How to Create a Sense of Urgency at Work (Without Burning Anyone Out)

Certain tasks at work require a sense of urgency, like hitting a deadline, tackling an important project, or responding to a customer request. But too much pressure can cause employees to feel stressed and overwhelmed—and result in a decline of productivity.

Both as a leader and an individual, it’s critical to understand when and how to employ a sense of urgency; otherwise, you risk burning out your team (and yourself). 

The good news? There are ways to establish a sense of urgency at work without stressing anyone out.

What does it mean to have a sense of urgency?

In a business context, when something has a sense of urgency (whether that’s a task, project, or other deliverable), it means it’s important—and needs to be completed quickly, efficiently, and correctly. 

There are various ways to experience this at work, but it’s most commonly used in reference to leadership creating urgency within their teams. For example, a manager might be in charge of overseeing a project from start to completion—and the closer the deadline gets, the more of a sense of urgency there is to wrap up any loose ends and submit the final deliverables.

Why is it important to create a sense of urgency at work?

When appropriate, creating a sense of urgency at work ensures that things get done quickly and effectively. This often inspires employees to be more productive, innovative, and ambitious—all of which are important characteristics for driving change. 

It is, however, critical that urgency is reserved for things that are actually time-intensive. If everything is urgent, nothing is urgent—and continually putting pressure on your team can cause people to feel overwhelmed and burned out.

It can also have a negative impact on employee engagement, which is how connected team members feel to their job, work, and company. And it plays a major role in an individual, team, and company’s success.

3 tiers of employee engagement

According to Gallup's 2023 State of the Workplace report, there are three tiers of employee engagement in most organizations in the United States. Understanding these categories can help managers understand where their employees fall and foster a sense of urgency in those who need an extra boost. 

Here are the three levels: 

1. Engaged employees

Engaged employees love their job and actively contribute to making their organization better. Gallup classifies them as “thriving at work.” They have a natural sense of urgency because they care about improvement—and take personal responsibility for their own and their team’s results.

According to Gallup, only about 31% of American employees are engaged at work. 

2. Not engaged employees 

Not engaged employees (which Gallup categorizes as “quiet quitters”) come to work just to clock the time. These team members will do what they have to do, but without a sense of energy or passion—and while they’re disconnected and struggle to be productive, these employees are also more likely to be stressed and at a high risk of burnout. These types of employees generally need manager oversight to foster productivity.

According to Gallup, about 52% of American employees fall into this category. And because they make up the majority of the workforce, it’s important for managers to instill a sense of urgency (so they’re able to get things done)—but not to go overboard, as these workers are more likely to burn out than more engaged team members.

3. Actively disengaged employees

Actively disengaged employees (which Gallup categorizes as “loud quitters”) don't just dislike their job—they actively work to undo the good work their engaged colleagues produceThese team members, may discourage others from working hard, make tasks more difficult for coworkers, or tear things down in other ways. These kinds of employees need managers who are able to engage them—or they need to be kicked to the curb before doing any damage.

About 17% of Americans are actively disengaged employees, according to Gallup's report.

20 tactics for creating a sense of urgency

Now that you know what a sense of urgency is, how can you create it as a manager or supervisor? And how can you do so in a way that pushes your team to get things done, but doesn’t burn them out?

Here are 20 tactics to consider:

1. Lead by example. Make your own smart, quick decisions with confidence—and don't stress or panic in front of your team; instead, reassure your team that while you need them to work at a quick pace, it can also be taken in stride.

2. Identify obstacles to your team's progress and quickly remove them. For example, if deadlines tend to fall through the cracks, you might invest in a project management platform to keep your people on track and accountable.

3. Establish a team culture that is focused on outcomes; not individual tasks.

4. Communicate consequences for inaction. In other words, clarify what happens if desired outcomes aren't met. Just keep in mind that the way you share this information can have a significant impact on your team; if it comes across as a threat, it can cause anxiety and stress and ultimately be counterproductive. Instead, balance your message with positive reinforcement—and let employees know that you’re there to support them.

5. Identify what systems work for your team—and eliminate any that no longer serve them. For example, if there are any redundancies in your tech stack (and your employees’ work is spread across multiple platforms), figure out which software your team feels is the most supportive of their workflow and get rid of the rest.

6. Identify any causes of complacency that exist within your culture—for example, employees taking long lunches or regularly leaving early—and eradicate them. 

7. Encourage your team members to ask for help—and always offer support when asked. 

8. Announce and celebrate small successes to demonstrate what happens when desired outcomes are met. 

9. Give one-on-one praise in ways that match each team member; find what drives them and match your feedback to that aspect of their personality.

10. Agree on deadlines and provide reminders. Just make sure your time limits are realistic—and not just in your eyes, but also in your team’s. Setting unrealistic deadlines creates pressure that can not only impact morale, but cause productivity to tank—so work with your people to assign timelines that are not only ambitious and urgent, but manageable.

11. Keep meetings short by always providing an agenda—and cut out any team get-togethers that aren’t necessary.

12. When speaking, get to the point quickly; encourage your team members to communicate in a similar manner. 

13. Demonstrate leadership by example by meeting your personal deadlines.

14. Exhibit urgency with your body language—for example, by maintaining eye contact with employees when explaining the urgency of a project.

15. Provide consistent encouragement and reminders of why your team's work is important. 

16. Spark action by encouraging your team to take on dynamic tasks beyond reading reports and replying; hold brainstorming sessions, team presentations and more.

17. Generate buy-in with your team. If your employees understand why there’s a sense of urgency—and how it will ultimately benefit them—they’re more likely to feel that urgency themselves and act accordingly. Be clear on what you need, why it’s urgent, and how getting it done will benefit not only you and the company, but your employees. 

18. Hold one-on-one meetings to secure each member's buy-in to the team; talk to that person about what drives them and cement why they are individually important to your work. 

19. Identify motivators for your team and use these to build a team-wide strategy for urgency and outcome-focused work.