Employees are increasingly being “voluntold” to take on more responsibilities at work, and unsurprisingly, burnout is also on the rise. A new study found that workers are being volunteered for new jobs and tasks at work, with many doing three jobs at once in their current roles. Talker Research found that despite this increase in their responsibilities, over half of them have not seen a raise or promotion for their work.
The evolution of the workplace has led to the creation of new roles and the melding of others, but it has also caused a rise in new tasks and responsibilities without specific workers hired to take them on. Doing multiple jobs at work and managing inflated workloads is a challenge all on its own, but when the compensation also doesn’t keep up with the increase in work, problems go from bad to worse.
Employees are being “voluntold” to take on more responsibilities at work, some of which they don’t feel qualified for. (Image: Pexels)
Employees Are Being “Voluntold” for Additional Tasks at Work: Doing the Work of Three Isn’t Easy
The modern workers are frequently asked to absorb the responsibilities of vacated roles or departmental overlaps, with at least 78% of workers having been assigned work that they didn’t ask or agree to take on in the last year. For 12% of workers, this occurred as recently as the last day before the survey. The survey, conducted by Talker Research and commissioned by Office Beacon, provides us with an insightful glimpse into the state of the workplace, where employees are now forced to double up on their duties in order to keep operations running smoothly.
Around 28% of workers also added that they were being “voluntold” at work without any discussions with management, their responsibilities going up automatically. Additionally, for 17% of employees, the new responsibilities were supposed to be temporary, but they eventually became permanent. This approach to automatic workload increases suggests that employers are currently experimenting with who can perform what task, and when something sticks, they leave it to them to conduct without question.
These forced extra responsibilities were also most likely to fall on Gen Z workers, with tasks being handed to them as recently as the last day. This is an expected outcome as these workers are often performing entry-level roles that are expanded or narrowed to fit the current demands of the workplace. Despite many employers claiming to see Gen Z as lazy and unwilling to work, it is clear that in practice, these workers are made to take on more than their fair share of work. In terms of industry, field-based workers were found to be the group most likely to be forced to take on extra responsibilities.
Why Are Employees Doing Multiple Jobs at Work, and Are They Compensated for the Effort?
The reason for employees doing multiple jobs is quite straightforward: understaffing. The lack of sufficient staffing was cited as the most common reason for employees being “voluntold” at work. This issue of poor staffing is a common problem that has been witnessed across industries, with recent union-led movements even protesting the lack of sufficient hands on deck. Understaffing not only affects the quality of work produced at an organization but also adds additional burdens onto workers, many of whom may not be qualified to take on the new jobs that are thrust upon them.
AI has also added to the list of reasons for this increased workload, as employees now have to adapt to new technology without the resources or clarity on how to navigate it. Workers said they’re doing three jobs at once in their current roles, but over half haven’t had a raise or promotion for their hard work, according to a new study.
“What’s missing from the AI/workplace picture, though, is a healthy awareness that AI should be used as a tool to support and empower workers, enabling them to do their jobs better,” said Pranav Dalal, chief executive officer and founder of Office Beacon. “Workplace leaders need to be aware that burnout has a very real impact on their workers’ wellbeing, and AI is a support tool that should be helping with burnout, not creating it.”
The large majority of employees who have been forced to take on extra work stated that these new jobs often fell outside of their original job descriptions, with 55% feeling unqualified to perform them. Temporary transfer of responsibilities may be permissible for a short period when a gap abruptly opens up at any organization, but when unqualified workers are asked to take on other jobs, the stress and pressure on them to learn, adapt, and perform these roles adds to their burnout.
No Promotions or Raises Follow This Voluntold Workplace Trend
Fair compensation for increased workloads can help lighten the mental burden of taking on the work and make these tasks more rewarding for workers, but this is not often provided. About 53% of surveyed employees claimed they never received a raise or promotion after being “voluntold” to add to their responsibilities, and this lack of compensation was most prominent among service and health care workers.
Instead, Talker Research found that workers are increasingly suffering from burnout. Around 41% of workers admitted to feeling burnt out at work, with this experience causing an increase in job dissatisfaction, worsening mental health, and workers feeling unsure about their ability to perform their jobs. Many workers have even considered quitting as a result of this increasingly widening workload.
One might imagine that the introduction of AI, the ultimate efficiency tool, could have helped workers decrease their workloads, but only 7% of workers found this to be the case. For 43% of workers, their responsibilities went up thanks to AI. Previous studies have similarly indicated the detrimental impact that artificial intelligence can have on workers, and this is a concerning change that is worth addressing.
This Shift in Employees Increasingly Doing Multiple Jobs Should Be Addressed by HR
The employee burnout survey reveals many flaws in the modern workplace and its state of operations. Job descriptions are being expanded more and more every day, and this doesn’t always occur after a discussion with the employees or after training is provided to handle the change. Thrusting work upon employees is a feasible strategy for a short period, but over time, the quality of their work will suffer, even the tasks that they were once confident about performing.
The lack of compensation for this change or clarity on when things will go back to normal can leave workers feeling stressed and frustrated, particularly when they may have been completely happy performing their original roles. This form of division of responsibility can cause confusion at work and muddle the responsibilities that employees are expected to perform. If they are thus pushed to the point of quitting, filling their roles will be even harder, as it will be difficult to find someone else to perform this assortment of tasks successfully. Worse still, when their jobs don’t ultimately match the job descriptions that were advertised, employees may choose to quit once more, starting the cycle all over again.
It is normal to have the roles and responsibilities of employees evolve in the workplace, but being “voluntold” to do more at work is hardly fair to workers, especially when it occurs without discussions, training, and clear communication from management. Clarity and communication at work are essential for smooth operations, and so is the well-being of employees. As the workplace continues to evolve, losing sight of these considerations is not ideal for businesses in pursuit of productivity and efficiency.
Have you ever been voluntold to take on unexpected tasks and responsibilities at work? Share your experience in the comments with us. Subscribe to The HR Digest for more insights on workplace trends, layoffs, and what to expect with the advent of AI.
