---
title: "Workload check poll template for Slack"
url: "https://simplepoll.rocks/templates/workload-check/"
description: "Find out who is overloaded before it turns into burnout. Copy-paste /poll templates for an anonymous workload check and a named capacity check in Slack."
---

# Workload check poll for Slack

When to use it: Before planning the next sprint or quarter, during a crunch, or any time you suspect some of the team is carrying more than they say.

How often: Every two weeks

People rarely volunteer that they're overloaded. A workload poll asks directly, makes the
answer cheap to give, and tells you whether the problem is one person or the whole team.

There are two versions and they answer different questions. An anonymous check tells you how
the team feels. A named capacity check tells you who can take on more, which is what you need
for planning.

## Example polls

Paste any of these into the message box in Slack.

```text
/poll "How was your workload over the last two weeks?" "Way too much" "A bit too much" "About right" "Room for more" anonymous limit 1
```

The anonymous check. One answer per person, nobody named. *Premium: vote limits.*

```text
/poll "Workload check" "Anonymous. Thirty seconds." anonymous close after 1 day --- "How was your workload over the last two weeks?" "Way too much" "A bit too much" "About right" "Room for more" limit 1 --- "What is taking the most of your time right now?" short text optional
```

The rating plus the reason, as a short survey that closes before planning. *Premium: surveys (several questions), closing automatically.*

```text
/poll "Planning next sprint: how much room do you have?" "None, I am full" "A small task" "A medium task" "A big task" limit 1 close after 1 day
```

The named capacity check, for assigning work. Not anonymous on purpose. *Premium: vote limits, closing automatically.*

## How to word it

Ask about a specific period, "the last two weeks" or "this sprint", not workload in
general. Use options that run from too little to too much, with "about right" in the
middle, so both ends are visible: people with no slack and people with spare capacity.

Add `limit 1` (Premium) so everyone gives one answer. For the anonymous version, add one
optional free-text question asking what's taking the most time. That answer is usually
more useful than the rating.

## Anonymous or named

Use `anonymous` when you want honesty about strain. People under-report overload when
their name is attached.

Use a named poll when you're about to assign work and need to know who has room. Say why
in the description, so nobody reads "I have room" as a confession.

Don't mix them. An anonymous poll can't tell you who to give the next project to.

## When to send it

Every two weeks, or before each planning session. During a crunch, weekly. Give it
`close after 1 day` (Premium) so you have the answer before the planning meeting.

## What to do with the results

If most of the team says "Too much", the plan is the problem, not the people: cut scope
and say what you cut. If one or two say it, the work is unevenly spread, so look at
assignments. If the free-text answers keep naming the same thing, like meetings or
support rotation, that's the fix to make first.

## FAQ

### Should a workload poll be anonymous?

For how people feel, yes. For planning who takes what, no. Run the one that matches the
decision you need to make.

### How often should I ask?

Every two weeks is enough for most teams. Weekly during a crunch. More often than that
and it becomes noise. See [survey fatigue](https://simplepoll.rocks/glossary/survey-fatigue/).

### Can people pick more than one option?

By default, yes. Add `limit 1` (Premium) for one answer each. Try it with the 14-day
free trial: `/simplepoll trial`.

## Used by

- [Slack polls for customer support teams](https://simplepoll.rocks/use-cases/customer-support-teams/)
- [Slack polls for engineering teams](https://simplepoll.rocks/use-cases/engineering-teams/)
- [Slack polls for managers and team leads](https://simplepoll.rocks/use-cases/managers-and-team-leads/)

## Related

- [Weekly pulse survey for Slack](https://simplepoll.rocks/templates/weekly-pulse-survey/): When an annual engagement survey is too slow to catch problems and you want a light, regular read on how the team is doing.
- [Team mood check-in poll for Slack](https://simplepoll.rocks/templates/team-mood-check-in/): When you want an early, honest signal on how the team is feeling, before it shows up as missed deadlines or resignations.
- [Daily standup check-in poll for Slack](https://simplepoll.rocks/templates/daily-standup-check-in/): When your team is spread across time zones or calendars and a live standup costs more than it returns, but you still want a daily read on progress and blockers.
- [Slack polls for managers and team leads](https://simplepoll.rocks/use-cases/managers-and-team-leads/): A team lead's job is mostly two things: deciding, and finding out what you do not know. Both get easier with a handful of well-timed polls. The point is not to vote on everything. It is to stop spending a meeting on questions a poll answers in an hour, and to hear the things your team would not say to your face.
- [What is survey fatigue?](https://simplepoll.rocks/glossary/survey-fatigue/): Survey fatigue is when people are asked for feedback so often, or at such length, that they stop answering or start answering carelessly.

## Sources

- [How do I limit respondents to one vote per poll?](https://help.simplepoll.rocks/article/43-how-do-i-limit-the-number-of-votes-each-user-can-cast-in-a-poll)

---

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