Overwhelmed at work? Here’s how to talk to your boss & avoid burnout

As the end of the year approaches, many professionals face the ever-growing mountain of increasing workloads and looming deadlines, on top of personal festive season stress…

According to Google trend data, searches for “feel overwhelmed at work” have risen by 142.5% in the last month, and there are 120.6 million posts and counting under the TikTok search “work stress”.

Without dealing with how you’re feeling, it’ll start to creep into your home life and disrupt your work-life balance. It’s common to feel overwhelmed, and talking to your boss is an important step in managing the situation. AI Jobs expert Rob Phelps explains how to talk to your boss about feeling overwhelmed, rather than trying to battle through your workload and causing burnout.

STOP SAYING YES

The first step is to stop taking on more work than you can handle. Make a list of your current tasks and responsibilities and prioritise them based on importance and urgency. Allow yourself to politely decline when your boss or a colleague asks if you have ten minutes to do something for them; explain that you’re not able to help them because you’re working on XYZ, which is at the top of your priority list, at the moment.

REFLECT ON YOUR NEEDS

Take some time to reflect on what’s causing you to feel overwhelmed. Is it the amount of tasks you’ve been given or how short the deadlines are? Are you having issues with unclear priorities, or are you exhausted from long hours? By helping yourself really understand how your feeling, and what can be done to help, it’ll be easier to present the problems to your boss and suggest solutions.

GET THE TIMING RIGHT

Getting the right time is important. Schedule a meeting with your boss at a time when they are less likely to be feeling overwhelmed themselves; avoid springing it on them with an impromptu chat, and choose a quiet setting, where you can both focus and not be interrupted.

BE SPECIFIC & CHOOSE YOUR WORDS

Rather than simply saying “I feel overwhelmed.”, provide specific examples of why – like “I’m struggling to balance how much I need to complete for X, with the new deadline of Y, and Z that a colleague has asked me to do.”. Be honest, but professional. Highlight your contributions to the team while making it clear that you’re struggling, and you want to find a way to produce your best work without burning out.

SUGGEST SOLUTIONS

Don’t just complain about the situation; offer potential solutions. From extending deadlines to assigning tasks to colleagues without causing them to feel overwhelmed, think of practical ways your boss can support you. This will show your boss that you’re taking responsibility, and trying to find ways to collaborate, rather than trying to just offload some your work onto other people.

DON’T LEAVE IT THERE

Follow up with your boss after the meeting to make sure you’re both on the same page, and you’re both clear about the next steps. Don’t be afraid to make your boundaries clear to the team, not just your boss – from declining extra tasks and longer hours, to taking breaks when you need them, and prioritising self-care – to look after your mental, and physical, health.

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