Are your employees facing excessive workloads? How can you prove that they are overworked? quarksUp, an HRIS solution, takes stock of this complicated issue.
The 3 key points to remember:
An overflowing inbox, a frantic pace of work, an overbooked schedule, or long working days: are some of your employees at risk of burnout? As an HR professional, it is important for you to know how to identify the warning signs of work overload. This concept, which is becoming less and less taboo, remains somewhat vague to define. How can you prove that someone is overworked? How can you set up an effective employee relationship management system to remedy the situation? quarksUp helps you see things more clearly and avoid burnout.
There is a legal vacuum surrounding the concept of excessive workload. The term is not mentioned in the Labor Code. This concept also remains vague in the eyes of social security authorities in cases of workplace accidents or occupational illnesses.
Nevertheless, work overload can be defined as an unreasonable workload. We can therefore refer to certain factual data, such as working hours, overtime, or even numerical targets.
Overtime pay is mandatory beyond the legal working hours (35 hours) or the equivalent in certain sectors. All employees are entitled to overtime pay, with the exception of senior executives.
Finally, according to the Labor Code, it is the company's responsibility to ensure the safety and "physical and mental health of workers." As an HR professional, you must therefore take this concept into account in order to prevent any risk of burnout within your teams.
There are warning signs to look out for as soon as possible to identify work overload. Have you noticed unusual behavior in one of your employees? Be alert to the warning signs of burnout:
Have you noticed that an employee regularly sends emails late at night or on weekends from home? Are you concerned about a colleague's surprising reactions? Have you realized that an employee is not making progress? Take these signs seriously. They may be the early signs of burnout.
Work overload is not beneficial for either the employee or the employer. In fact, it leads straight to burnout and its harmful consequences.
Be aware of workplace accidents caused by excessive workloads. In the event of an accident related to excessive workload, the employer could be held liable for failing to comply with safety obligations.
Burnout also leads to poor productivity. Employees who are at the end of their tether gradually lose interest in their work. Tasks pile up.
Finally, an employee who is overworked is more likely to make mistakes. Tasks will be poorly performed and customers will be dissatisfied.
How can you prove that someone is overworked? To do so, it is important to identify the source of the problem. Is it a matter of poor personal organization on the part of the employee? Is the overload due to a temporary project? Are tasks being distributed appropriately?
Base your arguments on concrete figures:
As you can see, work overload can be linked to various human resources issues. Precise HR management makes it easier to identify.
As HR, it is your responsibility to tackle this issue head-on. With one goal in mind: to find ways to improve and remedy the excessive workload.
1 - Alert managers
Once work overload has been identified, it is essential not to allow the situation to continue over time. HR managers must alert the managers concerned so that they can assess the situation.
2 - Organize an HR meeting with the employee and the manager
To resolve this crisis situation, dialogue is key. A factual meeting with the employee and the manager will help clarify the situation. This will be an opportunity to review overtime hours and heavy workloads. It is necessary to raise managers' awareness of these issues.
3 - Propose an action plan
This collective point should lead to the development of an action plan aimed at reducing the employee's workload. This may involve various measures, depending on the cause of the excessive workload:
Conduct an audit to assess the risks associated with workload in the company (quarksUp can help you set up questionnaires to assess quality of life at work, for example);
Recruit additional talent;
Reorganize everyone's workload;
Extend deadlines;
Train employees in prioritizing actions (quarksUp tools help you manage the implementation of training programs);
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