How to Say “No” at Work

Do you find yourself consistently raising your hand to take something on?

Volunteering parts of your day to contribute to a project?

Staying late, coming in early, or spending more time than most at your job?

Well, you’re certainly not alone. In fact, many people struggle to say “no” at work for a variety of reasons. Some fear it may impact their reliability, and others worry about how their colleagues may perceive them. There are many reasons to say “yes” and “no” at work.

Here are a few ways you can say ‘”no” politely and effectively.

Explain why your answer is “no”: Context can be helpful when you need to turn something down or decline an invitation. Reasoning helps your colleagues understand what you’re working on, your bandwidth, and your priorities. An explanation also helps build trust with your team, and hopefully, helps create a culture that accepts “no” more often.
Offer an alternative: If you’re unable to meet a need at the moment, suggesting a different pathway can help the work get done while valuing your time and capabilities. For instance, if a coworker asks you to create a pitch deck by the end of the week, but you were given no warning and are strapped for time, you might say, “Thanks for acknowledging my strength in this area of our work. I’m pretty busy this week with additional projects, let’s ask Mark and Bekah for support so we can get this done in the current timeline. How does that sound?”
Prioritize your tasks: Sometimes, certain assignments or projects take precedence over others. In these situations, it’s important to inform all involved what’s at the top of your to-do list and what’s toward the bottom. Establishing your priorities helps ensure your work gets done efficiently, creates a culture of effective boundary-setting, and promotes a workplace that delegates tasks based on strengths, workload, and capacity.

Saying “no” at work can be a real challenge, especially if you feel a sense of responsibility to be dependable or if you haven’t been in a situation where you’ve needed to say “no” before.

Remember that, to give it your all and produce your best work, you may need to re-center and deny the things that don’t allow you to excel.