If it’s tough for you to say “no” to someone, you’re not alone. Saying “no” is hard for many of us, even when it’s to close friends or family who would most likely understand your reasoning. So saying “no” to your boss can be a terrifying endeavor, especially since your boss has the power to influence your career success. In the face of authority, you may suddenly feel like a small child who is not supposed to tell your parents “no” under any circumstances. But believe it or not, sometimes saying “no” to your boss is the best thing you can do for your career—you just have to say it for the right reasons and in the right way.

You have a good reason to say “no” to your boss if:

• You’re constantly asked to work later and longer. Most businesses have legitimate busy times or project deadlines that will require you to put in longer hours. But outside of those emergencies, if your boss expects you to stay late every day or consistently work weekends, it may be time to set boundaries and say “no.” This is for your own good and for the good of the company. Routinely working long hours in non-emergency situations will leave you feeling drained, taken advantage of, and demoralized. So it’s OK to say “no” to unsustainable work hours. Tell your boss you want to be a team player, and ask how you can work together to build a better work/life balance.
• You’re becoming your boss’ gofer. Unless you are a personal assistant, running even one personal errand for your boss can be a slippery slope. This is a tough situation, because these bosses often don’t realize what they’re asking of their employees. Running your boss’ errands can quickly make you feel demeaned, especially when the errands change from “pick up my lunch” to “call my mother to cancel lunch.” So it’s OK to say “no” to running your boss’ errands, as long as that is not part of your job description. Explain to your boss that running these errands will take you away from the more pressing and skilled work you were hired to do.
• You’re asked to perform magic. Sometimes you must remind your boss that you are but one employee working in a business that operates within the laws of time and space. You cannot perform magic or miracles or generally impossible tasks. This includes overcoming unrealistic deadlines, impossible workloads, and fires you don’t have the skills to fight. So it’s OK to say “no” to unrealistic expectations you know you can’t meet. It could be that your boss doesn’t realize the amount of time, effort, or skill required to complete the project, or isn’t aware of the deadlines already on your calendar. Having a frank discussion will ideally lead your boss to extend the deadline, assign others to help with the project, or reassign the project altogether. Just be sure to have the discussion immediately—waiting will only make the situation snowball into something worse!

Even when you have a justifiable reason to decline your boss’ request, it’s never easy to say “no” to an authority figure. But sometimes saying “no” is the best choice to keep your career on track. Bosses don’t always realize when they’re asking too much, so you can leverage your voice to show them the potential consequences of their actions. Of course, you must choose your battles when deciding to say “no.” You’ll still have to smile through plenty of less desirable tasks, but you’ll have a newfound voice to combat truly unreasonable or unrealistic requests from your boss.

Now you know some appropriate reasons to say “no” to your boss, tune in to the next YES! Your Human Resources Solutionblog to learn how to deliver that “no” in the most favorable way.