You have work piling up your desk and as you peek behind the pile, your colleague wants your help, again. But when it’s not part of your job description, you want to escape. In such scenarios, how do you say “This is not my job” and not sound rude?
Don’t be stressed. Just stand your ground, establish job boundaries and communicate it. Respond politely like, “I would love to help with that but unfortunately it’s not within my job. You can visit XYZ for assistance.”
That way you could propose a solution and not be offensive.
But there are many other ways to not do something that is not your job. Here we have listed professional ways for you.
Are you a bad employee to say No at the workplace?
Before we start exploring ways how do you say this is not my job, it might puzzle you: Does it make you a bad person to say ‘No’ at the workplace?
Let me reveal it to you, it all comes down to delivery and context! Sometimes it’s acceptable to politely let someone know if a task is outside of your job description.
But sometimes you don’t have an area of expertise in a task. So, if you want to say “This is not my job,” don’t say it out loud.
Instead, say something like “I’d love to help, but I’m still not competent enough. Have you asked [relevant individual/department] who may be offering help?”
Besides that, It’s necessary to say No to some extra tasks to save yourself from workplace burnout. It can cause severe risks to your physical and psychological health as the report says.
A Way To Communicate Job Boundaries
Although, it does not make you bad if you say no to what’s not your job. But the truth is, it does make you bad before your boss.
So, it’s necessary to communicate your job boundaries before your boss drags you towards burning out the workload.
As per the American Psychological Association report, 77% of employees experienced work-related stress.
So find some ways to resist for extraordinary workload and communicate job boundaries with your colleagues and boss.
4 Tips To Say “This is not my job” At Your Work
Now, let’s walk you through how you say this is not my job at your work. And trust me, it won’t destroy your professional charm.
1. Watch your words before you respond
Say “This is not my job” but in a polite and professional tone. No offences. Here are 4 hints for you.
Hint #1: “Right now I am occupied with A and B. Otherwise I would love to help.”
It won’t be far from the truth. You do have a lot on your plate. Just tell them the straight.
Hint #2: “I would love helping but it’s beyond my expertise.”
Sometimes your boss wants to do the job of chef when you are a waiter. You got my point.
So, don’t burden yourself and tell the truth.
Hint #3: “I am swamped and not comfortable to work on this task.”
Now, to tell the truth, some colleagues try to shift the burden by asking for some ‘help’. They do it intentionally or unintentionally, who knows?
But the exhaustion is real. So, don’t put other’s load on your shoulders and politely say “This is not my job”.
Hint #4: “I can help you tomorrow. I already have work for now.”
Frankly, you don’t need to always say no.
Sometimes you may want to help but you are swamped with other work. So, tell them whenever you have time to assist.
2. Offer a Solution When You Have Space
Give it some thought and consider how important the work is before responding.
Rather than turning down the task outright, offer support in a way that fits your workload and skill set. Provide substitute ideas or suggest a person who could be more qualified for the job.
You can say something like, “Actually I will have to do deep research for it. But I don’t have time for it. You can talk to XYZ regarding this issue.”
Or even if you don’t want to refer to some other idea or person just say, “It requires a lot of research and I am busy with my tasks to help with that.”
3. Discuss Your Job Description
You know what the company hired you for but your colleagues don’t. Show them what falls under your job duties and what doesn’t.
Make them understand how following their task will affect their work-life balance. Also, how it will make it difficult to carry out your assigned duties.
Say it like, “I am actually not the person who handles it. You can consult ABC.”
4. Explain Prior Attempts To Resolve the Matter
Mention politely any issues you may have had in the past regarding duties that fall outside of your job description.
Tell them how you failed to get the clarity or how you were turned down.
Not Always You Have to Say, “This is not my Job”
As much as saying no in such a context is significant, sometimes you can provide some assistance. Can’t you?
There are situation in your work places where a task is out of your job description but you like to do it.
Take the example of waiter being asked to cook food for instance. Maybe waiter can cook good and loves cooking. So, a little help there won’t hurt you. And it can get an extra applause.
But if it becomes a ritual in your workplace to overwork, you will need to take an action. Say no to the work out of your job description before you collapse.
End word
So, although it is not bad to professionally say “This is not my job”, it is eminent to be polite, say NO, and still be a professional.
Because you have to prioritize your workload in order to streamline process. Communicating politely and effectively in your workplace will save you from unnecessary hustle.
This way, you will still be a team player.
Learn these tactics and be ahead in the race.
Sources:
- https://pumble.com/blog/say-this-is-not-my-job-professionally/
- https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/thats-not-my-job
- https://www.fastcompany.com/3050366/how-can-i-say-thats-not-my-job-without-sounding-rude
- https://www.apa.org/topics/healthy-workplaces/workplace-burnout
- https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/work-in-america/2023-workplace-health-well-being
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This is Muhammad Asad. I like to play table tennis and love Digital Marketing and SEO. I have more 7 years of Digital Marketing experience. I would love to chat.