Portrait of a young thoughtful woman with her hand on her chin having an idea against a gray background. … (+)
Do you feel so overwhelmed at work that you’re almost breaking down? This is not only because the pace of work is getting faster, but we are also being asked to learn more, take more initiative, take more responsibility for decisions and assume more personal responsibility. This combination of work demands is called work intensification.
Increased workload and complexity
The intensification of work has two components. The quantitative aspect has to do with the increased work pace and workload, meaning that more has to be done in less time. Working days have become more compressed and less flexible than before. What used to be a task for the whole week no longer has to be done in four days. Add to that a higher word count and less administrative support and the intensification really becomes noticeable.
The qualitative side of work intensification involves greater mental or emotional complexity in the day-to-day work. Imagine you used to create the content for social media and event invitations. Now you may also be asked to learn how to design them and decide who to invite and how to maximize your reach.
Combine these two shapes and we are pulled vertically and horizontally at the same time.
Reasons for intensifying work
According to an article published in the journal in 2023 Work & StressSaija Mauno and colleagues explain that the intensification we are experiencing is a function of the rapid technological acceleration in modern society. Our dependence on digital technologies is steadily increasing. The adoption of new digital technologies in the workplace was forced upon many of us during the pandemic as we adapted to working from home during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
We quickly moved to video conferencing, screen sharing, and collaborating with colleagues on digital platforms like Slack or Teams. Now we’re seeing the rise of generative AI with AI assistants like ChatGPT and Claude helping us produce more content faster.
Given this constant desire for more, we often feel like we need to be available at all times. Those of us who work from home may feel like we’ve lost the sanctuary that home provided as a place away from work.
How to protect your well-being
You can limit the impact of work intensification on your wellbeing and combat unsustainable work patterns.
Communicate what you can and want to give
How often do you start an email with: “Sorry for the delay” or “Sorry I missed your email”? Instead of expressing regret, be more open about what people can expect from you. Remember to set clear expectations in your email signature. A note in your signature can encourage mutual respect and highlight differences in people’s work schedules:
“My workday may look different than your workday. Please do not feel obligated to respond outside of your normal work hours.”
Another option is to set your own boundaries by specifying the days of the week you work and the time frame in which you respond to emails. For example, “My work days are Tuesday and Thursday. I will try to respond to your email within 3 business days.”
To set clearer boundaries, try to keep a quiet inbox and make others aware that you are not constantly checking your email. Consider setting up an automatic response with:
“Please note that this is a CALM inbox and will only be checked once in the morning and once in the afternoon. I will do my best to respond to your message within 24-48 hours, unless it is the weekend, in which case you can expect to hear from me on Monday.”
If you’re looking for something a little cheekier, you might like this: “Answers may come slower than molasses this month. For faster results, try shouting really loudly at your screen.”
Protect what matters
Instead of constantly moving from one task to the next, focus on a project that you prioritize for a day, week, or month if it takes that long to complete. Reserve time for that priority and eliminate distractions. This doesn’t mean neglecting all other tasks. But it does require you to ignore everything else during the time you’ve reserved and set aside for your priority.
First, determine the time of day when you feel most focused and are most productive and motivated. For me, that’s the first two hours of the day. Once you’ve blocked those hours in your work calendar, turn off your email notifications, put your phone aside or even in another room, and prioritize. If necessary, you can enable an automatic reply or change your status to “unavailable.” You can give your team members advance notice so they know not to expect immediate replies during your blocked time.
Emails stay. Administrating takes as much time as you allow. These time-wasters often make you feel like you haven’t accomplished anything all day. On the other hand, when you make time for your priorities, you feel satisfied, productive and fulfilled.
Under your control
Technology can help us be more efficient, but digital technologies also accelerate the pace. Expecting workers to be continuously more productive and efficient has its limits. Even if we work around the clock, our options are limited.
Given the current trajectory, the speed and urgency of workplace expectations is unlikely to slow. The pace continues to increase exponentially (or at least it feels that way). We may not have control over what is required of us, but we can control what we are willing to accept and make suggestions about how we can more realistically deliver what we can.
