Everyday Dilemmas: What to Do With Unwanted Work Requests
Everyday Dilemmas outlines the pros and cons of common interpersonal challenges so you’re ready to respond constructively when you don’t have time to think on the spot. Today, we’ll explore a typical work situation: being asked to do extra work you didn’t sign up for and can’t—or simply don’t want to—take on.
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Introduction
While extra work requests can provide opportunities to learn, grow professionally, or help others out, it can be difficult to say no when you can’t—or don’t want to—take them on. Here, we’ll explore five options for managing unwanted requests, laying out the pros and cons of each. Pick the one that feels most comfortable to you.
| Option | Pros | Cons |
| 1. Defer responding. |
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| 2. Agree to take it on. |
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| 3. Decline and offer a valid reason. |
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| 4. Suggest an alternative (for example, recommend someone else or propose a new deadline). |
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| 5. Refuse unapologetically, without elaboration. |
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Still Having Trouble Deciding?
If you’re still unsure what to do, these expert recommendations may help guide you to an approach that will work for you:
- Prioritize your commitments: Time and energy are limited resources—declining some requests lets you fully honor the commitments you’ve already made and maintain both your performance and engagement at work.
- Remind yourself that clear boundaries benefit the team: Communicating your limits helps create a workplace culture where others feel safe to speak up about their capacity, reducing overload and resentment across the team.
- Don’t assume the worst: While saying no can feel awkward, research shows most people overestimate how negatively others will receive their refusals. Expressing your limits is more likely to be met with understanding than anger or disrespect.
- Address recurring requests proactively: Raising concerns about your workload with your manager or team signals that you’re not open to taking on new requests, largely preventing future situations of being put on the spot. Additionally, this opens up a conversation in which you can work together to figure out how to rebalance your workload.