Can You Say "No" at the Office and Still be a Team Player? By Lisa Koosis A few years back, the department I worked in was having a meeting, during which management explained how we'd need to assist customer service in answering phones during lunch breaks and peak times. They concluded by asking if anyone among us would have a problem with doing just that. Immediately, I raised my hand and said, "I do." I was the only one. A few weeks later, one of my coworkers groused to me about how it wasn't fair that I was the only one not answering phones. She was genuinely annoyed. "I didn't want to answer phones either," she told me. "You had the same opportunity that I did," I responded. "You all did." Like many people, my coworker had learned that it's not okay to say "no" at the office, that to be a team player means always saying "yes" when asked to do something. So where does the truth lie? Is it ever acceptable to say "no" to a request at work? Saying "no" at the office is a tricky business at best. Nobody will dispute the importance of being a team player, and being a team player often means being flexible, agreeable, and adaptable. But sometimes for reasons both personal and professional, saying "no" is equally as important. In my case, I'd been honest about my feelings about customer service since the months immediately following my hire. As I told my boss over the years, the day that I have to start answering customer service calls is the day I'll have to tender my resignation. So it came as no surprise to anyone that I'd spoken up at that meeting. And the truth was that I said "yes" often enough to make that one "no" acceptable. I often took on jobs that others shied away from or tackled special projects that were unpalatable to other staff members. I'd earned my "no". So what are the dos and don'ts of saying "no"?
I never did answer customer service calls at the office, and I think, eventually, my coworkers understood and respected my decision to speak up at that meeting and to say "no" to the prospect of answering phones. In the end, it didn't make me the office villain. Saying "no" does involve uncertainties, but it is possible to say "no" in the office and still be a valuable employee.
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