Imagine: your boss asks you for a favour, but you don’t dare say that your to-do list is already overflowing, or your colleague hands you a file due to lack of time. So you accept without question.
Chances are, you’re a people pleaser. At the office, always striving to please may seem like a way of maintaining good working relationships – but accumulating tasks to the detriment of your wellbeing can quickly take its toll on your mental and emotional health, with potentially serious consequences.
According to a recent report by Resume Now, 65% of employees claim to be able to set boundaries at work and refuse extra tasks. Young people under 25 are the most likely to do so (77%), followed by men (69%).
On the other hand, 26- to 40 year-olds and women are less at ease when it comes to refusing professional requests. This reticence is explained above all by fear of conflict or rejection: 12% of employees aged 26-40 fear negative repercussions if they dare to refuse extra work.
Conversely, the under-25s and over-40s seem more confident: only 3% and 4% of them, respectively, fear negative consequences if they decline a professional request.
Yet, knowing how to say “no” is not a luxury at work; it’s an essential skill for regaining control of your personal organisation and avoiding becoming overwhelmed by an endless to-do list.
Ultimately, the risk of losing control over your schedule is very real. In fact, 12% of employees admit that work constantly intrudes on their personal or family life, and 52% experience such intrusions on an occasional basis.
Saying ‘no’ to avoid burnout
This work overload particularly impacts women, who are more likely than men to experience frustration (43% vs 36%) and difficulty concentrating (41% vs 35%) owing to extra work.
Young people under 25 are not spared: they also report high levels of frustration (38%) and difficulty in managing their responsibilities (38%), while being the most likely to feel guilty when refusing a task (26%).
In the long run, not being able to say “no” to extra work can become a real hazard to health. Indeed, 59% of employees surveyed said they frequently experience burnout due to difficulty saying no, and almost a third (28%) even left a job because of the unbearable stress it caused.
Conversely, learning to say “no” brings a sense of real relief for 42% of working people, and boosts their confidence in prioritising tasks for 31%.
So, how can employers really protect their teams and prevent burnout? The key lies in a fair distribution of tasks and a culture that values saying “no” as an act of courage rather than a sign of weakness or insubordination.
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