Setting Boundaries at Work Part 2: When to Say No
Posted on May 31, 2011 by Mark Strong, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
There are situations in which saying no can provide great benefits to you and your career. But how do you know when it is appropriate?
As outlined in our last blog, there are situations in which saying no can provide great benefits to you and your career. But how do you know when it is appropriate?
If you are spending too much of your day working on “extra” projects that fall outside of your primary reason for collecting a paycheck, it’s time to start saying no.
If you are crushed under the weight of too many projects and can’t seem to do any of them well, it’s time to start saying no.
Here are some other signals that it might be time to draw a boundary:
-The quality of your work is suffering.
-The joy you experience at work is plummeting.
-You feel overwhelmed and stressed by the new work you are graciously taking on.
-You say “yes” out of fear of being blacklisted or deemed a “poor employee.”
-You feel resentment when you agree to something. This is prime breeding ground for a toxic
work environment.
-You feel that you are being taken advantage of in some way.
Remember that there are benefits to the company if you say no. They prefer an employee who is relaxed, balanced and creative instead of one that is stressed, unhappy and spread too thin.
So how do you draw a line in the sand?
Next week’s blog will discuss several techniques for effectively and confidently saying “no.”
In the meantime, start to identify the people and projects you currently have that you potentially could have said no to. It’s good practice for the future.
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