How do I tell my boss I'm overworked?

Q: I've had more and more work piled on me until I'm a bundle of nerves and stress. I like my job a lot, and the pay is good. But I have now inherited more work than I can handle. I've absorbed the workloads of two people who left. I'm only one person and can only do so much in a 16-hour day! (Isn't it supposed to be eight hours?) Help!

NICK'S REPLY: Even people with a good work ethic must sometimes tell management, "This is too much!" Part of your job is to tell your boss the truth: The work you do requires more manpower. As long as you accept more work, your employers will continue to heap it on. It's their fault for expecting so much, but it's your fault for letting them think you can handle it.

Prepare a simple plan. Outline:

-- The work that needs to be done.

-- The rough cost of manpower and tools required to do it.

-- An estimate of the profit produced by the work.

-- The relationship between headcount and productivity (16-hour days are not allowed).

Don't tell your boss you're having a problem. Explain that you have the work organized now, and show your plan, including the requirements for additional staff. No complaints -- just the facts. It is your responsibility to explain what needs to be done to handle the work effectively, but not to work 16-hour days.

If you don't deal with this problem now, you will continue to face it at any future job. The sign of a good worker is dealing with the demands of the job, not taking on the functions of other workers yourself. A caution: Some companies prefer to overburden an employee with work rather than invest in doing the job right. If this is your company, be prepared to start looking for a new one. I hope your employer is ethical. You owe it to yourself to have a job that's reasonable.

When you get to heaven, you don't get extra points for having worked yourself to death.

THE HEADHUNTER TIP:

Don't look for a job.

People apply for advertised jobs at companies they know very little about. It's altogether too easy -- and tempting -- to apply for a job just because it's there. "Job fit" seems to trump "company fit" too often. People quickly rationalize that a company is a good one just because it's offering a job.

When you accept a job, you're stuck with the company. Are you joining a good company?

When it's time for a change, seek a company whose top-notch products and services are in line with your interests. Seek a company that employs the best people, is sound financially, and whose reputation is stellar -- then explore jobs within it. One such company is worth 10 good jobs in 10 other companies.

When it's time to make a change, don't mistake a good job for a good future. Don't look for a job. Look for a good company.

Copyright 2008. Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate

Nick Corcodilos is author of "Ask The Headhunter: Reinventing the Interview to Win the Job" and the host of www.asktheheadhunter.com. He can be reached by e-mail at seattle@asktheheadhunter.com or at North Bridge Group, P.O. Box 600, Lebanon, NJ 08833. Sorry, no personal replies.