“Ahhh, you only complain about everything, instead of actually suggesting anything constructive!”

Far from it.

Let’s try a different format for this article: a FAQ (frequently asked questions) list. They aren’t necessarily “questions”, but you get the idea.

1- “I can’t go on vacation! What would happen to the rest of the team? We’re already overworked…”

They don’t have an obligation to do your work on top of theirs. They should either do their own work, or yours, or part of each – not both. And they should learn to say “sorry, we can’t do this, we don’t have the manpower to do it, unless we stop doing something else.”

2- “But what about the other teams, which depend on our work? Do we have the right to let them be harmed?”

The answer here is the same. I’m not advocating “excuses” in the usual sense, but, just like your understaffed team has a reason not do do all the required work, so do the other teams – “the XXX team couldn’t do their part, they don’t have enough people at the moment. They say they’ve already asked their boss to hire more people…”.

3- “The boss told me to dedicate all my time to project X… but if I do so, what will happen to the company? I’d need to take time from it to do all the maintenance work I usually do! I have to stay at work until later, and do both!”

Nope. First, get your boss’s orders in writing. (if he refuses, tell him, flatly, that you won’t do it.) Then, obey them. When the rest of the company (including your boss’s boss) complains that nothing is working, tell them what happened. Simple.

4- “This work is vital! The company needs it!”

If it’s so important, why don’t they hire more people, instead of leaving it to overworked, stressed, tired employees? It’s a lot easier to make mistakes if you haven’t slept well for weeks, you know.

5- “I’m an employee of the company, they pay me, so I have to do what they tell me to do.”

Not quite. You’re an employee, not property. And if they need you to do the work of 3 men, why don’t they pay you 3 times your normal salary? They don’t? Then you should do your work – competently and professionally. No less… and no more.

6- “This is an emergency situation! It’s only temporary!”

Is it? Emergencies, by definition, are short and exceptional. How long has it been like this, now? And, what’s worse, does your boss – assuming he cares about cutting costs and having all the work done, but not about your health or well-being – have any reason to change things? Or will he be better served by delaying the hiring of any more people, knowing full well that your loyalty – and gullibility – will make the remaing few do the work of many?

7- “My efforts will eventually be recognized, and I will be promoted, if I keep doing this.”

Wrong again. To anyone above your boss, it’s he that will be seen as extremely efficient, a great leader, who is able to cut costs, and do a lot of work with such few employees. Guess who will have the promotion.

Raise your hand if the following is familiar…

Once upon a time, there was a nice little company. In it, there was a nice little department, and inside it there was a nice little team.

The members of that team were competent, and there was work for everyone. They weren’t overworked – they managed to leave at 6 PM every day, with all of the day’s work behind them, and then go home to their families and forget it all until the next day. On the other hand, they weren’t idle either – if one of them got sick, or went on vacations, for instance, the others certainly “felt” the added work, had to leave a little later, and went home tired. But they managed.

One day, one of them left. Nothing special had happened – he simply got a better offer somewhere else, and in a place closer to home. The other workers were a bit troubled by it, but their worries were eased as their boss assured them that they would hire a replacement soon.

Time passed, and no replacement came. It was, in a way, as if one of the team was gone on vacations all the time. The remaining members had to work harder, more time per day, and spent less time with their families. Worse, still, was when one of them did go on vacations – that mean everyone else got really overworked, and had to spend nights at work, and sometimes go there during weekends. Luckily, that didn’t happen during most of the time.

And the boss had an idea…

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