First to abandon lots of work demands (4)
I believe the answer is:
asks
'demands' is the definition.
('ask' can be a synonym of 'demand')
I can't explain the rest of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for asks that I've seen before include "Demands (something of someone)" , "Invites; enquires" , "Enquires; requests" , "Puts a query" , "Solicits" .)