You’re often told that to get ahead at work you have to be the first one in and the last one to leave. You have to be energetic, positive, and always ready to say yes to a new assignment. As long as you don’t get burnt out or end up with a to-do list that is a mile long, that’s good advice. But there are certain instances when it’s actually in your best i
You are often told that to get ahead at work you have to be the first one in and the last one to leave. You have to be energetic, positive, and always ready to say yes to a new assignment. As long as you don’t get burnt out or end up with a to-do list that is a mile long, that is good advice. But there are certain instances when it’s actually in your best interest to say no at work.
“Being a team player is usually considered a valuable employee trait, but sometimes workers are too cooperative, and on occasion, that can actually be harmful,” says Timothy Wiedman a retired associate professor of management and human resources at Doane University. It could mean you take on too many assignments, or projects you don’t have the skills for yet, or get slammed with all the last-minute-totally-urgent-has-to-be-done-tonight requests that everyone else declines. “In most work environments, a person who cannot say no will likely end up carrying a disproportionate share of the workload. And an agreeable but overburdened team member may start missing deadlines or produce sub-standard work,” Wiedman says.
The key to saying no at work is to say it sparingly, especially when you are just starting your career, and to make it clear why you are saying no. You want to make it known that you have a good reason for saying no, not that it’s simply that you don’t want to do the work or would much prefer to go home to watch “The Hills: New Beginnings.” I spoke to experts to find out instances when you should say no at work and tips for how to do it without damaging your reputation.
Your to-do list is longer than a CVS receipt:
You’re juggling several high-priority projects and you fear you might drop the ball if you add anything else into the mix. “While it’s important to be a team player, you would want to say no in a case like this because you wouldn’t want your individual work to suffer or fall behind while trying to assist with your coworker’s task,” says Julia Rock founder of the Houston-based career coaching firm Rock Career Development.
Let’s say your boss asks you to cover breaking news assignments while a coworker is on vacation and it will affect your ability to get your other assignments done. You could say something like, “I would love to help with that, but I am leading editorial meetings and have interviews with sources during the day, would it be possible for me to only cover breaking news in the afternoons after my meetings?” In this case, you are helping to find an alternative that works for you so you aren’t saying yes without thinking of the possible implications. Tell your boss that you’d be happy to take on the new project, but that you are working on other deliverables, and ask what the biggest priority is so you can adjust your to-do list accordingly. You’ll come across as responsible, mature, and flexible.
TBH, you don’t have the necessary skills yet:
It takes time to become good at something new and you can learn on the job, but you don’t want to be the person in charge when you are figuring something out for the first time. “While you should seize opportunities to learn new things, it may not be the best use of your time, and you may not be able to deliver the highest quality work product to represent yourself given you don’t have a good understanding of the subject matter,” says Rock. Your coworkers and even your boss might not be aware of what you’ve learned at previous jobs or your current job, so they might think something will be a breeze for you when you’d be spending hours watching YouTube tutorials and googling to figure out how the heck you design an email newsletter template. You aren’t necessarily saying no to the project, but you are saying no to being the lead until you know that you are ready to deliver.
Sandy Mobley CEO of the Virginia-based executive coaching firm The Learning Advantage recommends explaining that you haven’t done it before, but that you would like to learn. Offer to help with a similar project or go to a training so that next time someone asks, you’ll be ready to take the lead. That’s a responsible and humble response that your coworkers and boss should respect.
The request feels sketchy:
Unfortunately, workplaces aren’t perfect and you might be asked to do something that goes against your values, is unethical, or could even be illegal. In these instances, it’s important to trust yourself and feel comfortable saying no instead of doing something that you might regret. “It is critical to say no clearly and firmly, as you would not want to be associated with any actions that would call your integrity into question,” says Rock. She gives the example of a coworker who asks you to help update files using falsified information to meet a deadline for the sales department. You could say something like, “’While I know we need to meet the deadline, we shouldn’t use data that isn’t accurate or verifiable. Let’s go back to the sales team and see if we can ask for an extension so we have time to collect the correct information,’” says Rock. Remember that it takes years to build a reputation and it could be ruined in an instant.
