Don't Be Afraid to Say "NO" at Work

A new job comes with a baggage full of expectations, along with the prospects of a bright future. You go through myriad of emotions as the new job brings a new environment, new way of working, new co workers etc. It is only natural for you to experience happiness as well as stress at the same time.

Initially, you put in a lot of effort to carve a niche for yourself and create trust and respect in the eyes of your superiors. In the process you take on extra work, stay on your toes and tend to bend backwards to make everyone happy. As more time passes by, it becomes more and more difficult to keep the extra effort going and then comes the big question – how to tackle this situation that you have seemingly gotten yourself into? The tact of saying no will come in handy to get you out of this soup.

How to Say No?

When you are under pressure from a superior or a co-worker, you might feel compelled to say yes to an extra task or a favor that they are asking of you. However, you need to let go of your people-pleasing impulses and focus on your well-being and career growth and take on only the tasks that you can do quality work on and yet deliver in time.

Furthermore, you have to be careful that you do not offend the superior or co-worker by declining their request. Here are a few pointers that will be useful:

• Use a Neutral Tone
  The tone of your voice should be neutral and not aggressive. Be not only firm and assertive but also polite and respectful while you explaining that you would need more time to be able to duly address the task at hand.

• Explain your Position
  If you are not bound by confidentiality, it would be helpful to give the other person a background of why you are unable to say yes to the additional responsibility. You can elaborate on the current tasks allocated to you and their importance for the team or business and how they need to be tackled before the new work item you are being asked to deliver.

• Clarify the Priority
  If it seems that you would have to take on the additional work, make sure you get a clear idea of which tasks are more important and need to be dealt with before others. This would help you in keeping focus on what is important and it would also help the colleague in understanding the relative priority of various tasks assigned to you.

Lastly, it is important to understand that you should always try to strike a balance such that you say no only at the right time, the right place and only when it is absolutely necessary.