Managing Your Workload: How to Say 'No' to Your Boss

Saying 'no' to anyone, or letting people down for whatever reason, can be tough. When you're in your early twenties and only in your second job, saying 'no' to your boss can be particularly awkward to manoeuvre, because - of course - it's your boss. I have a tendency to oversubscribe myself with work requests, I'm eager to help and I used to find myself saying 'yes' to everything.

Soon, I found that more and more was being asked of me at work, to the point where it was derailing my daily schedule and delaying tasks being completed for other stakeholders in the business. My willingness and immediate 'yes' response meant that colleagues around me became accustomed to getting an immediate acceptance and action from me. Because it was from different people, in different departments, I'm not sure anyone actually realised how many balls I was juggling.

Confidence

Taking too much on was causing me to feel stressed, and it was showing. I could feel my ability to do each - in fact any - of the tasks really well just slipping away.

One very understanding colleague said: 'Please say 'no' if you need to, it will be fine.' I realised a lack of confidence and self-esteem was making me not only a 'yes' person to my bosses' every demand but also less effective in my core role.

Logical Thinking

So, I started to try and think differently. With a little more confidence. What I have come to realise is that the world won't implode because you have said 'no', and you won't be fired on the spot!

I also came to the realisation that not saying 'yes' to everything doesn't mean by default that you don't care about your job or are not putting in enough effort. You are.

Chances are that other people can do the exact same task, as my boss found out. I realised once I had said 'no' to a particular request, they were still able to find someone who could help with it. I was then able to focus, not miss an existing deadline, and my boss got the help they needed. All was well.

Pause and Judge the Situation

I'm aware that not every situation is such plain sailing, and in very special circumstances, you will have to drop what you are doing for something really urgent. However, I've learnt to have just enough self-confidence to judge for myself if something is urgent, and not just jump because someone else cites the situation as critical.

As I've also learned, sometimes colleagues say 'it's urgent' because they simply don't want to wait, even when they can. I have unwittingly developed a management strategy by asking a few questions first when a request comes in:

• What does the task involve?
• How long do they reckon it will take?
• When is it really needed by?
• Who else is able to help or do this task if you're not able to?

Then you can consider if you can realistically get to it in time. If you do feel like you are too busy to take on more work, then briefly explain what you are already tied up with and explain why you won't be able to help immediately.

As I found out to my detriment, rushing to do a last minute task can actually reduce the quality of your work; you are more likely to make mistakes and need to spend more time fixing those mistakes. It's unlikely the fact that you were rushing to oblige a boss will be taken into account, you'll just be remembered for the mistakes or missed deadlines.

My learning curve: confidence and communication are key. It can save you a lot of stress and besides, when you're away from the office, your boss and colleagues have no choice but to wait or find someone else to help - so it can be done!

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Sam, slowly learning how to navigate workplace expectations

For more tips and advice on how to manage your workload and stress levels check out our webinar: Performing Under Pressure