Workload is a major source of stress in businesses. To ensure a good balance between personal and professional life for your employees, it is essential not to overload them. Assessing everyone's workload is not easy, however, as there are many factors to take into consideration. We offer you to better understand the challenges of workload through this article.
What is workload?
Definition
Workload is the physical and mental effort of an employee to carry out his work missions.
The different types of loads
Anact (National Agency for the Improvement of Working Conditions) developed the PRS model. It breaks down workload into 3 key dimensions:
- The prescribed load (P). It can be deduced from the employee's job description. It contains specific tasks, expectations and goals to be achieved.
- Actual workload (R). It is the one that is really carried out by the employee. It includes all the invisible tasks that make the load bigger than expected. Unsuitable tools, imponderables, absent colleagues, can for example make missions more complicated and longer than expected.
- The perceived load (P). It is the subjective assessment that the employee makes of the efforts he makes to accomplish his tasks. It can be more important than the actual load, because often difficult working conditions lead to an increased perception of the workload.
With these elements, we realize that evaluating the workload of employees is not easy: many components must be taken into account in order to have a precise and objective idea of the efforts to be made to accomplish a simple task.
Why is it essential to properly assess the workload?
Offering an adequate workload to your employees is essential: this makes it possible to maximize the company's performance based on the resources available. This also offers a good balance to employees, who are then in the best possible conditions to be productive.
Attention, in case of overwork, the consequences may be:
- an increase in stress levels;
- one high absenteeism rate ;
- an inability to meet the deadlines to complete the work;
- a decrease in motivation and a disengagement of employees;
- an increase in psychosocial risks, in particular burnout (professional exhaustion due to overwork), with significant consequences on the health of employees.
While it is common to believe that underworkload is not harmful, the reality is quite different, as it can lead to:
- a feeling of uselessness, which can lead to bore-out (professional exhaustion due to boredom);
- demotivation;
- a regression in acquired skills due to lack of practice.
Finding the right balance is therefore essential, both for the well-being of the company, but also for that of the employees.
What methods should be used to assess workload in business?
When you want to assess the workload of one or more employees, two types of analysis can be carried out: quantitative analysis and qualitative analysis. They are very complementary.
Quantitative analysis
Quantitative analysis is interesting because it makes it possible to observe certain objective information, and to compare it.
The first step in this analysis is to collect data such as working hours, number of tasks performed, delivery times, rest times, etc.
You then need to analyze this data using performance indicators, for example, by calculating the number of tasks completed per hour, the rate of project completion on time, the number of overtime hours needed on average, etc.
All these figures should allow you to have a more precise idea of the workload of each employee. It is then interesting to make comparisons between employees in the same team, or between different departments. Load adjustments can be made using this data.
Qualitative analysis
Qualitative analysis aims to more accurately detect the workload perceived by employees.
To do this, you can conduct interviews to better understand everyone's perception of their workload. This type of discussion should make it possible to identify the sources of stress and the obstacles encountered in carrying out tasks. This eventually makes it possible to identify areas for improvement. In some cases, anonymous surveys are necessary so that employees can more easily express their feelings.
It is also very useful for managers to spend time in the field to observe how tasks are done and the daily challenges teams face.
Tips for better managing the workload of your employees
If you realize that your employees have too much work, it is imperative to prioritize projects. If tasks are not urgent, postpone them. If some can be delegated to other employees who have less work, do not hesitate to do so. Finally, if work overload is regular throughout the year, consider recruiting an additional employee.
Also consider using project management tools such as Trello, Asana or Monday.com. They allow you to track tasks, manage deadlines and visualize the workload of each employee in real time. It is then easier to adjust everyone's workload thanks to the global vision they offer.
Finally, check in regularly with your employees to assess their workload and find out how they feel. This makes it possible to act quickly in case of overload and not to be overwhelmed. Pay particular attention to employees who work from home: on average, they are more affected by stress and overwork.
Assessing the workload of employees is essential in a company: this makes it possible to protect employees from certain RPS (psychosocial risks), while maximizing productivity. However, it is a complex process that requires a multi-dimensional approach. By combining quantitative analysis, qualitative assessment and the use of technological tools, you can obtain a complete and accurate vision of the workload of your employees. Such an assessment not only optimizes productivity, but also guarantees the well-being of employees, thus strengthening their commitment and satisfaction. Adopting effective workload management therefore contributes to the overall success of your business.
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