How to say 'no' at work without hurting your career

Get amended at: Setting boundaries

Today's move

Don't opportunity '"yes" to much activity conscionable because you're asked, particularly if your sheet is afloat and you could discuss your different work.

If you're fixed a shorter-term inquire and you person different fast-approaching deadline, show your head that you'd beryllium happy to return connected the further task but successful bid to do it well, you'd request to deprioritize thing else.

Ask them what they would for illustration you to attraction on.

Why it works

Instead of refusing the work, you're communicating your existent workload and asking them to verbalize what should beryllium prioritized. This provides your head pinch the discourse they request to determine what's astir important, and puts the determination of what gets trim aliases put connected the backmost burner successful their hands.

Try it today

Write down everything connected your to-do database and inquire yourself if you'd beryllium capable to return connected an further task if you were asked astatine this moment.

If you can't deliberation of really to make room for it, you're astir apt already astatine capacity. Try proactively having a speech pinch your head astir your workload truthful that they're aware.

The bottommost line

In the first 4th of 2026, workers mentioned burnout successful Glassdoor reviews 2.5 times much often than they did earlier the pandemic. In the midst of workplace changes, layoffs, and AI changing the gait of work, labor whitethorn beryllium defaulting to taking connected more.

But saying "yes" to much activity erstwhile you are already astatine capacity could really discuss the value of your activity and group you up for failure.

Source

This penetration is drawn from Business Insider reporting connected really workers tin opportunity "no" astatine work, based connected proposal from etiquette experts Daniel Post Senning and Lizzie Post. Read the full communicative here.

This communicative besides includes information from a Glassdoor investigation station astir really the workplace ambiance is burning workers out. You tin position the full station here.

Have you ever had to push backmost connected much activity because you were already astatine capacity? Tell america really you handled it successful the comments.