The two words you n...
 

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The two words you need to help you push back at work

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn09eklpe24o

I can think of two better ones.


 
Posted : 20/10/2025 3:29 pm
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I can think of two better ones

Possibly, but for a lot of employees it is hard to say 'no' when tasks are handed out. We are taught to take on responsibility as a way to climb the ladder, but in reality you just keep getting work piled on for no meaningful reward.


 
Posted : 20/10/2025 3:42 pm
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I got a very nasty look when I left the 20mins over-run meeting this afternoon. I told my boss that I was out of my contracted hours. As far as i am concerned, if the manager can't manage that is their problem. If confronted about why I haven't met a particular target I'll happily fess up if it is my fault but will equally point any difficult questions elsewhere if it is warranted, I see no reason to take the blame for someone else if they are at fault.

I'm at the end of my (teaching)career and have just 18 months to go. Some days I really don't need the 'initiatives' send down from on high. I feel confident saying 'No' when I feel it's warranted. It is very empowering indeed and once you've said it a couple of times it becomes increasingly easier.


 
Posted : 20/10/2025 8:29 pm
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"No" is one word and "I don't" is three. "I quit" has worked quite well for me.


 
Posted : 20/10/2025 8:43 pm
kelvin and Drac reacted
 jimw
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I had a maths teacher  colleague at work who had a  strategy for dealing with requests  from management he thought were a waste of time. He would ignore it and only put any time into it if he was asked three times.that didn’t happen very often. It didn’t do him any any harm as he became the professor of education at a prestigious university and a  national authority on exam performance statistics.


 
Posted : 20/10/2025 8:49 pm
Ambrose and Drac reacted
 Drac
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“I’m done.”

worked for me  

 


 
Posted : 20/10/2025 9:14 pm
kelvin reacted
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I'm 52 and have done my job since I left school (different places just doing the same thing) so I'm more than happy to say no. If on occasion I'm asked to do something I'm not happy about or I'm fairly sure the results will be less than desirable I'll ask for it in an email which can also work as I've seen some right shite bags in charge who are more than willing to pretend they never asked for it to be done that way.


 
Posted : 20/10/2025 11:18 pm
burntembers reacted
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Posted by: jimw

He would ignore it and only put any time into it if he was asked three times.

I do this for everything.


 
Posted : 20/10/2025 11:29 pm
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Possibly, but for a lot of employees it is hard to say 'no' when tasks are handed out. We are taught to take on responsibility as a way to climb the ladder, but in reality you just keep getting work piled on for no meaningful reward.

I remember back as a graduate having to sit through some business ethics and information security course where the leader said you only get one chance with this as a company and then your reputation is gone, it's never worth it in the long run to either to give information out for reward, or to steal it.

The same applied the other way it turns out.  Management can sell you the lie that hard work will be rewarded in the long term, but if you also make huge swathes of redundancies as a result of poor management decision making (and don't get rid of the managers) then that trust also evaporates. 


 
Posted : 21/10/2025 10:01 am
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I have plenty of spare time. Give me more work! In fact, I don't think I've ever been in a job where I've had to say no because I was overloaded. Nearing retirement I'd say that's my biggest success 🙂


 
Posted : 21/10/2025 10:06 am
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I don't do this. If a situation arises where I'm needed out of hours, I do it because I need to help, I need to be involved to get a reward from my job and if I don't feel rewarded mentally then every minute of my job is hell regardless of the time of day.

However I always reserve the right to not, and I make damn sure I get the time back. Fortunately my employer understands this. If they didn't, they wouldn't be my employer. 


 
Posted : 21/10/2025 11:18 am
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Mortgage paid.

The best two I’ve found, so go do one gobshote manager.


 
Posted : 21/10/2025 1:05 pm
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Lottery win?


 
Posted : 21/10/2025 2:37 pm

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