PBXStudio/Shutterstock
Work-life balance can be hard to fathom when your team is understaffed. Powering through a high-volume season on a reduced crew can seem insurmountable when even the prospect of assistance requires ample work before relief can be realized.
So how do you weather it? How can you stay healthy in your daily work and connected to your career goals when your team is understaffed?
Recognize that You’re Not Alone
The CUPA-HR 2023 Higher Education Employee Retention Survey noted that half of higher ed employees indicated they work more hours than are expected of full-time employees. Among supervisors, 71% agreed that staff vacancies increased their workloads; 56% of non-supervisors indicated the same. “More than half (52%) of supervisors find filling empty positions very challenging and more than one-third (35%) find maintaining staff morale very challenging. Nearly one-third of supervisors also find managing staff workload and retaining staff very challenging,” the survey noted.
One positive note: the 2023 survey revealed that while the percentage of higher ed professionals working extra hours remains high, it has decreased from the 2022 survey results when two-thirds of higher ed employees reported putting in extra hours.
Assess Your Workload
Assuming additional responsibilities on an interim basis may present opportunities for growth, but absorbing unsatisfying duties for an unspecified stretch can be demoralizing.
“It is not strictly the responsibility of an employee to pick up the slack for an open position, but it certainly can be a way to show a willingness to ‘step-up’, readiness for promotion, or even interest in moving (hopefully up) to the vacant position,” explained Niki Yarnot, licensed social worker, career coach, and head of career assessment at Wanderlust Careers.
Consider how extra responsibilities that you’ve absorbed impact your daily experience. These are helpful questions to consider:
- How many additional hours have been added to your workload?
- Are these tasks teaching you new things or tethering you to responsibilities you’ve outgrown?
- How do these additional responsibilities align with your career goals?
- Is there an end date, after which you will resume your normal workload?
- Are you regularly informed about the progress being made towards this end date?
- Do you feel well-managed and supported in your work?
- Are your extra efforts acknowledged by leadership?
Leadership support and recognition make carrying an extra workload more emotionally and logistically manageable, but it’s also important to communicate with your manager and ask for what you need.
Self-Advocate
Hopefully, everyone on your team is pitching in to help power through this difficult time. That’s not an elephant in the room that should be graciously carried without discussion; it’s an elephant on your collective shoulders that needs to be addressed.
Self-advocacy is a key skill that professional life demands. You deserve a plan, support, and a safe space to discuss what you’re managing. This is true for employees at every level, including supervisors.
“If an employee has become overwhelmed by the additional workload incurred due to short staffing, self-advocacy is key,” Yarnot said. “No one can help if they don’t know you need it!” She recommended first talking with peers. See what their experience is like. Are they carrying similar additional duties, and if not, might they be available to assist? “If the answer is no,” Yarnot noted, “it’s time to go to your manager. Ask them to partner with you to create a plan. Be clear about your own boundaries and needs, and articulate them.”
If you don’t feel safe and comfortable having a frank discussion with your manager, consider talking first with an HR partner to get some perspective and support. Keep in mind that if you don’t feel comfortable talking with your manager about feeling overworked due to a staffing shortage, this may signal that it’s time to think about your fit on the team.
Request a Stay Interview
When you feel overwhelmed in your daily work, it can blur your connection with your goals and plans for your future, which can be confusing and demoralizing. While you’re putting in plenty of work, it can leave you wondering: Why am I doing this? How does it serve my future ambitions?
To regain focus on this vital big picture, consider requesting a stay interview with your manager. A stay interview gives employees who plan to remain at the organization a safe space where they can offer candid feedback about their experience. The goal is to keep the employee engaged.
The CUPA-HR survey recognized the stay interview as a “retention incentive” and noted its value. The survey also revealed that only about 8% of higher ed institutions use this incentive. “It is important to engage current employees in a regular dialogue about their satisfaction with their work environment, pay, and benefits … Waiting to ask an employee why they are leaving during an exit interview is too late to implement incentives,” the survey stated.
Retention is important to your manager and your institution. Discussing what’s working for you, what’s challenging you, and your career goals can be recentering and reenergizing.
Wellness Mentoring
Supervisors and other leaders at your institution should be role models for wellness. This indicates that the culture is healthy. “Managers absolutely have a role in helping staff achieve work-life balance and avoid burnout,” Yarnot explained. “Strong leaders are no longer seen as those who put in countless hours and demand the same, but rather those who advocate for balance, reasonable vacation time, sick leave, and more. Leading by example — showing employees that balance is not only possible, but expected — will equate to happier teams, lower rates of burnout, and longevity.”
When you are struggling to find balance, you should be able to count on leadership to help guide the way. If they don’t have the time or resources to do this, then it may be worth asking yourself if you want to continue investing your talent in this culture.
Center Wellness
A healthy professional culture isn’t just nice to have — it positions you to do your best work. What does wellness look like for you? What do you need to succeed? Do you need more flexibility? Would increased access to on-campus wellness resources like therapy or counseling create a healthier fit for you? Do you need more time to do the things that make life on campus fulfilling like attending employee resource groups? Work independently or with your therapist, counselor, or job coach to map out what you need to thrive. Share this document with your manager or bring it as part of your stay interview.
Remember
It can be challenging to center your own wellness and to ask for what you need. Keep in mind, though, that by doing so, you’re advising management about what it takes to keep you on staff. Leaders on your team and at your institution don’t want to see you struggle, burn out, and move on. Extend the same courtesy to yourself and pursue what you need to thrive.
