Imagine you are sitting at your desk, hard at work on today’s reports and daily tasks, trying to finish your self-imposed work deadlines by the end of the working day. A colleague saunters on to your desk and “cheerfully” asks you to “help” do something that isn’t on your task list or even remotely your priority. In fact, this is something that your colleague has to be doing themselves, but for some reason, they need your expertise, and they need it now.
When you work at an office, there will always be interruptions, it’s just inevitable. Most of the time, we don’t mind being interrupted and gladly welcome a quick break. If it’s just a small favor and an easy one, I’m sure most people won’t mind helping out a colleague. However, if you’re working as an assistant some people will see you as a shared resource and would capitalize on the fact that you have access to any and all resources in the office. Some are even annoyingly in your face, asking you to simply do the work that they should be doing themselves. How do you deal with colleagues who think you are their assistant when you’re just clearly not?
Stop helping them:
You are reinforcing bad (and very lazy) behavior by trying to “help them out.” Clearly one of you is relying heavily on the other to do their job. If they keep asking you for help, remember that NO is a full sentence. Don’t promise to help them, out some other time.
Here are a few helpful and tactful answers you can use for “can you help me with this?”
• Sorry but I am busy with tasks for (executive/client/customer/boss) and I won’t be able to handle your request.
• What are the things you have tried so far?
• I am on a tight deadline and won’t be free to work with you on that anytime soon.
• I can’t help with that right now.
• Can you ask (suggest the name of the expert)? I’m sure they’d be happy to help you.
• Sorry but I’m working on a priority project and need to focus on this for the next few (days/weeks/months).
Set expectations:
Make sure it is clear that you are an Executive Assistant or an assistant to this and that client, and not a general office assistant – which means that you are not there to serve them with work that they are paid to do by themselves. You answer to one person and are there to assist this person strategically. If you spend your time, shuffling between your immediate task and trying to help others finish theirs, you are not maximizing valuable time helping your boss or client become more successful. You are also doing your colleagues a disservice by not letting them learn new skills on their own. Your refusal to do their work is a teaching opportunity, not a selfish move.
Seek a meeting with your executive, boss or client:
Sometimes we are too careful to come across as snarky – and we’re careful about our image at the office. Nobody wants to be portrayed as the bad guy. If you can’t confront your colleagues or have a hard time saying no, you can enlist the help of your executive, boss, or client. Explain that your colleagues or that the team is going to you as a resource person for their individual projects and task and that “helping them out” is taking a lot of your time that would have otherwise been spent working on your priority projects. Check with your boss if they agreed that this is an okay practice. In most cases, your boss would have no idea that this is happening – this will give you more leverage to push back. If a colleague gets pushy, you can refer them back to your boss.
It’s time to set clear boundaries so that you get to do what you love and not live your life pleasing others. What is your go-to pushback line? Share them with us in the comments. Stay humble, hustle hard.
Written by Jaie O. The Help