This may sound a bit weird to some but saying “NO” at work is
acceptable. People think that saying “NO” for work could come out as
disrespectful and could lead to problems. But the thing most people don’t
understand is that, to be successful, one must put in all of his/her efforts on
what has to be done, rather than adding more and more work to their lists.
The real dilemma whether to say no or yes tends to depend on
the fear of disappointing someone. It is important to know when and in what
manner to say no before you become puzzled and overwhelmed with the work you
now have which you should have declined or scheduled back to a later date. If
you wish to decline some work without being disrespectful and blunt, follow
this procedure:
Carefully analyse the situation by thinking it through:
In the corporate sector no one will ever force you to answer straight
away their call for help with a new project. When dealing with such situations
when you are asked to help out a colleague or your boss with a new assignment
which is unrelated to you, you need to take your time before you give them your
final answer. A simple solution to get out of that situation is to tell them
that you need to check your schedule and that you will revert back to them as
soon as possible.
Take that time to analyse the situation. You need to ask
yourself, whether or not you even have the time to get yourself indulged in
this new project. Also, you need to see if this new project is not going to interfere
in your daily list of goals to accomplish. After answering these questions, if
you feel that you already have a lot on your plate, then you know what to tell
them. But if you see your calendar freeing up in the close future, then it
won’t hurt to help.
Saying NO!
You need to be very careful when saying no to your boss or
colleagues. You need to pick and choose your words very carefully; you do not
want to come out as rude or disrespectful in any manner. First order of
business is to personally approach the person’s desk, emails and messages lack
tones and hence can be interpreted in a wrong way. Now calmly explain why you
can’t participate in the project and avoid being passive-aggressive by telling
them how much work you already have. It is always considered polite if you
share your schedule and current priorities, explaining why it is important to
get your personal projects done.
While rejecting the new tasks, always maintain proper body
language and tone of voice. The littlest of actions and phrases can tip a
person off. If you wish to maintain healthy relationships with your co-workers
and boss, then you need to be vigilant of these minor aspects of communication.
Offering alternatives:
If you manage to say no and your colleague or boss respects
your decision, the least you can do is to provide them with some solutions. To
make things less awkward, you can offer alternatives, you could ask a fellow
co-worker to help if they are free. Or you could set a future date where you
have the time to do your part in the assignment. Being frank and respectful is
always admired, but don’t confuse frankness with being blunt. Cause today it
might be them asking for assistance, but the next time it could be you who is
asking for help.
The cold fact is that most people almost always say yes, even
when they themselves are swamped with personal projects and assignments. They
fear being perceived as incapable and a person with no team-spirit. Women in
such cases are especially exploited due to their caring and kind attitude. And
they are mostly the ones who need to understand the importance of saying “NO”
at work.
Turacoz Foundation believes that people should always be free to make choices that are most
suitable to them. They should not work under any sort of pressure of always
saying “yes” to everything. We at Turacoz suggest that you should pre-plan
every week of your work, noting down all the projects and assignments that need
to be submitted and setting priorities to those works. The great Steve Jobs
once said,” Focusing is about saying NO”. If you wish to be successful, you
have to put in 100% into the work you are doing. Don’t lose focus!
