A survey of 1,160 U.S. workers conducted in December 2024 found that 65 percent of employees feel empowered to decline extra work assignments.

Younger workers (25 and younger) reported the highest level of empowerment at 77 percent, compared with 56 percent for workers ages 26 to 40 and 66 percent for workers age 41 and older.

The research also identified gender differences: 69 percent of men said they are comfortable setting boundaries and saying no to extra work, compared with 62 percent of women, who more often indicated that they evaluate the situation before refusing additional tasks.

Despite this growing willingness to decline extra responsibilities, 59 percent of workers reported frequently experiencing burnout linked to difficulty in saying no, and 28 percent said they have left a job because of stress or burnout.

Many respondents indicated that accepting extra work interferes with personal or family time, with a majority noting at least occasional disruption and a smaller portion reporting constant interference.

Source: https://www.staffingindustry.com/news/global-daily-news/65-of-us-workers-feel-empowered-to-decline-extra-work

So, the question for our readers is: Do Your Employees Feel Empowered To Decline Extra Work?

Here is an opinion of one of the McCalmon editorial staff:

Jack McCalmon, Esq.

I have no problem with someone declining extra work, especially if they feel they could not dedicate the time to do the work correctly. I try hard to monitor workloads by avoiding taking extra work, but in a small professional firm, there are times where everyone feels burdened. In the end, if someone believes they could not do more work or does not want to do more work, then I try to honor that request.

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