Wellbeing at Work
The conversation most people put off until it is harder to have
Many employees, especially early in their careers, carry too much quietly because they worry that saying so will look like they cannot cope. Yet most managers would rather know in week two than discover it when a deadline is missed. This session prepares people to raise workload clearly and calmly, with specifics, so the conversation ends with a decision rather than reassurance.
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Your manager cannot rebalance work they do not know about.
From the outside, an overloaded employee often looks fine until they suddenly do not. Their manager sees work arriving, perhaps a little late, and assumes it is under control. The employee assumes the manager can see how much there is. Neither says anything, and the gap grows.
A good workload conversation is not about feelings or effort. It is a shared look at what is on the list, what matters most and what can move. Prepared that way, it is one of the most ordinary conversations at work, and one of the most useful.
Preparing and holding the conversation
27 topics across 6 areas. Six steps, and one situation that needs a different route. 5 apply to almost any business; the rest only in a particular case.
Before the ConversationBring the list, not just the feeling.5
- Everything currently on your plate, in one place
- A realistic time estimate for each item
- Which deadlines are at risk, and by how much
- What you have already tried
- What you would like to change
Opening It WellFrame it as a priorities question.4
An opening such as 'I want to check priorities with you, because I cannot do all of these well by Friday' invites a decision. 'I am completely overloaded' invites reassurance, and reassurance changes nothing.
- Ask for a short, dedicated slot rather than raising it in passing
- Start with the work, not with how you feel about it
- Say what you need from the conversation
- Keep it about the next few weeks, not the whole job
What to Ask ForA specific request is easier to agree to.6
- Which of these matters most this week
- A revised deadline for one item
- Help, or a hand-over, for a specific task
- Clarity about what good enough looks like
- Fewer meetings or interruptions for a period
- A check-in in two weeks to see if it has improved
When the First Answer Is NoPushback is not always the end of it.4
- Ask what they would drop if they were in your place
- Offer two options and ask them to choose
- Agree a date to review it
- Stay factual if it becomes uncomfortable
After the ConversationWrite down what was agreed.4
- A short message summarising the decisions
- What moved, what stays and what was dropped
- When you will look at it again
- Keeping your own note of dates and outcomes
When the Manager Is the ProblemIf it appliesSome situations need another route.4
If the pressure is affecting your health, talk to a doctor or a qualified professional as well. In India, Tele-MANAS is free and available 24 hours a day on 14416.
- A skip-level conversation with their manager
- Human resources, where the organisation has it
- The internal grievance process
- For sexual harassment, the Internal Committee under the POSH Act, or the Local Committee in your district
Phrases that tend to help
- 'Which of these should come first?'
- 'If I take this on, what should move?'
- 'I can do this well by Tuesday, or quickly by Friday.'
- 'Can we look at this again in two weeks?'
Phrases that tend not to
- 'Everybody else is doing less than me.'
- 'I am fine' when you are not
- 'I will manage' as a reply to every new task
- Raising it for the first time in an annual review
How the session runs
A practitioner who has managed teams describes what managers tend to hear, and what makes them act. Participants then prepare their own list and practise the opening and the requests in pairs, using made-up scenarios rather than their real workplace if they prefer. Nobody is asked to describe their own manager. The session ends with other routes, including where to go when the issue is harassment or health rather than workload.
What your students leave with
- A prepared list of current work, with honest time estimates
- A way to open the conversation that frames it as a priorities question
- Specific requests they can make, rather than a general complaint
- Ways to respond if the first answer is 'just manage'
- A short written follow-up that records what was agreed
- Other routes to use when the manager is part of the problem
Scheduled sessions
Nothing scheduled yet
Sessions are arranged with a college once a date is agreed. Ask us and we will find the right person for it.
A student rather than a college? See what is coming up, or ask your placement team to host this.
Your manager cannot rebalance work they do not know about.
Tell us who your students are and what stage they are at. Sessions are free for participants.