Overworked and understaffed

spikeboy_2

Hi all,


I'd really appreciate some advice on a situation at work. I work in an office and on my section there is a total of 3 workers (including myself). We have a deputy manager and a manager. My section has lost 3 workers over the past 3 to 4 years but the work is still intense and I would say we need at least 1 more person to cope with it. However, we have been told that we are not getting anyone else as the company feels we have enough people to deal with the work (even though they've never provided evidence of how they reached this decision). My colleagues and I work our butts off each and everyday and struggle to keep our heads above water with the workload sometimes even working through lunch. Other departments dotted around the office seem to be able to have a laugh and seem like some of them have too many people for their workload (some even spend time shopping on the internet in work hours)! We've brought these related issues to our deputy manager and manager on numerous occasions but always get brushed off with varying excuses. I don't feel that there is much empathy/sympathy towards our situation. Isn't there a minimum number of breaks we are legally entitled to during a day? Would going direct to HR be an option? Personally I feel like quitting and walking away as no job is worth feeling this stressed out about. Any advice would be appreciated. Many thanks!

p00hsticks

spikeboy wrote: »

Isn't there a minimum number of breaks we are legally entitled to during a day?

Assuming you're working more than six hours a day, you're entitled to one twenty minute break

http://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/faqs/workingtime.htm

Fluffi

Sorry to feel that you are feeling stressed out. On the breaks, you're only entitled to one 20 minute break for every 6 hours worked.

https://www.gov.uk/rest-breaks-work/overview

So if you work a 9:00 to 5:30pm day, then technically you're only entitled to take 20 mins break in the entire day, e.g. your lunch break.

I'm not sure going to HR will help - if there is no budget to hire another person they can't change that.

If can you put together some documentation that would demonstrate how long each of your tasks take you then maybe you can show it to your managers to prove you're working at overcapacity. Its more difficult to argue with concrete data but it really depends if there is money to hire someone else.

However if you're feeling too stressed out and management aren't listening to your concerns, personally in your shoes I'd find a new job and move on.

mustang121

Only you and your team are the experts in your area. How can your managers/directors possibly be in a position to tell you how many people you need since they don't do your work?


You need to think "continuous improvement" with your own procedures. What takes so long? Where is the bottleneck of work coming from? Why is there a bottleneck in the first place? How could the bottleneck be removed?


If budgeting is an issue then can you not borrow another member of staff from another department to assist you? (you said yourself that other people have plenty of spare time)


What would happen to the work if you and/or your team suddenly died tomorrow?

theoretica

What does your contract say about lunch? Many are more generous than the legal minimum.

You are also entitled to take the break away from your place of work. I suggest you do so for your full entitlement according to the contract - and if you can't do everything it won't get done. How would your manager like you to prioritise? You are taking care of your health. Either work will need to provide more people, less work, or training in how they think your job can be done faster.

ohreally

Fluffi wrote: »

On the breaks, you're only entitled to one 20 minute break for every 6 hours worked.

I'd read again.

Fluffi

ohreally wrote: »

I'd read again.

You're correct Ohreally, its one 20 minute break if you work more than a 6 hour day. So even if you work a 13 hr day its still only a 20 minute allowance.

Tygermoth

in a job i had a little while ago...I was covering another role as well as my own. Then the business advised that they did not have the funds to replace the leaver and as i had done a bang up job i would be 'absorbing' the role in mine. I was horrified, i was working my rear off just keeping both roles afloat and the only thing keeping me going was the fact i could pass it back to a new starter. It honestly was two full time jobs and they were trying to jam it into one full time. A few weeks later my co-workers also were made to 'absorb' roles ( in some cases things like HR work when they didn't have a clue!)

Roll on a few months and another two staff left as they had also been given unrealistic extra workloads and all their tasks were passed out to the team a huge chunk in my direction. At this point i became very stressed. There was so much pressure, so many plates spinning in the air that i was aware that soon it was all going to come crashing down.

Everyone were getting dragged in so may directions, had so may tasks that we were not getting anything fully done. Management were unsympathetic and frankly felt that we were whining and to pull our selves up by our bootstraps and knuckle down. I genuinely felt (as they were field based) that we just sat about laughing and drinking tea whining when we had some filing to do.... puttering about in our cosy office talking about EastEnders and the latest celeb scandal. Nothing could be further from the truth! most days we are so busy that no one has a lunch or any form of break for that matter.

We explained the workload was unrealistic as well as unsustainable... cue lots of pointed Management speak about 'better planning' or 'cutting the fat' as well as 'time management' and that nothing would change regarding them taking on new people. However anyway you look at it a team of 5 can not carry another 6 full-time (and two part time) roles on top of their own. Cutting the fat be damned. When the cracks started to show and important things were missed then the knives came out. Bonuses were removed, work improvement notices and snide nasty comments about not being up to standard were banded about....

I have moved on doing the same for the same pay but its correctly staffed, and hells bells it makes so much of a difference.

Leave. its not worth it.

pineapple123

Spikeboy.. The problem why nothing is being done to address the situation is because as you have said your dept works its butt off even through lunch sometimes. As long as your dept are getting everything done why would they employ anyone else. You need to get together collectively with the others in your department and agree to work at a pace which is manageable and have all breaks regardless if work needs doing. You need to make your employers see that your dept cant cope, make the workload back up they will have to take note and do something to resolve the situation.

JoolzS

I have no real advice, but I totally understand. Many years ago I was in a job where my workload almost doubled overnight but for months and months I couldn't get any help with it. I eventually left ...and was replaced by two people because apparently no one person could do that much work .... sigh

getmore4less

Take your contractual breaks and leave the building so you cannot be contacted.

Don't come in early and start leaving on time stuff can wait.

if there is too much work prioritize or ask for work to be prioritized.

It will depend on how work is generated and who the stakeholders are.

When new work comes in give timescales

you : We can't do that till next week
them : This is important we need it yesterday.
you : you better ask bossman if it is more important than XXX(list of things you are currently doing) we are doing for YYY(list of the more important people).

Off loading and delegating is another stratagy if the work allows for that approach.

Identify the things that are total waste of time, there always is stuff that can be eliminated, if not done no one will notice or care. or ever need it.


How are holidays and sick managed if you are understaffed?

Are you paid for overtime?