A while back, I worked at a Day Job that was really, really busy. While I was there the workload went up exponentially, though we only had a small increase in staff. That meant we had slightly more people doing a LOT more work, which meant way more work for all of us.
During that extremely busy time, my boss dealt with the situation by checking in that we were constantly on task and not goofing off. “Utilize your time well,” was her favorite phrase (complete with pretentious use of the word “utilize”), and she repeated it over and over at meetings.
Years later at a different Day Job, I experienced something similar. At this particular Day Job I was responsible for waaaaaaaaaaay more work than a reasonable person could do in a 40-hour workweek, which led to a lot of stress and confusion. To make matters worse, my boss often expected me to be in two places at once, and would regularly add extra tasks on to my already enormous workload.
This time, I tried explaining to my boss that there was simply too much work to do. However, when I did, he always pivoted and said that I needed to manage my work better, stop wasting time, and learn to prioritize. I needed to set better boundaries, he said, before he reprimanded me for not finishing one of the many tasks he’d given me that day.
Both of these stories illustrate a common Bad Boss Tactic: Blaming employees for not being able to do the impossible.
Victim-Blaming Allows Companies to Shift Blame When There’s Too Much Work to Be Done
This next part is going to sound absolutely crazy, but bear with me: There’s only so much a person can do in a workday.
Or, to put that more accurately: There’s only so much a person can do in a workday without working overtime.
Lots of companies, though, like to conveniently forget this when things get tough, and leave their workers to handle an onslaught of work that’s clearly too much for them. Sometimes this happens because of ignorance: In many cases, the people in charge don’t know the workload is overwhelming, and they assume the workers can handle it all.
This, though, isn’t really an excuse, because bosses should be more aware of how much work their employees are dealing with, and have honest expectations about what’s reasonable and what’s not. It’s part of their jobs as bosses, for Christ’s sake!
Instead, it’s always easier for the boss to blame their employees for not doing the work. In the real world, a boss might say something like…
- You need to use your time well
- You need to prioritize
- You can’t waste time
- Sometimes you need to work a little harder
- It’s your responsibility to handle the work
- You need to get better at multitasking
- You can’t take such long breaks
- You have to stay on task
And so on. Notice that all of these statements include the word “you” (the worker) and that none of them mention the boss or the company and what they can do to make things better. As a result, all of these reprimands make the boss seem responsible and in control while making the employee look like an immature slacker who can’t manage their responsibilities.
While there are of course some employees that aren’t good at managing their time, most employees aren’t like that, but get treated like they’re in the bad camp. Some might even start to believe that they’re not good at managing their time, and will try to manage impossible workloads out of shame and embarrassment that it’s their fault. Don’t let this happen to you!!!
Remember: In situations where competent employees are working reasonably hard but can’t finish everything, the real blame lies on the bosses and the company for poorly managing the workload.
Why Do Bosses Ignore Employee Workload Problems?
Bosses ignore their employees’ overwhelming workloads for a variety of reasons, I think. One is that they just wrongly assume that employees should “take responsibility” (to use a cliche phrase) and handle the work themselves in as many hours as it takes, even though for many jobs this is illegal under the Fair Labor Standards Act. This can be a way for the boss to wash their hands of the problem and put it on the employee(s) to handle the overwhelming work. Then, when problems come up (employee burnout, work not getting done, mistakes made because employees are working too fast), the boss can point to the employees and say it’s their fault.
In short: Bosses can victim-blame workers for systemic workplace problems.
Another, more understandable reason is that most bosses have bosses of their own who they have to report to. Your boss might have trouble talking to their boss about the workplace problems just like you do. In these cases, the boss might be afraid to mention the workload issues to their boss, so they try to handle the problem themselves—which means putting pressure on their employees to get all the work done.
To these bosses who are afraid to bring up the issue, I say, Man the fuck up! It’s your job to handle the people you supervise and the work they’re responsible for, so grow a pair and take action to solve the problem!
Finally, some bosses might have tried talking about the workload problems to their bosses, but were shot down. The boss’s boss will often have some excuse like “We don’t have enough money to hire more people,” which is something I’ve heard over and over at my own jobs, and from my friends at their jobs too.
If this is the case, you’re dealing with a workplace that has extreme systematic issues, and you should make plans to get the hell out. Bosses (and boss’s bosses) like to repeat these excuses over and over again, for years or even decades, and they aren’t going to go away. Worse yet, they might dangle carrots like “Oh, we’re working on hiring more people” or “We’re working on giving you a raise/promotion for all the hard work you’ve been doing,” then string the employees along as long as possible.
If this sounds familiar, you have a toxic workplace and I really, really encourage you to leave.
Final Thoughts: Try Talking It Out
Day Job problems are not cool, and you know I’m a big fan of speaking out and taking action when there’s a Day Job problem. Whether it’s talking to your boss when you’re experiencing stress or speaking out about more serious workplace issues, the first step to fixing these problems should always be talking to other people about them, starting with your coworkers and moving on to your boss.
I know these conversations can be difficult to start, but I promise that if you talk with your boss one-on-one and explain the issues reasonably, there’s no possible way it can make you look bad. In fact, your boss might even be grateful for the chance to discuss the problem in a private setting! It also pegs you as a responsible, clearheaded employee who’s not afraid to speak up for themselves, which will improve the rapport you have with your boss moving forward, even if the problem doesn’t get fixed right away.
Trust me: Everyone worries about these conversations with their bosses, but they rarely if ever lead to negative repercussions for you as the employee. If your workload problems feel overwhelming or unreasonable, try talking the problem out and going from there!
Cover picture used under Creative Commons 2.0 Generic License.