Evolutionary Psychology dictates that we are actually hardwired to say yes to all situations. Cavemen had to say yes and go with the crowd to increase his chances of survival. Even today, we seek the approval of others. For this, we end up saying yes more often than is beneficial for us. Here’s how to say no at the workplace-
Understand your environment- Your work environment can also affect your ability to say ‘No’. For example if you are in an early stage startup, use ‘no’ cautiously. In such an environment, most employees end up doing more than their job descriptions, everyone does a little bit of everything.
Set boundaries- don’t jump to say yes to every assignment. Take time and think strategically about whether you can work on another assignment with your current workload. Know that it's better to do a few tasks exceptionally well than to do a lot of them, averagely.
Offer an alternative- If you don’t think you’ll be able to do justice to the assignment, offer an alternative. Set up connections or refer someone who would be up for it.
Remember some Do’s and Don'ts-
Don’t over apologize.
Do decline in person
Do be genuine
Don’t over explain- sometimes you can say no just to avoid being overwhelmed and that’s okay.
Do make sure you make the best use of the time that you have committed.
Do consider the consequences- accepting or rejecting a task will both have consequences. Make sure to consider all of them before you respond.
Evolutionary Psychology dictates that we are actually hardwired to say yes to all situations. Cavemen had to say yes and go with the crowd to increase his chances of survival. Even today, we seek the approval of others. For this, we end up saying yes more often than is beneficial for us. Here’s how to say no at the workplace-
Understand your environment- Your work environment can also affect your ability to say ‘No’. For example if you are in an early stage startup, use ‘no’ cautiously. In such an environment, most employees end up doing more than their job descriptions, everyone does a little bit of everything.
Set boundaries- don’t jump to say yes to every assignment. Take time and think strategically about whether you can work on another assignment with your current workload. Know that it's better to do a few tasks exceptionally well than to do a lot of them, averagely.
Offer an alternative- If you don’t think you’ll be able to do justice to the assignment, offer an alternative. Set up connections or refer someone who would be up for it.
Remember some Do’s and Don'ts-
Don’t over apologize.
Do decline in person
Do be genuine
Don’t over explain- sometimes you can say no just to avoid being overwhelmed and that’s okay.
Do make sure you make the best use of the time that you have committed.
Do consider the consequences- accepting or rejecting a task will both have consequences. Make sure to consider all of them before you respond.
Don’t undermine yourself