- Introduction
- Responsibilities of the Supervisor
- Responsibilities of the Staff Member
Introduction
The University and staff members have a vested interest and a joint responsibility in managing workload whether it be related to competing projects, organisational change, institutional goals, career development or family responsibilities.
The Performance Planning and Review process provides an opportunity for a staff member and their supervisor to discuss workload within the context of the staff member's duties, the requirements of the work unit and the objectives and time frames agreed between the staff member and the supervisor.
However it also important to develop strategies and implement practices that help circumvent workload pressure. These may include:
- consideration of peak and off-peak work periods;
- setting realistic priorities and timeframes for projects;
- the employment of casuals where appropriate;
- building effective teams and;
- installing effective processes to monitor staff members' workloads.
Both supervisors and staff members have a role to play in setting reasonable and equitable workloads.
Responsibilities of the Supervisor
Supervisors are required to understand the necessary tasks to achieve outcomes and consequently be responsible for setting realistic and achievable objectives for staff.
Supervisors are responsible for:
- providing reasonable funds for staff development activities;
- ensuring that workloads are taken into consideration in the development of the work area operational plan;
- annually reviewing the work area operational plan, including staffing requirements such as the taking of leave;
- discussing and reviewing workload with staff members including reasonable backfilling arrangements where appropriate; and
- ensuring a position description exists and is up to date, as part of the Performance Planning and Review Process.
and are encouraged to:
- ensure workload is discussed as part of the Performance Planning and Review process providing the staff member with the opportunity to raise any issues;
- monitor changes in workload of individual staff members and where relevant the work unit;
- recognise situations which may lead to work pressure and attempt to circumvent these;
- set realistic timeframes for the completion of tasks and projects;
- clarify lines of communication and delegation;
- provide staff members with the opportunity to act on feedback and comment on their work;
- be mindful of the need for breaks/recreation leave;
- offer training where appropriate to staff in prioritising, time management, building new skills to assist staff in performing their duties efficiently and effectively (being mindful that time is allocated for training so that participation in such training will not increase a staff member's workload.)
Responsibilities of the Staff Member
Staff members share in the responsibility of ensuring workload is realistic and achievable and should communicate any concerns about workload with their supervisor as soon as possible.
Some staff may have difficultly in monitoring their own workload or raising concerns regarding workload. Regular and open communication with their supervisor about their duties and timeframes may make it less difficult for staff members to raise issues down the track.
The Performance Planning and Review (PPR) process provides an opportunity for a staff member and their supervisor to discuss workload. Some of the following approaches may assist staff members in their PPR discussion or other discussions about workload:
- define work duties and responsibilities clearly as they impact upon your workload;
- seek clarification on timeframes to assist you in completing duties. If circumstances occur that impact on timeframes these matters should be discussed as soon as possible with your supervisor;
- categorise duties and responsibilities by priority. This may assist in planning a spread of work instead of expecting all duties to be completed or performed at once;
- be specific about the problems you may encounter while you perform your duties as these barriers may impact on your workload. Share ideas with your supervisor about improving your situation;
- talk to your supervisor about appropriate training such as training for prioritising, time management, and other skills which may assist you in performing your duties more efficiently and effectively.
Staff should refer to the information on dealing with workload concerns for advice in resolving problems associated with unreasonable workload.