How to push back at work

- Wondering how to push back at work? Well, there's typically two situations where you're going to need to do this. Situation number one is when you're being asked to take something on that actually does fall in your responsibilities, but that you don't have the capacity to do right now. Situation number two, is when you're being asked to take something on that doesn't fall in your responsibilities, and you need to push back to let them know that you're not going to be taking this on at all. So if you're falling in situation number one, here's how to handle it. "Thank you so much for bringing this to my attention. Of course, I'd love to support you in taking that on. That said, I'm already at capacity this week because I'm focusing on X, Y, Z priorities. That's going to take me into Friday. I would be able to work on this next week, and get it to you by next Friday. Would that work for you? Or is there any flexibility on the deadline that we can discuss?" Now, if you're falling into situation number two where you have to push back altogether, here's how to handle it. "Thank you for coming to me on this. That said, I'm already at capacity this week taking on X, Y, Z priorities. And I also don't believe that this ask is something that would typically fall into my responsibilities. I'm curious, is there a particular reason as to why you came to me for this?" Now, that last part is key because you want to make sure that you're addressing why they're coming to you first, instead of going to the right person that's going to help them with that particular task. Finally, as a bonus tip, if it is something that you feel that you should be taking on, but is contradictory with the other priorities that you have right now, you can always loop in your specific manager. Let them know what's going on, and then reprioritize what you're already working on to be able to take on this new request. The key is to make sure you are balancing your workload instead of just taking everything on at your own expense.