If you have too much work
You could have too much work if you often:
- feel stressed because of how much work you’re asked to do
- work longer hours than your colleagues
- can not take the breaks you’re entitled to.
Ask to speak to your manager. Try not to make things personal and focus on facts. It's good to have some evidence such as timesheets or emails requesting work, if you need to show how much extra work you are doing.
If you do not think you can do all the work you have, try to prioritise it and share your plan with your manager by saying:
“I feel like this work is not achievable in the time I’ve got. I am trying to prioritise my workload. Can you help me?”
If that does not work, you could try speaking with HR or a more senior manager.
If your condition or impairment means that some tasks take longer, you could ask for reasonable adjustments.
Reasonable adjustments
The Equality Act 2010 means that employers must make reasonable adjustments for disabled people.
If you find some things harder at work because you are disabled, reasonable adjustments could be:
- flexible working
- adapted equipment, such as chairs, keyboards or voice recognition software
- taxis to work
- British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters at work
There is no set definition of what is ‘reasonable’. It depends on the job, the employer and your condition.
Access to Work grants can pay for specialist assessments. An assessment can help to work out what is reasonable in your situation.
Reasonable adjustments at work
If your employer does not agree to reasonable adjustments, this could be disability discrimination at work.
Reasonable adjustment examples
- A customer service agent with a hearing impairment might take fewer phone calls, but could answer more emails or live chat instead.
- Someone who finds it difficult to travel at peak times because of their access needs might have a different start time.
- A person who finds open-plan offices overwhelming may be more productive if they can work at home some or all of the week.
Are you being treated unfairly?
If things still are not getting better, this could be discrimination.
Does your employer want you to leave your job?
If your employer is giving you an unreasonable workload because they want you to leave, this is sometimes called being ‘managed out’. If you think this is happening to you, you will need to gather evidence and show that you’ve tried to resolve things by talking with your manager or raising a grievance.
Mental health support at work
There is support to help you manage your mental health in the workplace.
You can refer yourself to Access to Work Mental Health Support Service, funded by the Department for Work and Pensions. There are 2 providers:
There are other resources available:
Last reviewed by Scope on: 08/07/2024
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