6 Situations When It’s OK to Say No to Your Boss
Saying “no” to a boss can be added to the list of most common phobias. Many workers find pushing back a boss really intimidating but it definitely better than setting yourself up to fail. The trick of saying no to your boss and don’t lose a job stands on the easy to take steps. The key aspects you should know are, the situations when it’s actually okay to reject a boss’ request and to know how to do it right.
Here, you’ll find tips on how to say no to your boss more diplomatically and six common situations, when you can confidently do it.
Boss Harassment Situation
Experiencing workplace harassment is an unacceptable issue. No matter who’s a victim and what’s the type of harassment this must be a status quo. When you feel a mental or physical pressure, your boss put on you, take steps to stop it right away. The EEOC study showed that 1 in 4 women was a victim of sexual harassment in the workplace. Moreover, 75% of those who experienced harassment haven’t reported about that. That’s a big problem because if we don’t take steps to stand up to harassment, we will never stop it. Not confronting your boss who harasses you only because you like the work you do, need it and value very much is not okay. Don’t allow yourself to be victimized.
Law Breaking Situation
The rules exist to follow them and breaking them may cause big troubles. You have every right to say no at work when it comes to illegal activities. What “illegal” things your boss may ask you to do? For example:
- Disclosure of proprietary information from the previous job
- Improper dealings with customers
- Firing someone illegally or neglecting safety concerns
Surely, you don’t keep all the laws in your mind but if you have suspicions about some requests, take your time. Feel free to ask somebody for advice or help. You don’t need to agree on everything your boss asks, especially if it’s out of your work responsibilities. Keep in mind, if you don’t push back, everything can end up with a lawsuit against you. It’s better to lose a job and find another one then damage the reputation forever.
Unethical Situation
In case, when it comes to illegal actions request, the law plays the role of your guard. But when a boss asks you to do something unethical, it’s a more sensitive issue. Everything is not that clear, and you need to place borders. The better way to do this is to have a face-to-face conversation with a boss. Tell everything you find important, your values, views and life position. Try to stay calm and politely explain why you reject and not wanting to do something. Keep in mind, that your boss may not even suspect that his request crosses your borders and hurts you. Saying “no” to your boss can be the first step to take your concerns higher.
Colleagues Bullying Situation
You’re a lucky one if your colleagues are your best friends. Surely, it’s impossible to be close friends with everybody, and you don’t need to, but the culture of respect is a must. There’re some employers who tend to create a competitive working atmosphere and as a result, encourage to bully some workers. Dealing with a difficult boss can take you much efforts and time. Such types of bosses can ask you something that could exclude other coworkers, like to create name-calling, elaborate a setup. These are things a boss should never say to an employee, as it’s rude and disrespectful. Don’t let bullying become a norm at the company you work in. Be the first who says “no” and start changing the situation.
Overworking Situation
It’s cool to work in a dynamic environment, where everything changes quickly and a company moves fast. However, there comes the point when you have many tasks and do your best to cope with everything in time and need to stay at work on weekends. It happens in every healthy work environment, but it shouldn’t become a routine. Stanford studies revealed that overworking leads to drastic productivity decrease. It deprives your free time, and you burn out very quickly. So in case, your boss asks you to stay late and tackle a new task, but you already have an overloaded plate — politely and firmly say “no”. If you explain that overworking has a bad influence on your overall performance, any reasonable boss will understand.
“I Have Another Point of View” Situation
Imagine the situation. At the meeting, your boss stands for his idea and you think, “No, we’d never accept that approach, it’s a straight way to the fail” but your boss persistently say that it’s the only one solution. If you found this familiar, you probably were confused about what to do.
On the one hand, your boss can be right as he has a vision and his idea stands on something. On the other hand, your boss might not notice some facts that you find important, plus, his abrasive approach can block brainstorming new ideas as a result, the project failed.
This is a very tricky situation, you need to dig deeper and detect why your boss is so persistent about his idea. In any case, you have to understand that just saying “no don’t do it” won’t make the cut. Explain your point of view with proven facts and, what’s the most important, suggest a new solution.
No matter whether you face up with any of these situations on your own or noticed somebody become a victim, you have to act. It’s much better to react and know that you’ve even tried then just keep silence.
