Black Friday Sale! 50% Off All Access

How to Say 'No' at Work (Infographic) Don't let this two-letter word scare you.

By Rose Leadem

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Tom Merton | Getty Images

Whether you're trying to impress your boss or you fear you'll let someone down, saying "no" at work can be hard. But it shouldn't be.

Too often, people burn themselves out by agreeing to take on more tasks than they can handle. However, overloading yourself with work can reduce the quality of what you produce. If you're too busy, you may also miss deadlines. In those cases, the person you're working for likely would have preferred that you had just said "no" from the start.

Related: The Power of Saying 'No'

Don't feel bad or guilty about saying this two-letter word. If you want to build a great career, you've got to get used to it. There are plenty of perfectly good reasons to say no to someone -- it's just a matter of how you say it.

Check out Business Backer's infographic below to learn how.

Rose Leadem is a freelance writer for Entrepreneur.com. 

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Living

These Are the 'Wealthiest and Safest' Places to Retire in the U.S. None of Them Are in Florida — and 2 States Swept the List.

More than 338,000 U.S. residents retired to a new home in 2023 — a 44% increase year over year.

Business News

These Are the Highest Paying Jobs Available Without a College Degree, According to a New Report

The median salaries for these positions go up to $102,420 per year.

Starting a Business

This Sommelier's 'Laughable' Idea Is Disrupting the $385 Billion Wine Industry

Kristin Olszewski, founder of Nomadica, is bringing premium wine to aluminum cans, and major retailers are taking note.

Starting a Business

He Started a Business That Surpassed $100 Million in Under 3 Years: 'Consistent Revenue Right Out of the Gate'

Ryan Close, founder and CEO of Bartesian, had run a few small businesses on the side — but none of them excited him as much as the idea for a home cocktail machine.

Business News

DOGE Leaders Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy Say Mandating In-Person Work Would Make 'a Wave' of Federal Employees Quit

The two published an op-ed outlining their goals for their new department, including workforce reductions.

Business News

Is Reddit Down Again? Tens of Thousands of Users Are Reporting Issues With the Platform.

A Reddit outage has been occurring off-and-on for two days.