Apprise boss of heavy workload’s downside

Your boss is planning to add more to your work responsibilities. How should you tell her that it’s too much?

Speaking to your boss about your workload is one of your responsibilities.

Set a time to talk to your supervisor. Don’t catch him or her off guard in the hallway.

Open the meeting with a statement of value for your boss. Something like this: “I have a concern and would like to share it with you for the department’s benefit.” Then provide your manager a list of tasks, responsibilities and projects you’ve been assigned.

Follow with, “I need to be direct: I have so much on my plate, I fear I will do nothing well. I know that will hinder our team’s ability to meet the goals you’ve laid out. I’d like to explore what portion of my workload could be assigned to another team member.”

Once there is general agreement, always ask this nonslacker question: “How can I help?”

If your boss is an effective one, he or she knows that saddling staff with too much to do hurts everyone.

— John G. Miller, author of “The QBQ! Workbook: A Hands-on Tool for Practicing Personal Accountability at Work and in Life.”

When discussing your tasks, focus on what the company needs, not on what you want. Frame any requests in terms of what’s best for the team and explain the tradeoffs. If you take on all the work your boss wants you to, what will you have to neglect?

Second, don’t make ultimatums.

— Amy Gallo, contributing editor at Harvard Business Review and author of “HBR Guide to Managing Conflict at Work.”