Why you need to do this
If you don’t stop people from dumping their work on you, you will never be able to be in full control of your work schedule. If you aren’t in control of your work schedule, you will not be able to streamline your work and enjoy free time once you are outside of the office
Common Fears
“I’m worried that if I don’t help, people will think that I am not a team player”
There is a difference between assisting an honest colleague who needs help and having work mercilessly dumped on you by a lazy collegue or boss. Ever watched Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle? You don’t want to be Harold while your collegues head off for a weekend of fun filled adventures in Vegas. Bite the bullet and learn how to say no. Colleagues who have no respect for your time are not important, so don’t treat them like they are.
“I can’t say no, he/she is my boss”
Do not get confused between work that is given to you by your boss and work that should be done by your boss and is given to you. If it is your responsibility, then do it. If they offer to clear your schedule so you can work on their work, try telling them that what you are doing cannot wait and that you will get back to them if you have time. If they want you to work overtime to do their work, flat out say no.
If they ask why, just say it is a personal matter and you would rather not discuss it. If they get mad, insist you are sorry and that you would like to help, but you simply cannot. Whatever you do, do not fold. Given enough time, your boss will probably drift to someone else in the office and leave you alone because they feel dealing with you is too much of a hassle.
“I’m worried they will get angry if I say no”
This is a possible outcome, but so what? So what if they get angry? Angry collegues who don’t get what they want are like kids throwing a tantrum. If you give in, they just get worst over time. If you ignore it, they usually will either stop or turn to someone who is more responsive. Act grown up, give a logical reason as to why you’re saying no, then ignore the tantrum.
“I’m worried I will develop a bad relationship with my boss”
A reasonable boss will understand and accept your reason for saying no. An unreasonable boss who doesn’t is not the kind of person who you want to suck up to. Would you crawl on the floor and kiss your bosses shoes because they threatened to hurt your family by taking away your job on a whim? Have some self respect and don’t give face to bosses who do not value you ahead of themselves.
Do not worry if you feel like this is risking your chances at getting a work from home agreement. We will teach you how to increase your value so that you become untouchable to the words “you’re fired”.
Take Action
For the next week, attempt to say no to all requests made to you by collegues. The purpose of this is to help you get comfortable with saying no. If they ask why you can’t just say you are flat out and simply cannot, this is usually enough.
After a week, come back to the post and comment on your experience, good or bad. Help others have the courage to say no and to learn from your experience
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Yasuo Long believes that all employees should have the right to design their lifestyle according to their needs in order to maintain their health, their relationships and their happiness. In pursuit of this, he quit the 9-to-5 and became a telecommuter to give himself the time and mental freedom to discover what it really means to live with direction and purpose.
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