The Cubicle Times

CUBICLE – As we all know, the economy is still trying to pull itself out of the mud, and Uncle Sam is cutting trees to pave the way for it.  Unemployment is high, mortgage price is still dropping, US dollar is on its way down, and gas is flirting with its memory in 2008, so obviously people are stressed.. When coworkers are getting escorted out one by one, the ones left behind are given more responsibilities but with even higher expectation.

“Boss, there is too much work! I can’t finish it on time!”

“I need this done YESTERDAY! This is not good enough!”

“I will see what I can do …”

“Don’t see, just do it!”

Some people are on this boat, but they are paddling a little too hard that water is getting splashed on other people’s faces, and the boat is still not going forward.  I have heard people having panic attacks, and this sometimes becomes a chain effect as one stresses others out, who in turn stress more people out.  Based on my personal experience, the best way is to take a few days off and recharge!

Anyway, I have learned a few ways to say “no” over the years, and here’s just a few for your reference:

1. Help Me Help You: when a manager (or another coworker) is screaming for something to be done by you, you can politely ask if there’s something he or she can do for you to complete what’s requested of you.  Sometimes they are just screaming because they are stressed or nervous because they might not know the details of the task or they’re also being pressured.  By asking them to see if there’s something they can do, they can get a better picture of the task and feel “involved” in the task.

2. Say I Understand: Another good way is to let the other party know that you know that it is important to them that this job gets done.  Some managers might think that you don’t know how urgent the task is, so they get all nervous about it; if you let them know that you understand where they are coming from, at least on the emotional stand point, you two are on the same side.  Of course, mean it when you say it!

3. ECD (Estimated Completion Date): Try to avoid saying “I’ll get it done” without having an estimated time because open-ended replies make people nervous, and when the manager (or coworker) comes back in a few hours without seeing anything on the task, he or she gets even more nervous and might push you even more.

4. Ask My Boss: If you’re really busy and really need to pull the “boss card,” do it! Some people really want things done at a certain time, and you just have too much on your plate at the same time, so you can send them to your boss.  If your boss knows your tasks well, maybe he or she will assign it to another person or just completely push back the task.

5. “It’s a No”: As Simon would say, just say you can’t do it especially when the other party came to you because he or she cannot find the right person.  Sometimes we just want to get these people out of our cubicle or phone, and we just say yes to their demands.  No is a No, and tell them contact the right person, otherwise these guys will come to you again next time :)

Hope some of these tips help~!