'workload' originates from the combination of 'work' and 'load', where 'work' meant 'activity involving mental or physical effort' and 'load' meant 'a heavy or bulky thing that is being carried or is about to be carried'.

'workload' evolved from the Old English word 'weorc' (work) and 'lad' (load), eventually becoming the modern English word 'workload'.

Initially, it meant 'the amount of work to be done', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.