From the very start of your employment, you are already open to the fact that there will be stressful times at work. Whether you are working on-site or remotely, you can never avoid the trap of these stressful times. There are days when you’ll have to juggle work and life, which can negatively impact your physical and mental health.
Now that remote work has become the new norm due to the pandemic, employees are exposed to a different level of stress and overwork. According to Owl Labs’ State of Remote Work 2020 report, 75% of the remote workers in the U.S. are more productive while working remotely. However, it is essential to know that while working remotely has its benefits, there are also drawbacks you need to watch out for.
The Negative Effects of Working Remotely: Stress and Burnout
One thing we need to thank the work-from-home set-up for is how it grants us extra productivity. But along with this benefit is a price you have to pay. Think about it: the line between work and personal life is now gone. So even if you’re at home doing your work errands, you can’t help but keep your mind on the piled-up dishes in the sink. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and overworked due to this set-up, you are not alone.
In a survey by FlexJobs and Mental Health America (MHA), they found that 37% of the employed respondents are working extra hours ever since the pandemic started. And from the 75% who have experienced burnout at work, 40% of them experienced burnout during the pandemic.
These extra hours of work during the pandemic has their own pros and cons.
Pros and Cons of Extra Work During the Pandemic
Pros
- Reinforces your skills and career growth
- Is an advantage when you want to ask for a raise or promotion
- Shows that you care about the company and your job
Cons
- Some managers like to pile on and take advantage
- Ruins the balance between work and life
- Can lead to burnout and stress
How to Tell Your Manager That You’re Overwork From Working Remotely
If you’ve reached the point where you’re feeling overwhelmed or burned out, you have to consult your manager to settle the problem. Don’t prolong the situation because it can lead to appalling consequences, like physical health problems and mental health impacts.
You can use these constructive tips to tell your manager that you have too much work on your plate.
1. Talk to your colleagues or mentors first.
You may want to consult your trusted colleagues and mentors before reaching out to your manager. You can also talk to your friends and family about it, so you can receive emotional support from them at the very least.
Because their perspectives differ from yours, it will be easier for them to discern whether you have too much work. And if you are lucky enough, these people can even provide you with potential solutions to resolve the issue. These solutions can either be implemented on your own or you can reach out to your supervisor to propose them.
2. Schedule the perfect time for a conversation.
Once you feel like you’re ready and confident enough to talk to your manager, you can now schedule the perfect time to discuss the issue. Just be sure to come prepared for the conversation, so you can present adequate documentation for your concerns.
For the documentation, you can create a list of your tasks every day. It would be better if you list them down in order of priority level. Also, you can add the time duration each task takes to finish.
Later on, you’ll realize that your manager was not aware that the tasks are time-consuming until you show the documentation. By communicating the fundamental points of your problem, you’ll be able to iron it out without any issue.
3. Prepare a proposal.
If you want to get the problem over with as soon as possible, make sure that you come prepared with full armor and swords on. You don’t want to talk to your manager complaining about how you got so much work on your plate. Instead, you must be prepared to propose the best solutions.
Below are the solutions you can propose:
- Add new tools. Maybe the problem arises from the lack of resources and tools. You can suggest to your manager some helpful resources and tools that can help you do the tasks faster.
- Delegate the tasks to other team members. Some team members might be available to help you with the responsibilities you currently have. Feel free to put this suggestion forward to your manager. Or you can ask them for better ideas regarding the delegation of tasks.
- Adjust the deadlines. Perhaps they can shift the deadlines and due dates to a later date. In this way, your daily tasks will be less overwhelming.
When you have come prepared with ideas to remedy the situation, it will be much easier to implement them.
Just be sure that when having a conversation with the manager, you always keep the focus on quality. Tell them that you don’t mind working extra hours, but you are more concerned over the fact that the quality of the output is at stake.
4. Keep it light and positive.
You don’t want to make the conversation negative, do you? Don’t make it sound as though you’re complaining. Rather, make sure that you sound like you’re informing your manager regarding the situation.
Never criticize or complain to your manager about how many tasks they are giving you. Also, comparing your workload to others is definitely a no-go. Bear in mind that your manager might not be aware that you’re feeling overwhelmed and swamped with your work.
You can try saying your concern like this: “ I don’t think I have enough time to finish the project on time. My concern here is my colleague who might fall behind as well and we might not make it to the projected deadline.”
Always remember to be direct, but don’t be emotional or aggressive.
5. Think of a better long-term strategy.
I suggest that you should always determine the project priority since it can help you with your tasks in the long run. You can ask for help from your manager in prioritizing the tasks and projects.
If you notice that your tasks are piling up, you can share a list of these tasks with your supervisor. Ask them which to tackle first. Or, you can also ask for the level of priority of every task, so you know which to start working on first.
Send your appreciation to your manager if the conversation goes well.
6. Don’t forget to stay on track as you move forward.
You should know by now that a single conversation won’t be able to solve a longstanding problem. And with that, the best way to prevent this problem from resurfacing is to keep track of the projects you’re working on.
If it helps, you can schedule a follow-up conversation with your manager just to show them your progress. Don’t forget to adjust your workflow, so you can be sure that everything is going perfectly and you’re not stressed and overwhelmed with your work.