Bring in others to help when senior management demands extra work

Reader's company puts a greater emphasis on pleasing senior management and responding to their whims than doing a good job. Alex Davda advises.

My company puts a greater emphasis on pleasing senior management and responding to their whims than doing a good job. I am often asked at the last minute to do tasks that interfere with fulfilling my assigned role. How can I push back in a way that doesn’t upset my seniors? DM, Dubai

Many people reading this will sympathise with you; we all wish to spend less time pleasing our superiors and more time actually doing what we are being paid for. Unfortunately, while you didn’t take the job to play politics, this is an organisational reality in many workplaces.

Senior management often see themselves as cascading important tasks and projects downwards, but if they don’t explain their reasons, employees can feel like they have drawn the short straw, left with both the work of others and their own to complete. For those at the top of the food chain, asking a team member to review a report, gather some information or present a project update is considered an opportunity for growth. But if they don’t have a clear idea of an employee’s existing workload they can end up further straining busy people with an extended “to do” list.

It must feel as though you are stuck, reading through an endless stack of paperwork – just as you complete the file at the bottom, another two are added to the top of the pile. It’s often the curse of the capable, as reliable and responsible team members see their workload stack up, while others stroll around without much to do.

It tends to be hard-working middle managers who feel the brunt of this burden as they receive tasks from senior management, finding themselves unwilling or unable to delegate their own work to others, or push back for fear of ruining their reputation. Don’t worry, there is always a positive; it could be through delivery on a specific task or project that you get yourself noticed, building your personal brand.

If you accept that some last- minute tasks will inevitably be given to you, find ways to present them as development opportunities for those around you. Perhaps there is someone who needs experience in a particular area, or a colleague eager to prove they can handle new challenges. If you struggle on silently while there is resource going spare, then you contribute to your own burden.

There is no reason not to bring the topic up with senior management as long as you do it in the right way. Influencing upwards and appropriately negotiating with those senior to you is a core leadership behaviour, and illustrating you have the skill and the confidence to do this showcases your talents.

Successfully present your case by considering who is creating this burden and who you need around you for support. Are these additional tasks coming from the same direct line manager you are normally accountable to? If so, you can discuss how this affects your performance within your main role, and connect to any key performance indicators or objectives they have already set you. Make sure they know you are happy to do the work, but that they need to weigh up their priorities. If this burden is coming from another senior person, then lobby some support from your direct line manager and emphasise how these additional requests take you away from delivering what they require of you.

You also need to be confident about your own source of influence in the organisation and utilise these strengths. Are you seen as a technical expert, an especially good networker and communicator? Or perhaps you are the creative ideas person? Show the impact these additional tasks are having on your ability to deliver in this area, and senior management should see how their behaviour affects the business itself.

Doctor’s prescription:

Take it as a compliment that you find yourself handed extra work – clearly senior management think you are competent and reliable, which will be useful as you move up the career ladder. You have an opportunity to get noticed through doing good work on projects close to the hearts of your superiors, but don’t over-promise or you could find yourself burning out farther down the road. Influence upwards and enlist the help of others and the situation should become much more manageable.

Alex Davda is a business psychologist and consultant at Ashridge Business School, based in the Middle East. Email him at [e-mail] for advice on any work issues