Most people have very busy lives and schedules. It can sometimes be difficult to get everything done during the day. Work responsibilities can pile up and it can become overwhelming. One way you can ensure you get everything done is to ensure you are organized and keep to a schedule or task list. You can complete one thing at a time until everything is done. However, if you continually have tasks left over you may be overextended and have too much work load. If this is the case you may need to start declining work. But how do you say no without offending at the office?
You want to excel when at work and show your supervisors that you can handle ample work and get everything done on time. However, if you can not then you are showing that you can not organize your work correctly or delegate as appropriate. Sometimes in order to get everything done you have to say no. But there are ways you can do so at the office without offending. It is OK to say no when you need to just make sure you do so diplomatically.
- “I already have several projects in the works with close deadlines. I do not think I will be able to get that done on time as well.” This type of phrase declines the work graciously while letting the asker know that you already have a full plate of work. It is not that you are unwilling to do the job but you have too much to do already.
- “I would appreciate it if you can find someone else to work on that. I am not comfortable with this project.” This politely lets the asker know that while you may have the time to do the work you are uneasy about doing so. You may even give details as to specifically what you are uncomfortable with.
- “I think __ is more qualified to do this project than I am. I have never done this kind of work before and feel I am not qualified to do it.” This shows the asker that you are aware of your limitations are concerned about the finished product. You convey the fact that you do not have the experience to do so and that you are concerned enough with the quality of the product to express it.
- “__ is free at the moment and can take care of that for you instead.” This allows the work to be completed by someone else who is not as busy as you are.
- “I can not take on this project at the moment but if it can wait until next week I can do it then.” This allows the asker to determine the priority and whether they want to wait until you are free to complete the work or if they want to ask someone else to do so.
- “I’m sorry but I can not take that on now.” Depending on your position you do not always have to explain your reasons for not taking on a task. Sometimes a simple polite no is sufficient.
People who are unable to say no are the ones who often get taken advantage of in the workplace. Working hard is important and showing you can multitask is beneficial. But if you get overtaxed then you will find the quality of your work suffering and you may even start missing deadlines. So, in order to prevent this you need to learn how to say no diplomatically.