Overworked? Learn When And How To Say No To Extra Work

There’s a thin line between being proactive and being overworked!

Everyone wants to impress their bosses. One of the obvious ways to be in the good books of your boss is to be proactive in the workplace. However, not knowing the difference between being proactive and taking up way too much extra work may result in you being overworked. That, instead, would lead you into being stressed and unmotivated at work. Naturally, you must know when and how to say no to extra work if you are prone to overdoing it. Here are a few tips on how to say no to extra work and when to say it.

You Have Too Much On Your Plate Already

One of the times when you must absolutely say no to extra work is when you are already drowning in your current workload. Unless you convey to your boss the present situation of your workload, your boss would have no idea of it. Politely explain your work situation to the boss. Offer them details of the pending tasks that you are already handling and the details of the deadlines. Once your boss is aware that you are already way too many tasks piled up on your desk, they would readily understand that you would be unable to take up more extra work.

Show Your Appreciation For The Given Opportunity

Sometimes, if you straight up refuse to take up extra work, you may come across as being rude. However, if you start off with a tone of acknowledge and how much you appreciate for being considered capable of doing the extra work, you should be in the clear. Starting the conversation on a positive note would show that you are excited about being given the opportunity and when you say no to the task, it would inevitably soften the blow.

Be A Problem Solver And Suggest Another Way

You can also consider not starting the conversation straight up with how much work you already have left to be done. In fact, that would make you seem whiny. However, bosses are fans of problem solvers. Suggest you boss an alternative for the task in hand. For example, refer to him another colleague from the team who would be equally capable of working on the task. Doing this would also improve your relationship with your colleague greatly and show your boss that you are team player.