More work lands on you
How to tell your boss you are overwhelmed
“I can take it on. Something has to come off for it to be done well.”
Raise it before anything slips, and make it about doing the work well. You are offering your manager a choice about priorities, which is their call to make.
What is happening
Nobody has asked yet, but you can see the next few weeks will not fit. Raising it before something slips is far easier than explaining afterwards, and it shows you are on top of your work.
Bring a short list of what is on your plate, so the conversation is about which item moves.
If they push back
Your manager may point out that the whole team is stretched. They might say:
“Everyone’s busy at the moment.”
Agree with that, and bring it back to the choice:
“I know, and I want to get the important things right. Which of these matters most this month?”
The part this page cannot settle
There are two other ways to say this, one softer and one firmer. Which one fits depends on how stretched your manager is, how far ahead you can see the problem, and what has slipped before. Choosing well is most of the work.
The Complete Lines has all three for this moment and for every other one, sorted by what is happening to you. If you have a meeting about it coming up, the first page helps you work out what to say before you walk in, and it is free.