Workload, autonomy and the decision to stay
Examine volume and control separately. The same task can be workable or difficult depending on timing, resources and decision authority.
The performance question
Reducing task volume is not the only possible adjustment, but autonomy is not a licence to leave someone alone with impossible demands. Ask where staff can influence pace and method and where external deadlines constrain them. Retention decisions also involve pay, career and personal circumstances.
What the evidence supports
HSE’s Control standard addresses influence over pace, initiative, breaks and work patterns. Its Demands standard addresses achievable work. Together they support examining both dimensions; they do not predict whether an individual will stay.[1][2]
A practical approach
With one team, identify deadlines that are genuinely fixed and work whose sequence can change. Let staff design the sequence within clear quality and service constraints. Remove unnecessary permission steps while reviewing the total workload. Make sure those with customer facing duties can also influence their arrangements.
How to review progress
Compare unresolved demands, completion quality and employee feedback before and after the trial. Check that autonomy did not become responsibility without resources. Review retention over a suitable period and acknowledge other changes rather than attributing every departure or stay to the trial.
Sources and references
- Management Standards: Control Opens in a new tab
Health and Safety Executive
Pace of work, initiative, breaks and consultation
- Management Standards: Demands Opens in a new tab
Health and Safety Executive
Achievable demands, skills, work patterns and environment