Always saying 'yes' can prove a heavy burden for workers: Resume Now report

This work overload particularly impacts women, who are more likely than men to experience frustration and difficulty concentrating due to extra work, claims the report

By AFPRelaxnews

Published: Jan 15, 2025 05:22:14 PM IST

Updated: Jan 15, 2025 05:25:55 PM IST

At work, knowing how to say "no" is an essential skill. Image: Shutterstock

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.

Yet knowing how to say "no" is not a luxury at work. It's an essential skill for regaining control of your personal organization 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.

Learn to say "no" to avoid burn-out

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.