6 (Professional) Ways to Say "NO" to More Work
When you’re feeling overworked and underpaid, it’s easy to start pointing fingers. I’ve seen this over and over again in my client work. You say YES to taking on even more when you truly know you cannot do anymore. You don’t have any additional time in your work day. You definitely are running out of energy. And maybe you’re even heading into or are already burnt out. But yet, you still say yes.
Now, likely this is showing up for you in more places than just the workplace. Because when you say YES to things, even though the true answer is NO, you are acting out of a learned and practice response. That response is likely helping you to avoid conflict, to protect your image as the hardest worker or ‘go-to’ person, to safeguard your position in the climate of layoffs, or maybe you just truly feel like you don’t have a choice.
The hardest thing about this response is that when you agree to take on more work, you’re often left feeling resentful, frustrated, and tired. And all of those feelings actually make you less productive at work and make you susceptible to burn out even quicker. But so many employees often feel that saying ‘no’ will paint them in a poor light or will force more work onto other teammates that are also overloaded. Let’s just normalize, it’s okay to say NO to taking on to more work, especially if it’s to the detriment of the team and organization for you to have less focus, energy, and time to dedicate to your main tasks.
Before you agree to more work, practice implementing a simple pause. This will be hard at first, and likely awkward for you. But fear not, like all skills, this is a practice. The more you do this, the easier it will feel. Then, use these responses as the foundation for your response. Make it your own, but keep it professional and neutral for the best response.
#1. “I’d be happy to discuss my current workload and find what we can delegate in order to make space for this project.”
The art of the compromise. If a new project comes up that is higher priority or a competing priority with what’s already on your plate, tell them what you need- something to move off you to make more time and attention for you to give to the new project.
#2. “I’d love to have a better understanding of how much time this will involve because I only have (x amount) I could give to it.
When uncertain, get more information before agreeing to anything, and tell them your constraints upfront. No need to overexplain where your time is going to or make apologies, you’re just trying to see if this will work.
#3. “I won’t be able to give that project the time it deserves.”
There is nothing wrong with a flat out NO. As long as you aren’t throwing it into an emotional, defensive email, saying no is completely acceptable. Keep it simple.
#4. “I need to know what the time-sensitive issues are, so I can use my time effectively on our current projects.”
Maybe you don’t even have to take on the whole thing. Maybe they are just worried about a few quick line items that they need knocked off quickly. Force them to give you the priorities in black & white, so you can refer back to it at any time.
#5. “I fully believe as a team, we can search for a better solution in order to maintain our high standards of support.”
Offer to look for a different solution with them for the BEST results possible. This will tell you if your company values getting it done over getting it done right, and gives you more information on how to proceed forward without taking on the work itself. It also gives you and your management time to evaluate if this is truly a pressing matter or just seems like it’s time-sensitive.
#6. “I wholeheartedly believe our purpose/mission won’t be served by overloading ourselves, but I’d love to talk about how this could get accomplished in a different way that serves everyone.”
Call a spade, a spade. Overworked employees do not stay around for the long haul. Which is in direct opposition to most published purpose & mission statements. Use those values as a reflection point for them, but remember that at the end of the day, you’re all a team striving to get paid and get back to your lives. Find a solution together. Think outside the box. Streamline systems.
Even with these phrases, it’s going to be hard to say them. And that’s okay. This process can feel very sticky, uncomfortable, awkward, and embarrassing. You are not alone there. But remember: Taking on more work underserves your goals and minimizes your stance when they ask again. Even if you’ve agreed to take on more work for years, let this be your invitation to pause and implement new practices to say yes to yourself, not to your work.