How to Say Youre Overworked Without Sounding Like Youre Whining

How to Say Youre Overworked Without Sounding Like Youre WhiningHow to Say Youre Overworked Without Sounding Like Youre WhiningRemember the 40-hour (ahem, I meant 50) work week? If the concept is a distant memory, youve been putting in some major time lately. And Im willing to bet that no one except your friends or significant other has noticed. Sound familiar?For those of us who dont punch in and out from 9 to 5, its easy for the hours to stack up without anyone ever noticing. Hopefully, whatever youve been laboring over will be all the proof of your hard work you need, but there will come a time (likely when your co-workers are heading to happy hour while youre planning to spend your evening cozied up with the annual report) that youll feel less than appreciated and want to let your team know just how much hard work youre putting in. What you dont want, however, is to be that colleague whos always whining about how late she worked the night before or giving a dramatic recounting of having to re-format a presentation over the weekend. On that note, heres what to do when you want to let your colleagues know youre burning the midnight oil- without sounding like youre complaining about it.vorkaufsrecht 1 Suffer in SilenceWhen to Use It If Its Not a Chronic Problem, or Youre Not the Only OneOK, so this isnt exactly a solution, but its definitely an option you should consider before attempting anything else. I know its probably not what you want to hear, but sometimes, we have to work mora than wed like, and it sucks. If youre in a busy season or if everyone seems to go through crazy periods from time to time, no amount of positioning, hinting, or straight up pointing it out will earn you much sympathy. We all have to do it, and unless this is a chronic issue, its probably best to just suck it up.On the other hand, if your workload is encroaching on your personal life in a major way, and it seems like youre the only one affected, then its time to do something about it. Like...Option 2 Leave Some CluesWhen to Use It If You Just Need a Little Appreciation (or Sympathy)If youre feeling like youre the one bearing the brunt of the workload, its totally fair to want to let your co-workers or boss know how much time youre putting in. Best case scenario, theyll offer to lend a hand if nothing else, it will get you a Get Out of Jail Free card as youre nodding off during your afternoon meetings.But- big disclaimer here- how you do it is key. One option is what I like to call the Easter Egg Approach. With this tactic, you wont say much, youll just leave little clues- like Easter eggs- for your colleagues. Just about everything we do these days has a timestamp on it, so when youre schliffing up work (circa 10 PM), send a friendly email out to the team. Make it short and sweet- just the facts. Just sending something to prove youre in the amtsstube after hours will look a little desperate, but if you actually have something useful to contribute, itll look j ust like what it is Hard work done after hours.Or, try the FILO (first-in-last-out) approach Instead of hunkering down at your desk from the moment you get in until the moment you leave, make sure others notice that youre the first one in the office and the last to leave. No, dont make a big scene at the coffee machine about how youve been in the office- that isnt going to win you any sympathy points. Instead, simply engage in conversation with as many people as you can, and make sure youre talking about something work-related. After a few days of seeing you there before everyone else and still there when the office clears, your colleagues will get the hint that youre a little overworked right now.Finally, just ask for some help here and there. Ask Bob from accounting for some input or advice on the project youre working on, and when he comes back to you with feedback, hell see you hard at work. Mission accomplished.Option 3 Have the TalkWhen to Use It When Youre Truly Overworked an d Need Something to ChangeOf course, if you need more than just a little sympathy- as in, three more people to handle your workload- its time to stop with the subtle tactics and sit down with your manager for a chat. Put some time on your boss calendar, giving a hint about what youd like to discuss (something like, Id like to chat with you for a few minutes about the X projects Im working on and get some insight on how to move forward on them works perfectly). In the meantime, make a list of your projects and priorities. Before you can tell your manager how overloaded you are, youd better be prepared. If youre working late simply because your cat video watching lasted longer than usual, thats not a good excuse. But if youve taken on five new projects because someone just quit, thats worth mentioning.Then, offer some suggestions on how you think the load could be distributed in a more manageable way. For example, if its taking you a long time to finish a project because youre unfamil iar with a new piece of software the company has rolled out, suggest that you take a class to help get you up to speed. If there are truly more tasks on your plate than there are hours in the day, ask your boss for help prioritizing. When it comes time for the actual talk, remember to stay objective and positive. You want to highlight the fact that youre feeling a bit overwhelmed- not simply complaining. Frame everything youre saying in a positive way, and always be ready to offer suggestions and ask for your managers advice on how to work more effectively. Make sure youre clear about what youd like to achieve after the conversation, and suggest you both check in again in a week or two to see how things are going.Im a big fan of work-life balance, but sometimes stuff just needs to get done, and the hours between 9 and 5 arent going to cut it. And in those cases, recognize when and how to share that with your co-workers or boss. Youll earn some sympathy points or some help- without l ooking like a whiner. Photo of illustrated finger courtesy of Shutterstock.