Why is this important?
Workloads should set realistic expectations and not ask people to do too much. Tasks should be clearly defined, fly shared, and flexible so D/deaf and D/disabled participants can contribute without burnout.
Actions
Explore actions for managing workload more inclusively:
Help with information management
Quick Actions
- Give a simple overview that shows all the important documents, where to find them (links or location) and a short summary of what each document is for.
- Highlight document sections that are most important for the current work.
Long-term Actions
- Offer orientation sessions or “office hours” where chairs or experienced members explain key documents and answer questions.
Barriers these actions address
- Inaccessible digital documents
- Consultation fatigue in D/deaf and D/disabled communities
- People don’t start at the same place
- Too much background information for new members
- Underestimated workloads
Set clear and realistic timelines for reviews, drafts, or revisions
Quick Actions
- Plan extra time (20-30%) more than you think is needed.
- Share clear timelines and documents upfront and update them with member input.
- Break big tasks or decisions into smaller steps with clear deadlines.
- Remind members of deadlines in advance.
- Build in buffer time for submitting deadlines, especially for people with access needs, and people in different time zones or languages.
- Adjust timelines if more time is needed for accessibility, translation, or review.
- Allocate enough time for members to review especially long documents at a manageable pace.
- Where possible, break large reading loads into prioritized chunks.
Barriers these actions address
- Consultation fatigue in D/deaf and D/disabled communities
- Underestimated workloads