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Ask HR: My workload has increased but my pay hasn’t, should I ask my boss to reduce my duties?

 

I am a customer service executive whose work has increased in the past six months following growth in our business. My pay has not been increased to compensate me for extra work. I was comfortable with the work before when there were fewer customers to handle. I want to tell my employer to reduce my workload. Is this advisable?

An acquaintance recently shared a story about a gardener whose employer had an expansive compound that bore many flowers. Part of the gardener’s work entailed raking dead flowers and dried leaves that fell on the lawns daily. As the flower shrubs grew, they shed copious amounts of brown leaves and wilted petals, thereby significantly increasing the amount of the work the gardener was required to do. The gardener considered approaching the employer with a proposal to uproot the flower shrubs.

After a few months of increased workload, the gardener approached the employer and shared the said proposal with him. The employer considered the request and asked the gardener to cut down the flower shrubs as proposed. After doing so, the gardener tidied up the lawns and confirmed to his employer that he had completed the task, thanking him for agreeing to relieve him of the mounting burden. The employer summoned the gardener the next morning and told him that following the clearing of all the flower shrubs, there was no more work for him to do. He lost his job.

To what extent has your work increased? Are you working beyond working hours or merely more than you used to? Did the amount of your work before the growth of the business consume all your working hours? Has the growth in the business positively improved its bottom line? For most positions, the volume of work periodically fluctuates based on business exigencies. It is therefore useful to establish whether this is a seasonal surge or an enduring phenomenon. If the growth is bound to continue, engage your line manager and share your sentiments. Based on your additional contribution, you might be granted a one-off reward, an adjustment to your salary, a review of your job or even the prospect of a helping hand.

Request your employer for compensation for the increased workload rather than the reduction of your work unless of course it has become overwhelming, in which case an extra hand might be an option. Remember that confronting your discomfort can be an opportunity to prove and stiffen your mettle.      BY DAILY NATION 

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