About this session
Two employees can have the same number of tasks and very different workloads. One may be handling complex cases, supporting colleagues and absorbing interruptions while another has more predictable work.
Managers need a fuller picture before deciding what a reasonable share looks like.
This session develops practical judgment about who receives which assignments, what capacity those assignments require, and how decisions are explained and reviewed. Participants examine routine duties, specialist work, urgent requests and development opportunities together.
Longer formats support repeated application, helping managers improve the distribution without simply moving overload from one person to another.
What your people take away
- Compare workloads using task demands, timing and available capacity rather than task counts alone.
- Include coordination, mentoring, interruptions and other less-visible responsibilities in allocation decisions.
- Use clear criteria to distribute recurring burdens and development opportunities.
- Explain decisions and respond constructively when employees question their workload.
- Rebalance with explicit handoffs, support and changes to existing commitments.
- Recognize when the team needs a demand, staffing or scope decision beyond redistribution.
Shared with you
See the full session
Create your free Workbliss profile to see the rest of this outline and book it. It takes a minute, with your work email.
- What each length covers, 30 minutes to full day
- Everything that’s covered, part by part
- Book online, and browse 1,500+ more sessions for your teams
Already a member? Sign in
What each length covers
30 minutes
30 Minutes — Key Points: See the Whole WorkloadA focused 30-minute session on three key points from See the Whole Workload: compare demands, not just task counts, include the work between the tasks and work with actual availability.
- Compare demands, not just task counts
- Include the work between the tasks
- Work with actual availability
Covers 3 of 4 points in See the Whole Workload.
60 minutes
60 Minutes — Understand What a Fair Workload RequiresA focused introduction to comparing workloads and explaining allocation criteria. Participants examine a team whose task counts look balanced but whose support duties, complexity and deadlines differ. They identify one hidden imbalance and choose a practical improvement to their next allocation decision.
- Task counts versus workload demands
- Hidden support work
- Actual availability
- Fairness versus identical allocation
- One distribution improvement
- Live Q&A
Covers 1 of 4 parts: See the Whole Workload.
90 minutes
90 Minutes — Make a Better Team Allocation DecisionBuild a fuller workload picture and apply clear allocation criteria to a realistic team case. Participants examine recurring duties, dependable employees, specialist constraints and development opportunities before proposing a revised distribution and explaining its trade-offs.
- Workload and Capacity Map
- Allocation Criteria Guide
- Recurring duties and specialist work
- Burden and opportunity
- Rebalancing and employee input
- Live Q&A
Covers 2 of 4 parts: See the Whole Workload and Make Allocation Decisions You Can Explain.
3 hours
Covers 3 of 4 parts: See the Whole Workload, Make Allocation Decisions You Can Explain and Rebalance Without Moving the Problem.
Full day
Full Day — Fair Workload Distribution IntensiveAn eight-hour workshop day with 405 minutes of facilitated learning and application and 75 minutes of breaks. Participants manage an evolving team workload through changing demand, competing commitments, temporary cover and employee concerns. They develop a distribution plan that accounts for capacity, capability, recurring burdens and development, then test whether it remains workable as conditions change.
- Workload visibility and available capacity
- Allocation criteria and feasible options
- Burden and opportunity
- Rebalancing and temporary cover
- Employee concerns and transparent explanations
- Review and capacity decisions
- Live Q&A
Covers all 4 parts.
Also available as a 4-week or 8-week program, for change that lasts. Ask us about it.
What’s covered
See the Whole Workload
Every length- Compare demands, not just task countsA workload includes more than the number of assigned items.
- Include the work between the tasksAnswering questions, checking colleagues' work, coordinating handoffs, onboarding new starters and resolving interruptions all require capacity.
- Work with actual availabilityScheduled hours are only the starting point.
- Check the team's total feasibilityA balanced-looking distribution can still leave everybody overloaded.
Make Allocation Decisions You Can Explain
90 minutes and longer- Agree the criteria before choosing the personUseful allocation criteria include role responsibility, required competence, current commitments, timing, continuity, support needs and development objectives.
- Protect dependable people from automatic overloadA capable employee may be the right person for a difficult assignment, but repeatedly choosing the safest pair of hands can leave the rest of their workload unchanged.
- Distribute recurring duties deliberatelyMeeting administration, routine reporting, coordination and other necessary duties can accumulate around whoever volunteers or responds fastest.
- Review access to developmental workFairness includes the assignments that build experience, visibility and future capability.
Rebalance Without Moving the Problem
3 hours and longer- Test the proposed distributionMoving work from the busiest person to the person with the fewest tasks can create a new problem if complexity, capability or timing is ignored.
- Include the cost of the handoffReassignment creates work of its own.
- Give temporary cover an end pointUrgent cover, vacancies and unexpected demand can justify temporary differences in workload.
- Respond to a fairness concern with evidenceAn employee saying 'this is unfair' may be pointing to hidden work, unequal opportunity, an outdated assumption or a difference that has not been explained.
Keep Distribution Fair as Work Changes
Full day only- Make new requests visibleA sound allocation plan can unravel when work arrives through private messages, senior requests and informal promises.
- Review the pattern across work cyclesOne demanding week does not describe the whole allocation pattern.
- Explain the process while protecting privacyTeams benefit from understanding the criteria, current priorities and routes for questioning allocation.
- Escalate what redistribution cannot solveWhen demand remains above capacity, repeatedly rearranging the work can hide the decision that is actually needed.
Tools and materials
- Workload and Capacity Map — Captures assignments, recurring support duties, relevant demand characteristics, available capacity, dependencies and unresolved estimates.
- Allocation Criteria Guide — Separates essential role and capability constraints from contextual choices involving timing, continuity, workload and development.
- Allocation Decision Record — Records the assignment, relevant evidence, options, criteria, decision, effect on existing commitments and next review point.
- Burden and Opportunity Review — Examines recurring routine duties, demanding work and developmental assignments across relevant work cycles.
- Rebalancing and Handoff Plan — Defines the outgoing and incoming owners, transition effort, support, access, timing and work that will move or pause.
- Temporary Cover Record — Documents additional duties, duration, trade-offs, decision owner and the review needed before temporary cover becomes ongoing.
- Workload Review Conversation Guide — Supports a discussion of the work, the concern, relevant evidence, allocation criteria, action and follow-through.
- Allocation Review Log — Tracks material new commitments, changes, recurring allocation patterns and questions needing further evidence.
- Capacity Decision Brief — Presents the unresolved demand or capability gap, feasible options, delivery implications and decision required.
- Distribution Practice Review — Supports baseline, midpoint and final developmental reflection on managerial allocation judgment.
- Team Workload Distribution Plan — Consolidates the workload picture, allocation criteria, current distribution, support, exceptions and review rhythm.
- 90-Day Distribution Roadmap — Assigns practice changes, organizational dependencies, owners and continuation review points.
How booking works
- Book online. Create a free Workbliss profile, then pay with session credits, by card or by invoice.
- Pick a date. Choose a date at least 14 days ahead, or book now and set the date later.
- Choose your expert. Within 3 working days, we send you profiles of the experts available for your date.
- We deliver it. Your expert is briefed on your people and goals, then runs the session live online or at your site.
Questions about Making Team Workload Fair: Getting Distribution Right
How long is Making Team Workload Fair: Getting Distribution Right?
Making Team Workload Fair: Getting Distribution Right runs as 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, 3 hours or full day. You choose the length when you book. A 30-minute session covers three key points from See the Whole Workload: compare demands, not just task counts, include the work between the tasks and work with actual availability. A 60-minute session covers See the Whole Workload in full, with a live Q&A. A 90-minute session adds Make Allocation Decisions You Can Explain. A 3-hour session adds Rebalance Without Moving the Problem. A full-day session adds Keep Distribution Fair as Work Changes. It is also available as a 4-week or 8-week program.
Can Making Team Workload Fair: Getting Distribution Right be delivered online or in person?
Yes, both. It runs live online, so every office can join at the same time, or in person at your site, in any country.
How do we book Making Team Workload Fair: Getting Distribution Right?
Create a free Workbliss profile with your work email, then open Making Team Workload Fair: Getting Distribution Right to see the price for each length and book it. You can pay with session credits, by card or by invoice, and choose a date at least 14 days ahead, or set it later.
Who leads the session?
A vetted Workbliss expert, briefed on your people, culture and goals before the session. After you book, we send you profiles of the experts available for your date within 3 working days, so you can choose who leads it.
Can it be tailored to our company?
Yes. Every session is shaped around your goals, your people and the benefits you already offer, and delivered by experts in your people’s languages.