Trouble Meeting Deadlines? Let’s Find Out Why…

We live in this microwave society where everyone wants everything right now, better yet, yesterday. As a result, we find the most mundane tasks to those that are critical to the business given high priority and more than likely an unreasonable deadline to match. To please, we pull from our superhuman strength and try to get it all done. Only to fail, as we see it, and miss the deadline for one, if not all of the assigned tasks. So now you’ve messed up, right? Possibly. You’re trying to figure out “Where did I go wrong?” Maybe you are the problem. Or maybe the issue exists outside of you and exists at an organizational level. Let’s look at some of the reasons why employees have trouble meeting deadlines.

Process Inefficiency. Are you doing things the way they have always been done? This is how you were trained to complete the process, and it works, so you just stuck with that. Always look for ways to improve you and your processes. If you are still performing a task the same way today that it was completed two years ago, it is probably inefficient. There are so many technological advances and software updates, there should be no reason a process cannot be reviewed for better ease and efficiency. Excel is also an option. I do not think we will ever know ALL that Excel can do. Is there a formula or a macro that can be run to increase your process efficiency? Do not be afraid to think outside the box. Do not be afraid to question the status quo. You may have some pushback from the small thinkers on the team. Especially if the person who created the process is still around. But it doesn’t hurt to try. That process may have been the best it could be for that person. But they may not have the same skill level or creative way of thinking. Take a moment and see what you can do to make sure you are working smart, not hard.

Too Much Work, Not Enough People. Do you sometimes feel money is pushed to every area of the company except your department? Other teams are growing. Employees are shutting down after an 8-hour day, or earlier. While you are still online, sitting in the office, just starting on your next task. Why? Well, there may be several reasons for this. The other department may have the funds in their budget. Or the group is a revenue-generating team (meaning, they bring money into the company), like Sales or Marketing. So the company invests more money into these areas than non-revenue generating groups, like Human Resources or Accounting & Finance. As a result, you have too much work and not enough people. In an employee-focused organization, management will investigate why deadlines are missed, review processes, and will ultimately make the decision to hire additional help. While budgets are tight, money can always be found if the value is properly presented. Can you present what productivity looked like before the additional workload? An increase in work followed by a decrease in productivity should help to shed some light on the need for additional headcount. Especially if there was a recent reduction in force, termination, or promotion of an employee from your team. The need for additional headcount does not always need to be permanent. You may have a better chance of getting some additional help if you suggest part-time assistance, a contractor for a specific time, or even an intern. While these may be some lower-level roles, there are always some mundane tasks that are more routine and can be reassigned to give the more experienced employees time to focus on the advanced-level requests. The organization can account for these expenses a little differently for project-based help, or an intern, which can allow them to be more open to your request. Hopefully, the part-time help will show that a permanent need does exist. Or maybe you just need a few months to reprioritize and automate tasks, and temporary assistance will aid with that. Some organizations will even establish a relationship with local schools for significantly reduced, if not free intern labor on a recurring basis.

Fully Staffed, but Unqualified. I have been in situations where I had to do more work because the people around me, who made just as much if not more than me, were unqualified. So, the additional load fell on me. How do you deal with that? How do you address a scenario where you have too much on your plate because your team member cannot handle the additional or advanced-level tasks? Are you working late, but they leave at 5 PM every day? It is usually not because they are bad people. However, they may have some bad habits and management has determined they cannot be trusted with certain tasks. But that’s not your fault, right? No, it’s not. When this happens, it is time to have a conversation. This is when you have that heart-to-heart with your manager. Be professional. Provide the facts. But make sure they understand how this is impacting you. Ask to have the workload re-evaluated because you currently have too much while others seem not to have enough. Write down your tasks, and even theirs if you know them. Ask them to explain why you are paired with the more complex tasks while others are not. This may be the opportunity for you to request a more senior role, to validate the type and amount of work you receive. This still does not mean you should be burdened with the success of the department, but it could get your level of work and salary more aligned. Please understand this may ruffle some feathers. Especially if this person has friends in all the right places – and probably how they go there in the first place. However, any good team player will want to help their fellow teammates, so everyone gets to go home at the end of the day. Make your case known. Stick to the facts over personal feelings. Continue to do your best. Either the organization will listen and make the necessary adjustments, or they will lose you.