[Infographic] How To Say No At Work And Why It Matters

Achieving the perfect work-life balance is difficult.

We all want to be successful in our careers, but we also need to be happy with the amount of time we spend with friends and family. A variety of factors contribute to the challenge of striking the right work-life balance, including:

Job demands and responsibilities.
Company culture and environment.
Relationships with co-workers.
Family situation at home.
Individual personality.

Also read: 5 Ways To Help Your Employees Manage Stress

Perhaps the greatest contributing factor to work-life balance is the actual amount of work you have on your plate.

Too much work can lead to unhealthy stress and burnout. American workers are struggling with this issue, as 53% of workers feel burned out or overworked.

One solution to this problem is to develop the ability to respectfully say no at work in appropriate situations.

Saying no at work can be intimidating or cause guilt, but there are many situations where declining a new task is appropriate. Employees are often reluctant to say no to their co-workers because they feel like they are letting the team down or they are afraid they will miss an important opportunity to stand out.

For example, the following situations represent times where you should say no to your colleagues:

A new task will cause your other work to suffer.
A new project will have a negative effect on the company.
There are other employees better suited for the job.
There is no way you can realistically meet the set deadline.

These are situations where it would be better for you, and your company, to respectfully decline a new responsibility.

Of course, effectively saying no at work is a skill that must be honed. There are certainly right ways and wrong ways to decline a new task. One of the most important parts of saying no at work is being honest. You need to be straightforward and upfront about why you can’t take on a new task – don’t offer lightweight excuses, instead explain the legitimate reasons you can’t be responsible for another project.

Also read: Learning How to Eliminate Stress at Work

To help you develop your ability to confidently say no at work, GetVoIP has put together a list of do’s and don’ts when saying no to your colleagues. These tips include: