Tell your manager before an impossible workload turns into missed deadlines, unsafe hours, or declining quality. Bring a short, factual list of competing work; explain which team outcome is at risk; and ask the manager to decide what will be delayed, reduced, reassigned, or supported. The aim is not to prove that you are busy. It is to agree on a workload the available time and resources can realistically deliver, then record the decision and review whether it works.
First, identify what is actually making the workload unsustainable
“Too much work” can describe several different problems. The right remedy depends on the cause, and more than one cause can be present. Acas lists excessive or conflicting demands among the causes of work-related stress, alongside unclear roles, limited control, poor support, and workplace change. Its causes and signs guidance, updated 16 January 2025, is a useful starting point.
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Excess volume
There are more tasks, cases, messages, or projects than can be completed to the required standard in the hours available. A continuing queue, regular work outside normal hours, skipped breaks, and threatened deadlines are evidence of a capacity problem—not a character flaw.
Conflicting priorities
Two people or projects may each treat their request as urgent, while the deadlines overlap. In that situation, working faster does not remove the conflict. The manager needs to choose the priority or change the dates, scope, or ownership.
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Unclear ownership or role
You may be doing work that has no clear owner, repeating another person’s work, or receiving requests that conflict with your stated responsibilities. Clarifying who decides, who executes, and what “done” means can reduce pressure without adding staff.
Insufficient control, resources, or support
A reasonable task can become unmanageable when you lack the information, training, tools, authority, or help needed to complete it. A new responsibility may require coaching, a temporary teammate, or a different process rather than more personal effort.
Workplace change or health-related strain
Reorganisation, a new system, staff absence, or a change in working patterns can increase demands suddenly. Stress may also be connected to mental health or disability. You can raise the workload problem without disclosing a diagnosis; a separate adjustment conversation is available if you want or need one.
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Preparation turns a general complaint into a decision your manager can make. You do not need a long report. One page of current responsibilities, dates, and consequences is usually enough.
List the work that is competing for the same capacity
- Write down active projects, recurring duties, new requests, and the person who requested each item.
- Record the due date, expected standard, and any fixed dependency, such as a client meeting or regulatory submission.
- Mark work that will be displaced if a new request is accepted. This makes the trade-off visible.
- Note approximate effort in a consistent unit you already use, such as hours, cases, or production cycles. Do not claim precision you do not have.
Describe effects, not motives
Use observable consequences: a deadline is at risk, quality checks are being compressed, a handoff is waiting, or work is regularly extending beyond normal hours. Avoid guessing that a manager is indifferent or that a colleague is deliberately offloading work. Facts are easier to act on and less likely to make the conversation defensive.
Separate a capacity conflict from a personal performance issue
Ask yourself whether the problem remains when you work normally and follow the agreed process. If a task is taking longer because you need training or clearer instructions, say so. If the total demand exceeds the available time even when the work is performed as expected, show the competing deadlines. Both situations can be discussed constructively, but they call for different solutions.
Choose a private, workable time
Ask for a private meeting rather than raising the issue in a rushed chat or in front of colleagues. Choose a time that leaves room for the manager to understand the competing demands and make a priority decision. A subject line such as “Priorities and capacity for the next two weeks” signals a practical discussion, not a personal accusation.
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Use a four-part structure for the conversation
Harvard Business Review’s practical guidance, “Tell Your Boss When You’re Overworked” (4 May 2017), recommends starting with shared objectives and priorities, explaining what impedes progress, and offering possible remedies. Treat its suggestions as options to discuss, not promises that every workplace can provide.
1. Start with the shared outcome
State what you are trying to protect: the most important customer commitment, a safe service, a reliable launch, or work completed to the agreed standard. This frames the discussion around the team’s objective rather than around your willingness to work.
2. Name the capacity conflict
Give the few examples that prove the problem. Identify the work, the dates, and the overlap. If a new request changes the picture, include it. Do not bury the decision in a complete history of every difficult day.
3. Explain the effect
Say what will happen if nothing changes: one deadline will slip, quality controls will be skipped, another commitment will be displaced, or sustained hours will make the arrangement unworkable. If your wellbeing is being affected, you can say that plainly without providing private medical details.
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Ask which outcome has priority and what should move, stop, shrink, or receive help. A manager may not be able to approve every option, but the question makes the trade-off explicit.
Example wording: “I want to deliver the most important work well. Right now, A and B are both due by Friday, and C has also been added. Given the time available, I’m concerned that I cannot complete all three to the expected standard. Can we decide which takes priority and what should move, change, or get extra support?”
Questions that turn concern into a workload decision
Use questions that require a clear choice rather than a promise to “try harder.” Take notes as you go.
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- “Which of these outcomes matters most if the deadlines cannot all remain?”
- “What should I stop or defer to make room for this new request?”
- “Can the deadline, scope, frequency, or quality standard change?”
- “Does another person own part of this work, or can someone take a defined portion temporarily?”
- “What information, training, coaching, or access would let me complete this safely and efficiently?”
- “How will we know the new arrangement is working, and when will we review it?”
If the manager says everything is urgent, return to consequences: “If all three remain due Friday, which risk should the team accept?” A priority is meaningful only when something else is allowed to move or receive fewer resources.
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Possible changes to agree with your manager
The best option addresses the cause, reduces immediate risk, and is feasible for both you and the team. The following are discussion options drawn from Acas guidance; none is automatic in every workplace.
| Problem you can evidence | Changes to discuss | What to review |
|---|---|---|
| More work than available capacity | Defer or stop lower-priority tasks; reduce the frequency or scope of some work; obtain temporary help. | Whether the highest-priority work is delivered on time without sustained extra hours. |
| Competing deadlines or instructions | Set one priority; move a deadline; sequence the work; document which request takes precedence. | Whether requests are arriving with a single agreed order and realistic dates. |
| Unclear responsibilities | Reassign ownership; define the expected outcome; remove duplicate approval or reporting steps. | Whether you and the other owners know who decides and who completes each task. |
| Missing skills, information, or resources | Training, coaching, a buddy or mentor, better access to information, or a temporary colleague with the needed expertise. | Whether the support removes the bottleneck and can be reduced or continued deliberately. |
| Limited control or inadequate recovery time | More structured check-ins, protected breaks, flexible hours, or a different way to schedule demanding work. | Whether you can take agreed breaks and complete work within the agreed hours. |
| Mental-health or disability-related difficulty | Review tasks or deadlines; reduce particularly stressful responsibilities; break work into shorter-term tasks; use more frequent shorter breaks, flexible hours, training, coaching, or a buddy/mentor. | Whether the adjustment is effective and whether it needs to be changed. |
Some remedies have side effects. Moving a deadline may affect a client; reducing one person’s duties may shift work to a colleague; and temporary help may take time to train. Acas says an employer should consider the impact on the rest of the team when reviewing adjustments. Discuss those effects openly instead of treating them as reasons to leave the conflict unresolved.
Keep the conversation supportive and private
Acas describes a useful conversation as private, open-minded, and focused on listening, finding the cause, and working together. A manager does not need a medical explanation to help resolve a capacity conflict. You decide whether to disclose a mental-health problem; if you do disclose it, ask what information will be kept private and who needs to know for an adjustment to work.
Managers should be sensitive and supportive when discussing work-related stress. If the conversation becomes an interrogation about your commitment, return to the specific work and decision: “I am committed to the outcome. I need a confirmed priority because the current dates require more hours than are available.”
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Before the meeting ends, read back the agreement. A useful record contains the problem, the solution being tried, each action, its owner, its due date, and a review date. Acas recommends agreeing what can be done to reduce work-related stress and reviewing adjustments for effectiveness.
- Confirm priorities: list what remains first, second, and paused.
- Confirm scope and dates: state any changed deadline, reduced frequency, or revised standard.
- Assign owners: name the person responsible for each transfer, approval, training, or resource.
- Set a review: choose a date soon enough to catch failure before another deadline is missed.
- Define evidence: agree what you will check, such as backlog size, completed milestones, ability to take breaks, or hours worked.
Send a concise recap while the discussion is fresh:
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Thanks for discussing capacity today. We agreed that:
- Priority 1: [work and date]
- Priority 2: [work and date]
- Paused or reduced: [work and new frequency/date]
- Support: [action, owner, and date]
- Review: [date and evidence we will check]
Please correct anything I have misunderstood.Keep the recap factual and retain it with your normal work records. It is a shared reference, not a threat.
Check whether the change actually works
Track the measure you agreed rather than relying on a brief sense of relief. For example, note whether the revised deadlines are met, whether quality checks are completed, whether the queue is shrinking, and whether work is staying within the agreed hours. Raise a new conflict promptly when it appears; do not wait until the review meeting if a promised change has not happened.
At the review, ask three questions: What improved? What remains impossible? What needs to change next? If a temporary measure helped, decide whether to end it, extend it, or replace it with a permanent process. If it did not help, identify whether the cause was misdiagnosed—for example, a training gap may have been treated as a staffing problem, or unclear priorities may have been treated as a time-management problem.
If your manager does not act
Restate the unresolved decision
Send a short follow-up that names the conflict and the consequence: “The two deadlines still overlap, and no priority has been confirmed. Completing both by Friday would require work outside the agreed hours and would reduce the quality checks. Please confirm which should take priority or who should take part of the work.” Keep escalating the decision, not the emotion.
Use another route when appropriate
If speaking to your direct manager feels unsafe or unsuitable, Acas identifies possible alternatives where available:
- another line manager or a trusted colleague;
- a union representative;
- a workplace mental-health champion or employee support network;
- HR or occupational health, depending on your employer’s arrangements;
- an employee assistance programme (EAP), if your employer offers one.
These routes are possibilities, not guarantees. Check your workplace policy for the correct process and confidentiality limits. An EAP may provide counselling or related support, but it does not replace a management decision about conflicting work.
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Mental-health, disability, and legal context
Workload concerns can be raised without disclosing a personal or medical condition. If a mental-health problem or disability affects how you work, you may choose to request a separate adjustment discussion. Acas’s mental-health adjustments guidance gives examples including changed tasks or deadlines, shorter-term work, flexible hours, more frequent breaks, structured check-ins, training, coaching, and a buddy or mentor. Examples are not an automatic entitlement to a particular arrangement.
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- Smartly Plan Ahead & Boost Your Productivity: Absolutely clever & efficient! With the to do list notebook / notepad you can break down your daily tasks into half-hourly focus blocks and map out priorities & follow-up duties to keep your day on track and enhance productivity
- Plenty Of Space For Efficient Planning: Stay focused & manage your time wisely! The 8.4x6.1” work planner & organizer notebook offers ample space for 105 days of life-changing planning with each day being spread across 2 pages - set yourself up for purposeful days
- Now Is The Best Time To Start: The daily planner is undated so you can start to add structure to your schedule and cultivate new planning habits right away! Beat procrastination, boost happiness & make each day count with the hourly planner
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For workers covered by UK law, Acas states that an employer must make reasonable adjustments when a worker is disabled. Its risk-assessment guidance also says that when an employee reports work-related stress, the employer should carry out an individual risk assessment. The legal position depends on disability, employment status, circumstances, and jurisdiction; Acas guidance is UK-specific and is not individual legal advice. Readers elsewhere should use their own country’s official workplace guidance.
If stress has made you unwell or you need time away, follow your employer’s absence process and ask about a return-to-work plan. Acas discusses this in its guidance on time off with stress. Seek appropriate medical support for health concerns; a workload conversation and clinical care serve different purposes.
Scripts for common moments
When a new “urgent” request arrives
“I can take this on. I currently have A due Wednesday and B due Thursday. Which one should move, and what date should I communicate for the work that is displaced?”
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When every task is labelled top priority
“I understand that each outcome matters. With the available hours, I cannot deliver all of them at the current scope and dates. Which risk should we accept, or what resource can we add?”
When you are told to work faster
“I will work efficiently, but speed alone will not remove the overlap. The quality check for A takes the same time, and B has a fixed deadline. Can we reduce scope, move a date, or assign part of the work?”
When the manager dismisses the concern
“I am raising a specific delivery risk, not asking to avoid work. If the current plan remains, I expect [concrete consequence]. Please confirm the priority or the escalation route so the team can make an informed choice.”
When you want to discuss a health-related adjustment
“I would like to discuss a work adjustment that could help me meet the role’s objectives. I can explain the work impact and the changes that may help. What is the process, and who needs to be involved?”
When the issue is broader than your own task list
Team stress may come from unclear roles, competing expectations, limited control, or organisational change rather than from the number of tasks alone. Harvard Business Review’s “What’s Causing Your Team’s Stress?”, dated 23 September 2026, makes that distinction. Bring patterns—not private details about colleagues—to your manager: repeated priority reversals, missing decisions, unowned work, or a process that forces duplicate effort.
A team-level fix might involve a shared priority list, clearer ownership, a predictable intake process, or a review of staffing and deadlines. Your individual plan should still state what you can and cannot deliver now. A systemic problem should not be disguised as an employee’s personal time-management failure.
What a successful outcome looks like
You do not need to leave with every task removed. A workable outcome has a visible priority order, realistic dates or scope, named support where needed, and a review point. You know what to do next, what not to do yet, and who will decide when circumstances change. If those elements are absent, the conversation has identified the problem but has not yet solved the capacity conflict.
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