Workload Overload? Examine Your Workload to Take Control
The increasing pressure on workers in the social services sector in BC is evident as the living cost and overdose rates continue to rise. Workload management becomes critical especially when the work involves psychological, emotional, and physical effort. This is one of the reasons why in social services in the UK, workload management strategies have gained attention: they provide support and reduce pressure on frontline staff. [1]
Workload Management
Workload management is the process of assigning and monitoring work while ensuring resources are adequate and available. While you have the ability to manage your own workload, workload management is a process that involves all levels of the organization.[2] The purpose of workload assessment is for you to effectively communicate and negotiate your workload with your supervisor by evaluating the factors that impact your workload and identify resources you need to complete your work safely and effectively.
Workload Assessment
To help identify, understand, and even put into words the work-related sources of stress, The Centre for Occupational Safety in Finland developed the Workload Assessment Tool. [3] They identified 13 sections that can be grouped into the following factors:
Job Clarity and Role Expectations
- Are your responsibilities clear?
- Are your skills and demands of the job aligned?
- How much influence do you have in your work and its development?
Work Design and Time Management
- Is there enough variety in your work that you can manage?
- Do you have enough time during the day to carry out your duties?
- Are your working hours predictable and flexible when necessary?
- Do you have the opportunity to do your work undisturbed?
Work Environment and Safety
- Are the tools you need to complete your work safe and functional?
- Do you feel physically and mentally safe at work?
- Do you experience harassment or improper treatment?
Workplace Relationships and Cooperation
- Does cooperation and interaction at the workplace support your work?
- Are you treated fairly at the workplace?
Information and Resources
- Is the information you need in your work manageable and easily accessible?
Workload Assessment in Social Services
While the Workload Assessment Tool identifies factors that impact your workload, it does not address the complexities involved in the social services sector. It is important to explore the factors that exacerbate the workload of workers in social services in order to manage them. A study in New Zealand identified seven factors that contribute to the workload of workers in social services, particularly in case management.[4] Assess your caseload with our downloadable Caseload Assessment Tool.
Contact frequency with clients
- How often do you see or get in contact with clients?
- How much time do you spend with each client?
Client needs and response difficulty
- What are the client needs and resources available?
- Consider level of independent life skills, level of risk to self, medical condition and its severity, level of social supports, and level of engagement.
Intervention (Support) Type
- What type of support is needed?
- How complex is the intervention?
- How much time is needed to deliver intervention?
Competence
- How much experience do you have in a similar role?
- What type of training or educational resources have you participated with in relation to the work?
Caseload maturity
- How many new cases are you accepting? Study shows that there is greater burden of work in earlier rather than later as forming a relationship takes time.
Location of clients
- For instances where travelling to client’s home is required, how far do you have to travel?
- How much time and how often do you conduct home visits?
Roles other than case management
- What other duties do you have other than providing services?
- What is the proportion of work time do you allocate to these other duties?
Let’s put it into practice!
Matching: Tina, a housing worker, works in a community centre that provides a safe space for women. She is providing support to 50 women who are precariously housed, experiencing homelessness, and/or fleeing abuse. She is still accepting new clients in her caseload and has managed to successfully secure housing for 10 women. However, five of the women she’s supporting are struggling to maintain their housing. Now, let’s assess Tina’s workload to help her manage it!
References
- Stevens, Martin. Workload Management in Social Work Services: What, Why, and How? Practice: Social Work in Action, vol. 20, no. 4, 2008, pp. 207-221. King’s Research Portal, https://doi.org/10.1080/09503150802601860.
- Guthrie, Georgina. “13 Strategies for Better Workload Management.” Nulab, 10 Nov. 2023, https://nulab.com/learn/project-management/workload-management/#:~:text=What%20is%20workload%20management?,game%20over%20for%20the%20project.
- “Workload Assessment Tool.” The Centre for Occupational Safety, 2024, https://ttk.fi/en/publication/workload-assessment-tool/.
- King, Robert et al. “Compiling a caseload index for mental health case management.” The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry vol. 38,6 (2004): 455-62. doi:10.1080/j.1440-1614.2004.01388.x