How and when to say no at work

Your inbox is piling up, your schedule is packed, and the boss asks if you can get an extra project finished by the end of the day. "From a young age, women are encouraged to be nice; they're told that saying no usually equates to being rude," says Hema Kangeson, a Melbourne-based career coach who works with culturally diverse emerging leaders. Choosing when to push back That's not to say you should click "decline" on any work request or meeting invite that doesn't interest you. One sign it's time to push back at work is if you're feeling frustrated and taken for granted as a result of your workload, Ms Jackson says. It's perfectly fine to decline work requests on the spot: Ms Jackson suggests saying something like, "As much as I love a challenge and I really appreciate your faith in my ability to get things done, this is what is possible right now."