In this series, business correspondent Timothy Goh offers practical answers to candid questions on navigating workplace challenges and getting ahead in your career. Get more tips by signing up to The Straits Times’ Headstart newsletter.
How can employees raise concerns about an uneven workload without blaming a colleague?
Raising a genuine workload concern is not the same as complaining, but the difference lies in how employees present it, said Michelle Koh, managing director at executive search firm The Edge Partnership.
“Raise the issue when you are calm rather than in a moment of frustration… If you approach your manager when emotions are running high, it can easily come across as a complaint about a person rather than a genuine concern about the work,” she said.
Before speaking to their manager, employees should have specific examples ready, including the tasks they have taken over, deadlines they have stepped in to meet and instances where responsibilities have fallen back on them.
“Avoid sweeping statements such as ‘I’m always doing their work’ unless you can back them up,” said Koh.
“Keep the conversation focused on the impact on the work and the team – once it sounds like an attack on your colleague, it becomes personal and your point gets lost.”
Koh noted that it also helps to remember that employees may not know the full circumstances behind a colleague’s performance.
Their role is to highlight the issue and its impact, while managing the colleague’s performance is ultimately the manager’s responsibility.
“Above all, go into the conversation looking for a solution… Ask whether responsibilities can be clarified, workloads redistributed or priorities reset,” she said.
Tan Weixi, managing partner at Workplace Asia, said the biggest mistake employees can make when raising concerns about a colleague is framing the issue around whether the person is “pulling their weight”.
“That is a judgment, and it puts the boss in the uncomfortable position of having to referee between two employees,” he said.
Employees should also avoid keeping a running scorecard of every mistake and instead focus on patterns that genuinely affect the delivery of work, Tan said.
Where appropriate, they could speak to the colleague first, as there may be circumstances that they are unaware of.
“Don’t make your boss the judge of your colleague. Make your boss aware of the work problem – and be clear about what you need them to help resolve,” he said.
