The Art Of Saying no: How To Stand Your Ground, Reclaim Your Time And Energy, And Refuse To Be Taken For Granted

HOW TO SAY NO TO YOUR
COWORKERS
T
he workplace can sometimes seem like a battlefield of
competing interests and conflicting agendas. You’ll
inevitably be approached by coworkers, and asked to help
on a variety of tasks and pet projects.
The problem is, you have your own work-related
responsibilities and limited time and energy with which to
work on them.
In this environment, it pays to know how to say no with
assertiveness.
You’ll find that many of the strategies covered in Part III:
10 Strategies For Saying No (Without Feeling Like A Jerk) are
especially effective in the workplace. For example, asking
requestors to follow up at a later time (Strategy #6) is a
great way to gauge the urgency of a coworker’s request.
Suggesting other coworkers who are more knowledgable
and better qualified than you (Strategy #9) benefits you and
the requestor. The requestor is given a more valuable
resource to leverage while you’re able to save time and
resume your focus on your own work.
Rejecting requests by category (Bonus Strategy #4)
gives you a hassle-free way to say no to coworkers. It’s
consistent with skill specialization in the workplace.
Consider that we spend the majority of our time on
tasks and activities that fall into specific categories. These

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tasks and activities are a part of our specialized skill sets.
They improve our productivity and help us to minimize
errors and waste. When we’re asked by our coworkers to
help on projects that lie outside these skill sets, we can
reasonably say no.
The manner in which you turn down coworkers’ requests
is important. Don’t make excuses. Don’t invent reasons to
decline requests. Be genuine and graceful, and own your
decision.
For example, suppose a coworker asks for your help on
her pet project. You could respond:
Thanks for asking me, Sharon. I
appreciate your confidence in
me. But I don’t want to break
away from my own projects.”
Or you can respond:
I’m unskilled in that area, and
therefore won’t be much help to
you. So I’m going to say no.”
There’s no need to apologize. Nor is there a need to be
evasive. Simply state your intention as clearly as possible.
And take ownership of your decision by saying “I don’t” or “I
won’t” instead of saying “I can’t.”
You’ll find that your coworkers will have more respect for
your time if you stop consenting to every request. They’ll
come to realize you’re most likely to accommodate them
when you have the availability, and their requests align with
your professional needs, personal convictions, and long-
term goals.

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