufficient sleep.

IV. Sick days and fewer social interactions

Working more than the job hours leads to various sicknesses. Eventually, you end up falling sick and calling out of work. Moreover, being bombarded with work shows signs of avoiding colleagues and less social interaction.

V. Forgetfulness

People tend to forget important dates and details in the workplace. As a result, it may also affect missing important deadlines. People become so involved in work that they repeatedly forget the other tasks.

2. Psychological Symptoms

I. Rushed

A constant rush is observed in the workplace when there is too much to do and insufficient time. The feeling of being rushed often leads to lower-quality work and burnout over time.

II. Procrastination

When loads of work are being assigned, there might be a sign of postponing or delaying the work. There might also be a sign of poor communication of giving updates on work status out of fear.

III. Increased Absenteeism

There is high absenteeism in the workplace. The employee might feel disengaged in their work due to overload, so they remain absent. Overloading causes stress, anxiety, and poor sleep habits, which can also be a reason for absenteeism.

Bottom Line

Overloaded work is a serious issue affecting countless individuals in today's professional world. The stress it puts on employees affects productivity, reduces job satisfaction, and impacts physical and mental well-being.

Work overload requires an approach having many sides, which involves both the employers and employees. Work-life balance, the well-being of the employees, and effective workload management should be prioritized by the employers to avoid a toxic work environment.

Frequently asked questions(FAQs)

1. What is an example of work overload?

An example of work overload is when a company is not making profits and wants to reduce expenses to lessen the number of employees. So they assign more work to the remaining employees for productivity.

2. What are the common symptoms of work overload?

Some common symptoms of work overload are:

• Lack of energy for simple tasks
• Difficulties balancing a social life and work life
• Feeling distracted with every task
• Frequent mood swings
• Always on a negative perspective

3. How many hours is overworking?

According to a study by World Health Organization(WHO), working more than 55 hours per week is considered overworking, with a 35% higher risk of a stroke and a 17% higher risk of dying from heart disease.

4. Should I work extra nights and weekends to catch up if I am behind?

No, you needn't work extra hours if you are behind. Instead, it's better to speak to your manager/boss to extend the deadlines and also maintain the work-life balance.

This article has been written by Arunav Deka. He works as a Marketing Intern at Vantage Lens. He is pursuing MBA at Assam Institute of Management. He is deeply intersted in photography and exploring the unexplored. After his working hours you can find him in the kitchen cooking or improving his acting skills.