Let’s face it, many companies have reduced their workforce substantially in the last several years. Employees have greater responsibilities and may be doing the work of two or more people. On top of this, companies are continuously looking for ways to reduce cost and become more efficient. They implement lean or Six Sigma, identify projects, and assign employees to work on them. Problems arise when the teams miss milestones and project deadlines. Often this is happens because the employee is faced with the problem of doing their basic job and having to find time to work on the project.
Managers and employees need to review basic work activities and agree on them. What absolutely needs done, what can be eliminated, and what can be done by other employees. They need to reach an agreement on how much time can be devoted to the project daily or weekly, and then monitor the time to see if it actually happens. Adjustments can be made to ensure the employee has the time to do their job and participate as an active project team member. Nothing hurts morale more than to give an employee extra things to work on, and then not give them the time to do it successfully.