How to tell if someone could take on more work
Managers notice when people have too much. They notice much less when someone has too little. Spare room is a chance for the person to grow, and worth knowing before you hire.
What you can notice yourself
- Their own work has dropped for a couple of weeks.
- They still reply, review and help others as usual.
- They are not on leave, and not stuck waiting on anyone.
- They finish things early, or ask what is next.
What to do
- Ask: "Is there something you would like to pick up next?"
- Offer work that fits where they want to grow, not only what is urgent.
- Check first that they are not quietly stuck on something.
What to avoid
- Do not hand them the work nobody else wants by default.
- Do not treat a lighter few weeks as a problem. Ask first.
Guides on this
- Why employees leave and the signs before they go
Why employees leave, the changes a manager can see before someone resigns, and how to start the conversation while there is still time.
- Quiet quitting: the signs, and what to do
What quiet quitting looks like on a team, how it differs from a quiet week, and how a manager can respond without blame.
- One on one questions to ask your team
One on one questions for every part of a 1:1 meeting: workload, the team, growth and you as their manager. Plus what to talk about, and a simple agenda.
- Employee recognition: how to thank good work
Employee recognition that costs nothing: how to notice the work that deserves thanks, how to say it so it lands, and ideas to make sure nobody is missed.
- Signs of burnout at work a manager can see
The signs of burnout at work a manager can see early are about the work: late nights, no breaks, no say. What to look for, what to say, what to change.
- Overwhelmed at work: how a manager can help
What to do when someone has too much on: how to find out what they are carrying, what to take away, and how to check that it worked.
- Performance review examples for managers
Performance review examples you can adapt for results, teamwork, growth and problems, a short template, and how to write a fair review from facts.
Related signals
- How to welcome someone back from leave
Someone just came back from a week or more off.
- Checking in with a new hire in the first 90 days
Someone is in their first 90 days.
Ready when you are
A quieter morning, starting in your inbox.
Connect the tools your team already uses. Sonarwork reads the past of the ones that keep one, so there is something to look at on day one. Then every weekday morning, the brief lands.
No card · Invite only right now