How to push back against a boss who gives you too much work

Hard-working professionals are reporting record-breaking levels of stress. One cause: ever-increasing workloads.

Too often, high-achievers who are known for tackling tough challenges, become their managers’ go-to person for addressing difficult problems. However, their can-do attitudes and tendency to overextend themselves can put them in a bind.

Here’s why it is important to push back against a manager who asks you to take on too much work—and how to tactfully do so yourself, step-by-step.

The importance of knowing you work limits

For many high-achievers, their identities and confidence levels are tied to their perceived productivity. Saying “no” or pushing back on deadlines can make them doubt themselves and question their value. “If I can’t meet my manager’s expectations, then I’m not worthy of this role,” they may tell themselves. But there are only so many hours in a day. While high-achievers value their reputations as someone that leaders can rely on, the approach of always saying “yes” to more work is unsustainable and can lead to burnout.

Many high-achievers believe they’re failing if they can’t do everything at once. What they don’t realize is that the inability to take on ever-expanding workloads and meet increasingly ambitious deadlines does not reflect their capabilities as professionals. When one person is expected to always take on more work, it is often a sight of a broader business problem, not a personal defect or character flaw. What is needed to address this problem is not greater confidence, ambition, or focus—it’s additional resources.

If your workload is full and you are reaching your breaking point, it’s time to stop blaming yourself and set boundaries that will help you do your best work and set your organization up for success. Take these three steps to push back on your manager when you are given too much work.

Show your work

Unfortunately, diligent work doesn’t always speak for itself. Putting your head down and working hard can work well when you are a student, but it doesn’t translate to today’s workplaces. Managers are often too swamped to notice all of the great work their coworkers are doing. So, the first step in pushing back is to make your work visible.

Set up a sustainable system for sharing information with your manager. For example, you can send a weekly rundown summarizing your key accomplishments and initiatives. But here’s the key: Be sure to convey the complexity of your work. If you oversimplify things, your manager will never appreciate the level of effort required to do your job.

As your manager starts to grasp the full scope of your work, they will get better at gauging your bandwidth. And while they will likely continue to lean on you for challenging assignments, they will be less likely to make inaccurate assumptions about your capacity.

Adopt a consulting mindset

Imagine this: Your boss asks you to take on a new assignment. Your plate is already overflowing but you want to be a strong team player. How do you respond? If you’re a high-achiever who wants to make a good impression, you may say “yes”—whether or not you have the appropriate time and resources available to you.

But let’s flip the script. Imagine you are an external consultant. Would you blindly jump into this project? Of course not! You’d ask about scope, deadlines, budget, and resources. You’d then take time to review the details and craft a proposal that fits the goals and constraints.

When responding to your manager’s requests, adopt a consulting mindset. Leverage your expertise to tell your manager what you think is realistic. Remember that you are the expert in your job. Only you have a full understanding of what it takes to accomplish this task while balancing your other responsibilities.

Don’t prop up a broken system

Organizations have a tendency to squeeze their top performers dry. When these high-achievers keep saying “yes” to more work and fail to push back, they set a dangerous precedent. Managers, who typically lack an understanding of the full effort required to do the work, begin to expect miracles.

Consistently saying “yes” to more work doesn’t just hurt you, it hurts your business. If you aren’t giving your manager accurate information about what’s required to perform your role, they are flying blind. As a result, they likely aren’t advocating for additional headcount or budget in their leadership meetings. And if you leave your role, it will be difficult, if not impossible, for them to fill your shoes.

Here’s the bottom line: Don’t prop up a broken system by accepting more work than is practical. If you’re not set up for success, speak up. The organization needs to see the cracks in the system to fix them. Don’t hurt your team—and yourself—by setting an unsustainable precedent.

If you’re a high-achiever who wants to excel, you can’t do it by taking on increasingly unsustainable levels of work. To maximize your impact, make your work visible, think like a consultant, and flag cracks in the system to your boss. That’s how you’ll really shine.