PatriciaGrant-Kitson, patriciaktsn@yahoo.com

WITH MANY local companies cutting back on staff and doubling the duties of the workers who remain on their payroll, have you been given more than you think you can manage to get done?

In the effort to remain solvent, viable and competitive, many organisations in our Jamaican business landscape are constricting, rightsizing and downsizing by, for example, merging departments, eliminating job functions, making some employees redundant, and sending some employees on early retirement.

Aside from contributing to the pool of unemployed persons, these actions often give rise to an increase in the workload of the 'surviving' employees of these companies.

Many 'survivors' suddenly find that their jobs have been enriched and enlarged so that they have added duties and responsibilities.

This often happens since the elimination of job titles and departments/units do not always mean that all activities related to these titles and departments/units are also eliminated.

Often, the activities are rationalised and distributed to existing employees, who may, or may not receive an increase in income.

If you are an employee faced with this increase in your workload, you can gracefully and efficiently handle these increased workplace demands by changing the way you work and your attitude to your job.

Try replanning your time. You now have more things to do within the same time frame, so you have to set or revise your priorities (based on time-based outcome expectations) and focus your efforts on these.

Ensure you plan time for socialisation, solitude and fun - necessary ingredients for stress relief.

You will need to establish and organise an effective support and stress-management system.

You cannot do this alone; you need the help of family and friends. Tell them of the new job demands and solicit their assistance to minimise demands on your time at home and to help increase your reservoir of energy.

Get adequate rest, exercise and spiritual upliftment to help you deal with the increased stress.

Beware that some organisations may not formalise your new duties and responsibilities. If this is the case, take the initiative to update your job description and/or résumé.

Also, you want to ensure that your résumé properly reflects the full extent of your experiences and capabilities on the job.

Patricia Grant-Kitson is a human-resource management and training consultant based in Kingston. Email patriciaktsn@yahoo.com.

Strategise to survive

Adopt a positive mental attitude. Don't get annoyed and upset with the company, and don't complain. View this as an opportunity for you to shine. Management obviously sees you as being capable and having the capacity to take on more work and still perform efficiently. Acknowledge and confirm to yourself that you can do it.

Be clear about management's expectations. Ensure you are clear about the new deliverables that are expected of you.

What will success in these added areas look like? What outcomes signal the efficient and effective completion of these activities? Seek training if you find that you are lacking any knowledge or skill required for successful job performance.