If your boss asks you for a favor, 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, and you accept without question, then chances are that you"re a people pleaser. At the office, always striving to please may seem like a way of maintaining good working relationships. However, accumulating tasks to the detriment of your well-being can quickly take its toll on your mental and emotional health, with potentially serious consequences.
Saying "no" to your colleagues, and to a lesser extent to your boss, may seem like a relatively straightforward business. In fact, 65% of employees polled by Resume Now as part of its “The Price of Extra Work"* report 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, 26-40 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. Indeed, 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.
This work overload particularly impacts women, who are more likely than men to experience frustration (43% vs. 36%) and difficulty concentrating (41% vs. 35%) due 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" to extra work, and almost a third (28%) had even left a job due to the unbearable stress it engendered. Conversely, learning to say "no" brings a sense of real relief for 42% of working people, and boosts their confidence in prioritizing 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. Sacrificing yourself for others by accepting an unmanageable workload is not good for anyone, least of all yourself.
*This report is based on interviews conducted on December 3, 2024, with 1,160 US workers.
First Published: Jan 15, 2025, 17:22
Subscribe Now