When your team is understaffed based on the current workload, the most common response from management is to push employees harder to get the job done. This can lead to long days, weekends at work, and even canceled vacations.2
If the situation is short-term, it may not be too much to ask your workers to burn the midnight oil. However, if the situation isn’t going to change on its own soon, you need to intervene if you want to make sure your employees won’t burn out along the way. Here’s what you can do if your team is overworked.
Talk to Them About Overtime
The quickest way to get more work done with fewer employees often is to start using overtime. But forcing your entire team to pull extra hours isn’t always the best approach. Whenever possible, sit down with your staff and discuss the possibility of overtime with them before making it a requirement. This allows you to see if specific members of the group are open (or even excited) about the opportunity to make a little extra money (suggesting overtime pay is authorized) while helping to keep everything on track. It can also indicate whether your employees resent being pushed to this level. You could also consider compensatory time off as an option for salaried workers.
Ideally, these should be one-on-one conversations between you and each worker. This gives everyone a chance to speak and be heard without the pressure associated with a group setting. It also makes it more comfortable for those who have challenges in their personal life that would make overtime particularly unbearable, as they won’t have to share these details with the group.
Typically, you’ll find at least a portion of your staff is willing to volunteer for overtime. By taking their desires into consideration first, you may be able to avoid overtime for those in situations where the extra work would be especially burdensome, or at least lessen the amount they must take on.
Reward Them for Their Efforts
Regardless of whether your team gets overtime pay, providing them with rewards for taking on the extra work can help keep motivation up during challenging times. These incentives can demonstrate you understand what is being asked of them and that you appreciate their willingness to do what is necessary to stay on track. Anything from financial bonuses to small gifts can be appropriate1, and a heartfelt “thank you” can even go a long way. Consider what motivates your team and see if there is a particular reward that would speak to them personally, as this will have a stronger impact than something generic.
Bring in Extra Staff
The best way to ensure your staff isn’t overworked is to bring in new employees to carry some of the burden when necesary. If the need for more-hands-on-deck is long-term, see if you can bring in new permanent staff members to support the group’s goals. For short-term issues, hiring experienced temporary workers can be an excellent solution.
Work With a Top Staffing Agency in Marietta
In either case, your current team gets a reprieve from the increased workload, and you can still guarantee the job gets done in a timely manner. If you are interested in hiring additional permanent or temporary employees to take the strain off your overworked team, the recruitment professionals at Employ Partners can locate the ideal candidates. Contact us today to discuss your need and see how our services as a leading staffing agency can work for you.
1 – https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/217386
2 – https://hbr.org/2015/08/the-research-is-clear-long-hours-backfire-for-people-and-for-companies
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