It can be intimidating to go to your boss and say it straight to their face that the work they are assigning you is too little or too much. However, sometimes you have just to let it out because if you don’t, the situation will continue and you might eventually feel overwhelmed, bored, underworked, or overworked. Remember your boss is not a mind reader and won’t know unless you communicate it to them. So, reach out to and have a conversation about the workload.
Ask a Third Party First
When you feel you have too much on your plate at the workplace, it is important to contact a third party for their observation. They might be a professional, a colleague a friend or family to confirm if what you think is right. You might just be lazy.
You can also see your supervisor to clarify on what your work entails. If they find it too much or too little, you can now face your boss and let them know what is happening in your position.
If you Can’t Say it Leave Clues
Thanks to technology we can timestamp what we do. As you deliver your work late after office hours, send it with the time indicated on it – every time. If you have too much work and come in the earliest, just ensure your boss notices you come in before anyone else, and leave later after everyone is gone. With this strategy, you do not need to bicker all over the office how hardworking you are in the office.
Be Honest
When you have a problem at home and cannot tackle the current workload, tell your boss about it with honesty. Tell them that ignoring this problem might have a negative impact on your performance at work. If he or she is a good boss, they will understand. Burning yourself out while you have bothering issues is not the best way forward.
Come up With Solutions
Lack of enough tasks to do could mean that you are replaceable. Lacking enough work in the office can be equally demoralizing. Come up with ideas to fill the extra time you spend on your phone. Offer to help your boss and workmates to fill up the extra time you spend on your phone.
Have Priorities in Place
When you already have too much to handle and your boss insists on giving more work, ask them which task you should prioritize before the others. This way, your boss will start noticing that you already have a lot of work and how long it take to accomplish a particular task.
Communicating with your boss about your workload, even though nerve-wracking, should happen whether directly or indirectly. How you convey this message, however, needs to be clear and not come out as complaining. Ensure you are clear enough on what you intend to achieve. If they ask you what part or amount of the work they can scrap or add, you need to have a clue what will work.
