If you have too much work

You could have too much work if you often:

• feel stressed because of how much work you’re asked to do
• work longer hours than your colleagues
• can not take the breaks you’re entitled to.

Ask to speak to your manager. Try not to make things personal and focus on facts. It's good to have some evidence such as timesheets or emails requesting work, if you need to show how much extra work you are doing.

If you do not think you can do all the work you have, try to prioritise it and share your plan with your manager by saying:

“I feel like this work is not achievable in the time I’ve got. I am trying to prioritise my workload. Can you help me?”

If that does not work, you could try speaking with HR or a more senior manager.

Managing stress at work

If your condition or impairment means that some tasks take longer

The Equality Act 2010 means that employers must make reasonable adjustments for disabled people. If you find it harder to do some types of work because of your condition, reasonable adjustments could be:

• changes to your workplace
• different equipment
• changing your duties at work
• setting different targets

There is no set definition of what is ‘reasonable’. It depends on the job, the employer and your condition. An assessment can help to work out what is reasonable in your situation. Access to Work can pay for assessments.

Reasonable adjustments at work

For example, a customer service agent with a hearing impairment might:

• take fewer phone calls, but could answer more emails or live chat instead
• have customer satisfaction as a target rather than the number of calls taken

Are you being treated unfairly?

If things still are not getting better, this could be discrimination.

Discrimination at work

Does your employer want you to leave your job?

If your employer is giving you an unreasonable workload because they want you to leave, this is sometimes called being ‘managed out’. If you think this is happening to you, you will need to gather evidence and show that you’ve tried to resolve things by talking with your manager or raising a grievance.

What to do if you’re being ‘managed out’ of your job