After careful consideration, it becomes clear that you should not accept a new assignment from your boss. You may have many reasons to reach that conclusion. You might be overwhelmed with work or have not yet acquired the skills required for this project. While your reasons for not saying yes to your boss may sound perfectly legitimate, your boss might disagree.
Is there a valid reason or an excuse?
While there are legitimate reasons to decline an assignment, your boss might consider these excuses as poor ones. Ask yourself these questions before you do anything:
- Are there high-priority assignments I have that take up my time and make it impossible to do this one?
- Is this project more important than the others?
- Can I delegate some work to my subordinates or coworkers
- Do I have to put off some lower-priority tasks while I work on this project?
- Can I quickly acquire the skills I need to complete this assignment if I don’t have them yet?
- Do I have the right skills and experience to complete the assignment? Or, does my employer trust me?
These are the Wrong Reasons to Say No To Your Boss
Don’t accept a job offer from your boss if you don’t have the time. Although these reasons may sound good, they are probably not good enough for your boss.
- This Project seems too difficult If you are able to complete the assignment, do not turn it down. It will be hard. Your boss expects that you work hard and won’t be pleased if you turn down a project. It will take a lot effort.
- It isn’t part of my Job Description: If you are able to complete the assignment and have the skills, it is not wrong to turn it down.
- I am in the middle of planning my wedding, and about to go on vacation. Under most circumstances, don’t put your personal life ahead of your job. There are exceptions. Talk to your boss if your employer approves time off that conflicts with you working on the project.
There are good reasons to say no to your boss
If your boss is reasonable, you should be able understand the reasons why you have to resign from an assignment.
- It is important to voice your opinion after you have created a plan for the project. It is better to be clear about why the deadline is unreasonable than to remain silent and fail to complete the assignment.
- Your boss may not approve of you taking on a new project if it means that you are sacrificing your other work. However, explain your reasons to him. To free up time, your boss may agree to reduce the workload.
- If you don’t possess the skills required for the project, there is no other option than to decline it. Discuss with your boss how you can acquire them in time for future projects. They might pay for your training.
How to say no to your boss
Clearly explain why you are refusing to accept an assignment. Don’t delay! Your boss should be given the chance to assign the project. It is important to let your boss know that you are serious about the project. Your boss might allow you to delegate other tasks if you are not qualified to take on a project.
- If you say no to your boss because you don’t have the time, be prepared to give a progress report on your other projects. They may not remember giving them to you, or they may not know that someone else had.
- Your boss should know if you feel that taking on extra work could cause damage to your other work. Your honesty and refusal to abandon your other projects will be appreciated by your boss.
- Your boss should know if you don’t possess the skills necessary to complete the assignment. It’s worse to pretend that you can do something you don’t know how to do.
