Staff Workload
Visualise billable hours, utilisation rates, and active matter loads across your entire team.
Overview
Uneven workload distribution is one of the most common operational problems in law firms. Some attorneys are overloaded — billing 60+ hours per week, dropping balls, and risking burnout — while others are underutilised and carrying light matter loads. Without visibility, the problem persists indefinitely. With visibility, it can be addressed through reassignment, new matter allocation decisions, and capacity planning.
The Staff Workload module provides a real-time view of every team member's active matter count, hours logged in the current period, utilisation rate relative to their target, and billable versus non-billable time split. It is the first place to look when making matter assignment decisions and the central tool for performance conversations about billing targets.
What the Workload View Shows
Matter Count
The total number of matters assigned to each team member, with a breakdown of active matters (open and in progress) versus total matters (including recently closed). High active matter counts signal overload even before hours are examined.
Hours This Period
The total hours logged by each person in the selected period (week, month, or custom range). Split between billable and non-billable hours. Compared against the person's billing target to show whether they are on track.
Utilisation Rate
Billable hours as a percentage of available hours in the period. Calculated as: billable hours ÷ (working days × daily target hours) × 100. This is the primary productivity metric for attorneys in most firms.
Overload Flags
Team members with utilisation above 90% are flagged as overloaded (red). Those between 75–90% are flagged as high (amber). These thresholds are configurable per firm under Organisation → Workload Settings.
Utilisation Colour Coding
Each team member's utilisation rate is displayed with a colour-coded progress bar:
Firm-Wide Summary Stats
The summary panel at the top of the module shows four firm-wide metrics for the selected period:
Using Staff Workload
Select a period
Open Staff Workload from the sidebar under Firm Operations. Use the period selector to choose the view: This Week, This Month, or a custom date range. Monthly is the standard view for billing review; weekly is more useful for immediate staffing decisions.
Identify overloaded team members
Scan for red and amber utilisation bars. For each overloaded member, click their name to see their active matter list. Identify which matters could be transferred or for which tasks could be delegated to a less-loaded team member.
Identify underutilised team members
Look for team members with green bars and low active matter counts. These are your assignment candidates. When a new matter comes in, check here before assigning — a visually overloaded team member who is already at capacity should not receive it when capacity exists elsewhere.
Use for weekly team meetings
Open the workload view at the start of each week's team meeting. Review the overloaded count. Discuss any red-flagged members and agree on workload redistribution before the week begins.
Export for reporting
Click Export to download the workload data as a CSV. Useful for monthly management reports, partner meetings, and HR performance reviews where billing targets and utilisation data are discussed.
Workload management principles
- • Utilisation data is only as accurate as time entry discipline. A team member who logs time once a week will show artificially low utilisation mid-week. Encourage daily time entry for workload data to be meaningful in real time.
- • Utilisation rate is one metric, not the only one. A senior attorney at 60% utilisation may be carrying more demanding matters than a junior at 95%. Use the active matter view alongside the hours data for a complete picture.
- • An overloaded attorney is a risk, not just an asset. Sustained overload leads to errors, delayed responses, poor client service, and ultimately attrition. Treat red flags as operational risks, not just productivity wins.
- • Set individual billing targets in Settings → Staff Profiles. Without per-person targets, the utilisation rate calculation uses the firm default, which may not reflect part-time arrangements, senior roles with high non-billable responsibilities, or graduate programs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Staff Workload show non-fee-earning staff?
By default, the workload view shows only fee-earners (attorneys, paralegals, and other billable roles). Administrative staff who do not have billing targets are excluded from utilisation calculations. Administrators can include or exclude specific roles under Organisation → Workload Settings.
Why does a team member show 0% utilisation when I know they have been working?
Zero utilisation means no billable time entries have been logged for that person in the selected period. Check whether they have been entering time, and whether their activities are categorised as billable. Non-billable time (firm meetings, admin, CPD) does not count toward utilisation.
Can I set different utilisation targets for different staff?
Yes. Each staff member has an individual billing target set in their profile (Settings → Staff Profiles → Billing Target). This per-person target is used for their utilisation calculation. A partner with significant business development responsibilities might have a lower billable target than a fee-earning associate.
Is the workload data real-time?
Workload data reflects time entries logged up to the moment you load the page. It updates when you click Refresh. Time entries saved in other modules (Activities, Billing) are reflected immediately in the next workload load.