Project Work at the Limit – Is Job Crafting the Solution?

In the modern workplace, working simultaneously on multiple projects is seen as the epitome of flexibility and efficiency. However, a recent study by the LMU Munich School of Management shows that this so-called “multiteaming” actually has negative effects on employees’ mental health and team dynamics.

According to the analysis, multiteaming across parallel projects leads to severe burnout. Constant shifts in context, as well as the pressure to be immediately available in every team, overwhelm employees and undermine their mental health in the long term.

So what can be done to counteract the looming risk of burnout? According to the study, many employees resort to adaptation strategies, known as job crafting. The analysis shows that employees have developed three specific coping strategies for this purpose: They deliberately eliminate less relevant tasks, reduce the intensity of certain activities, or create uninterrupted periods for focused work by blocking off time.

These individual strategies lead to a collective dilemma: When individual tasks are eliminated for self-protection, the burden shifts to colleagues who are often already working at their limits. This creates a conflict between the necessary protection of one’s own health and team responsibility.

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