How To Say No To Something You Don’t Want To Do
Photo Courtesy: marc falardeau
It could be quite a challenge to say no when you are being assigned a work that you simply are not interested to do. There are some tasks that are mundane and really do not enhance your skill set in any way. Doing such work once in a while is acceptable, however if your job description is at the threat of being changed to doing mundane tasks only, then you may need to take some steps to stop it from happening by saying ‘no’ to such tasks.
1. Keep yourself busy
When someone, especially your boss, assigns you a task that you do not want to do, tell him how you are busy with other tasks. You need to ensure that the other tasks align with your responsibility and are really important. Even if you are relatively free, it is imperative to make it sound like you are doing an important task that cannot wait. If you are lucky, your boss will assign the other task to some other team member.
2. Use sweet talk
Make it sound like you would love to do the job, but cannot take it up. Stress on the fact that you never refuse a job and that you are a responsible employee; but this task is not what you want to do. Use a fabricated reason or a real one with the sweet talk. A bit of honesty with sweet words may make your boss change your mind about assigning a dull job to you.
3. Take time to say ‘No’
Do not refuse to do a job as soon as it is assigned to you. Go through the task and get back to your manager with proper reasons as to why you do not want to do the job. Reasons such as the job is really not your responsibility, the job is too simple for a person of you caliber, or the job does not add any value to your skill set etc. can be quoted. Some managers prefer honesty and would appreciate such a straightforward response.
4. Remember
If you decide to say ‘no’, there could be repercussions. Your boss may begin to think that you are not that good an employee or a team player. So, you need to make the refusal sound like an apologetic regret at being unable to do the job, to minimize the damage.
