Workload allocation as a management discipline
Allocate work using skills, time and complexity, not only how much each person has completed in the past.
The performance question
Giving the next task to the fastest colleague can concentrate demanding work without revealing it on the team plan. Review the whole portfolio, including support duties and unpredictable service demand. Fair allocation does not necessarily mean identical task counts.
What the evidence supports
HSE recommends considering the whole team, redistribution of work and how staff are used. Its Demands standard calls for achievable demands matched to skills. These support regular allocation review, rather than a single numerical formula for fairness.[1][2]
A practical approach
Make current commitments visible with deadlines, complexity and the skills required. Ask staff what hidden work or dependency is missing. Allocate new tasks only after identifying capacity, training or displaced work. Review recurring rescue tasks that always fall to the same person and plan competent cover.
How to review progress
Check overdue work, overtime and quality alongside staff feedback on allocation. Do not mistake a quick completion record for spare capacity. If everyone is overloaded, raise a resourcing or scope decision instead of redistributing an impossible total.
Sources and references
- Human factors: Workload Opens in a new tab
Health and Safety Executive
Processing limits, task analysis, workload drift and staffing
- Management Standards: Demands Opens in a new tab
Health and Safety Executive
Achievable demands, skills, work patterns and environment