Workload and time pressure: when the score is low

What the regulation says

The regulation on the performance of work § 1A-1 names «workload and time pressure that involve an imbalance between the work to be done and the time available» as one of the psychosocial factors. In its comments, Arbeidstilsynet writes that this can mean working a lot, for long hours or at a high pace, without enough breaks or recovery.

Read the number right

A low workload score means many experience an imbalance. Before you choose measures, look at:

• Who – is it the whole organisation or one group? A department that stands out often has a local cause.
• Which statements – is it the amount, the pace or the lack of breaks that pulls the score down?
• The trend – has it dropped since last time? Then something has changed.
• What surrounds it – low support from the manager or unclear roles at the same time make the load heavier.

Common causes

Arbeidstilsynet points out that the strain often comes from many, large or demanding tasks while time or resources fall short. In practice it is often about:

• staffing that does not fit the tasks, or absence that is not covered
• unclear priorities, so everything is equally urgent
• interruptions and tasks arriving from many directions
• deadlines set without asking the people who will do the work
• new tasks added without anything being taken away

Measures that address the cause

Arbeidstilsynet writes that measures should as far as possible address the causes, such as organisational conditions. For workload, that means measures aimed at the individual – a stress management course, a time management app – are rarely enough on their own.

Measure whether it helped

A workload measure is often felt quickly – or not at all. Run a short pulse on workload a couple of months after the measure is in place. If the number has not moved, the measure missed the cause, and you need to go back to the group and ask again. Read more about getting from results to measures.