How many times have you wished you could press the Pause button and put the world on hold? Just a 5-second delay to conjure up the perfect excuse? A time-warp device hasn’t been invented yet, however, here’s information to help you think on your feet. As working women, you contend with more than your fair share of sticky situations – from pushy PTA moms to demanding bosses. There’s no end to the overzealous people who want you to spearhead a committee, join a walkathon, or work a little overtime. You can save yourself from exhaustion and exasperation. Here are common scenarios you may encounter.
Situation: A pushy PTA mom guilts you into the latest fund-raising effort – or – a colleague wants you to join her charity’s Walkaton.
What to Say: “My cause is [insert favorite charity], and that’s where I allocate my money and energy.” You can explain why, if you like, but you don’t have to. If you gave your time or money to every worthy cause, you’d have no time or money left.
Situation: During your busiest time of year, a professional acquaintance asks you to speak at a conference she’s organizing.
What to Say: “My schedule is pretty full, and I’m not sure if I can take this on, but if you want to send me the information I’ll take a look.” Rather than automatically saying “yes”, this gives you time to evaluate the importance of the opportunity. Ask yourself a few questions. Do I have expertise in this field that is important to share with others? Is it a cause I’m passionate about? How will the time away impact my work and my family?
Situation: On Friday afternoon, your boss asks you to take on a project that’s going to eat up your whole weekend. You want to be a team player, but you have important plans this weekend.
What to Say: Explain your time constraints, and then ask your boss for advice about how he suggests you get the work done. It’s possible that your boss wasn’t thinking about how this project and deadline would mess up your life. So let him know what this will mean to your schedule. You can tell him you don’t want to disappoint your family, and ask if this really has to be done by Monday.
The next time you find yourself in one of these or similar situations, you’ll know how to respond and can finally come up with exactly the right words (without having to come right out and say “no”).
There was a time when employees showed up for work, worked eight hours, and then went home. Not so today. The boundaries between work and home have become blurred. Here’s why:
- Longer hours. Employers often ask employees to work longer hours. Sometimes, overtime is mandatory. In order to move up the career ladder, many employees believe they need to put in more “face time” at the office. In fact, the average workweek today is 49.2 hours.
- Global economy. As more companies outsource or move jobs overseas to reduce labor costs, employees feel pressured to work longer hours and produce more to protect their jobs.
- International business. If you work in an international business, work continues around the world 24/7. Therefore, workers may be on call around the clock for trouble-shooting or consulting. Also, the work day is lengthened by early morning or evening meetings to accommodate people in different time zones.
- Advanced communication technology. With the advent of laptop computers, cell phones, and personal handheld devices, people now have the ability to work anywhere – at the office, at home, from their car, or even on vacation. Advanced technology has increased expectations with regard to response time, so now we’re constantly connected with the office. Some managers even expect it.
If you’ve experienced any of these challenges, you understand how easy it is for work to invade your personal life. If you’re not careful, work can overtake your life. In order to avoid that, you need to set boundaries around work in order to keep balanced. For tips on how to set boundaries on work, please see the article “Setting Boundaries at Work”.
Do you feel overwhelmed with your workload? At times, we seem to be at the mercy of others who make demands on us. Do you readily accept every assignment that comes your way, or do you push back if needed? If your workload seems to be growing exponentially, it’s time to take control.
How do you handle requests that come up on a day-to-day basis? When responding to a new request, first assess the priority. How important is this assignment? How does it fit in with your job goals? How urgent is it? If the task is both important and urgent, you need to re-prioritize and tackle this task first. If it’s not a high priority, then decide realistically what you can and cannot do. If needed, ask for time to think about it before responding. Here are some questions to ask yourself to determine if you can realistically take it on.
- Do I have the time for this given my current workload?
- Can I delegate some of my other work to make time for this assignment?
- Can I put other assignments on the back burner to work on this one?
- Will this assignment negatively impact my other work?
- Am I the only one who can successfully complete this assignment?
After answering these questions, you may find that you can adjust your work in order to take on this assignment. Or you may decide that you don’t have the time to complete it. In that case, you’d be wise to either say “no” or negotiate the assignment. If you’re not sure how to do this diplomatically, then read the blog post, “How to Say No Tactfully”.
For more information on managing your workload, listen to the audio “Take Control of Your Time”.
ANDLING REQUESTS
We’ve talked about setting limits with ourselves. What about demands from others? How do you handle the requests that come up on a day-to-day basis?
When responding to a new request, first assess the priority. How important is this assignment? How does it fit in with your job goals? How urgent is it?
If the task is both important and urgent, you may need to re-prioritize and tackle this task first.
Next, decide what you can and cannot do. If needed, ask for time to think about it before responding. Here are some questions to ask yourself to determine if you can realistically take it on.
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF
Do I have the time for this given my current workload?
Can I delegate some of my other work to make time for this assignment?
Can I put other assignments on the back burner to work on this one?
Will this assignment negatively impact my other work?
Am I the only one who can successfully complete this assignment?
After answering these questions, you may find that you can adjust your work in order to take on this assignment. Or you may determine that you do not have the time to complete it. Then you need to either say “no” or negotiate the assignment.
Working overtime can become an obsession for some workers. It’s tempting to work overtime in order to make more money or to prove yourself, but be careful that you’re not sacrificing something more important. For hourly employees, it’s tempting to work overtime in order to earn extra money for your dream vacation or for your child’s college fund. Some people need to work to stay on top of family finances or to pay those extra, unplanned expenses, like major car repairs or medical bills. If you’re on salary, working overtime won’t provide extra cash, but it can help you keep up with your workload. Working long hours may also help you earn a promotion or a bonus.
Before accepting overtime, consider the pros and cons of working extra hours, and the impact on you and your family.
Fatigue – Your ability to think diminishes when you’re tired. Consequently, you are more likely to make mistakes, which lead to rework. This can hurt your productivity and can negatively impact your professional reputation.
Increased Expectations – If you work extra hours as a general rule, you may be given more responsibility! This could create a never-ending and increasing cycle of more work.
Family – You may miss out on important events, such as your son’s championship soccer game, your daughter’s recital, or your father’s 60th birthday party. Missing out on important milestones may hurt your relationships with your loved ones.
Friends – Good friends are an important part of your support network. If you’re spending more time at the office and less time with your friends, then you’ll find it difficult to nurture those friendships.
Sometimes working overtime is important. It’s a choice you can make to catch up on bills or to save for something important. If you work for a company that requires overtime, you won’t be able to avoid it, but you can manage it. If you work overtime for financial reasons or to gain a promotion, do so in moderation. Most importantly, say no when you’re too tired, when it’s affecting your health, or when you have important family obligations.