Narrative:

Events started with a line of thunderstorms and over time; before the kickoffs; the two areas connected and exploded causing a train track effect for ZZZ causing ground stops and ground delay programs all morning for ZZZ. With all this happening plus ZZZ1 [another hub airport] problems; then too many phone calls; from agents and pilots looking for releases and also trying to coordinate communication in timely fashion for game plans. Too many changes in ATC with planned updates and ground stops and ground delay programs. Too many messages on computer screen. Some of them are not important; yet [they] prevent you from doing your workload safely and efficiently and your computer screen updates changes for weather (hourly and forecasted); notams; equipment swaps; mels; field condition reports; sigmets; airmets; ATC reroutes; [and] ATC operations game plans. When your messages are cleared; you turn around and there is more messages to go through again. It's a constant battle and you feel pressured from all sides in trying to get your workload completed safely and efficiently. When you ask for help in the past on other similar days; management sends out a message to all desks to ask for volunteers to help and either every desk is busy or no one helps out. I have been told to ask around for help in past if I really have time. Sometimes bathroom breaks don't happen because you fear if you come back after 5 minutes and miss something you will get reprimanded by management or the FAA for not complying in proper timing to answer crews by ACARS. Yes; I have passed along to others to watch my desk; [but this] just puts more workload on them too. We work ten hours and we have to eat while we work and either your food gets cold or you never finish. There were nine dispatchers involved with average of low 60s for releases per desk. With three closed desks [today]; two are always closed; four [dispatchers] scheduled [today]; and one desk closed [which] I assume management never covered with overtime or did not want to cover. I am not a machine to knock out releases fast; each one has to be taken 1 at a time to check all details. Same with details for ZZZ in weather forecast accuracy; ATC delays; and reroutes.[this was caused by] weather forecasters not providing accurate and timely info to help plan for a safe flight and too many weather amendments to keep track of; ATC putting out excessive delays; ground delay programs and too many reroutes. Not enough staffing to handle overflow or releases or just to relief us for a few mins to get something to eat or fresh air.have company bring in more dispatchers for workload issues. Management [needs to] ask if dispatchers need help; delaying or cancelling flights to get operations back on schedule; not running everything so late to get timely forecasts for airports so we can plan safe flights.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A Dispatcher reported a confluence of severe weather; lack of dispatchers; company policy; weather forecast changes; ATC ground stops; and delays created an impossible work overload situation.

Narrative: Events started with a line of thunderstorms and over time; before the kickoffs; the two areas connected and exploded causing a train track effect for ZZZ causing ground stops and ground delay programs all morning for ZZZ. With all this happening plus ZZZ1 [another hub airport] problems; then too many phone calls; from agents and pilots looking for releases and also trying to coordinate communication in timely fashion for game plans. Too many changes in ATC with planned updates and ground stops and ground delay programs. Too many messages on computer screen. Some of them are not important; yet [they] prevent you from doing your workload safely and efficiently and your computer screen updates changes for weather (hourly And forecasted); NOTAMs; equipment swaps; MELs; field condition reports; SIGMETs; AIRMETs; ATC reroutes; [and] ATC Operations game plans. When your messages are cleared; you turn around and there is more messages to go through again. It's a constant battle and you feel pressured from all sides in trying to get your workload completed safely and efficiently. When you ask for help in the past on other similar days; Management sends out a message to all desks to ask for volunteers to help and either every desk is busy or no one helps out. I have been told to ask around for help in past if I really have time. Sometimes bathroom breaks don't happen because you fear if you come back after 5 minutes and miss something you will get reprimanded by Management or the FAA for not complying in proper timing to answer crews by ACARS. Yes; I have passed along to others to watch my desk; [but this] just puts more workload on them too. We work ten hours and we have to eat while we work and either your food gets cold or you never finish. There were nine dispatchers involved with average of low 60s for releases per desk. With three closed desks [today]; two are always closed; four [dispatchers] scheduled [today]; and one desk closed [which] I assume Management never covered with overtime or did not want to cover. I am not a machine to knock out releases fast; each one has to be taken 1 at a time to check all details. Same with details for ZZZ in weather forecast accuracy; ATC delays; and reroutes.[This was caused by] weather forecasters not providing accurate and timely info to help plan for a safe flight and too many weather amendments to keep track of; ATC putting out excessive delays; ground delay programs and too many reroutes. Not enough staffing to handle overflow or releases or just to relief us for a few mins to get something to eat or fresh air.Have company bring in more dispatchers for workload issues. Management [needs to] ask if dispatchers need help; delaying or cancelling flights to get operations back on schedule; not running everything so late to get timely forecasts for airports so we can plan safe flights.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.