In many workplaces across the USA, a proactive, “can-do” attitude is standard. In contrast, USA workplaces often find saying—or receiving—a firm “no” somewhat uncomfortable. This is partly due to Kiwis’ general preference for avoiding confrontation and seeking peaceful solutions to problems.
The challenge is that consistently trying to please everyone and handle everything can quickly lead to stress and burnout. This approach isn’t sustainable for anyone.
In the IT sector, it’s crucial to empower professionals to set boundaries around their workload and recognize the importance of saying “no” to requests that overextend them. Without this, USA’s talented IT workforce risks losing motivation, burning out, or even leaving the industry entirely.
Creating a healthier work culture requires effort from all sides. Leaders and managers play a key role, but IT professionals themselves must also take responsibility. Here are four practical steps to help tech workers manage stress, establish boundaries, and maintain a positive work experience.
1. Prioritise Health and Wellbeing
During high-pressure periods at work, IT professionals often find their lives dominated by tasks and deadlines, leaving little time for sleep, exercise, nutrition, or hobbies.
Even if the Kiwi norm encourages sacrificing personal time to meet project demands, maintaining self-care is essential. A well-balanced lifestyle fosters a clear mind, energy, and resilience—critical for managing challenging projects. Neglecting these routines leaves your wellbeing entirely at the mercy of workplace pressures.
Bottom line: your health must come first. If you’ve delayed a doctor’s visit, schedule it now. If you’ve skipped your weekend walk or surf session, make time to get back to it—you’ll return to work refreshed and more effective.
2. Stick to Your Work Schedule
Achieving a good work-life balance and maintaining personal wellbeing can seem challenging, especially when workloads are high. The key is learning to set boundaries and manage expectations. While it may feel difficult at first, practicing this consistently will make it easier and significantly improve your work experience.
Start by reviewing your employment agreement to confirm your contracted hours and compare them to the hours you’ve actually been working recently. If you regularly exceed your agreed hours, it’s important to raise this with your manager.
It might feel awkward, but most managers want their team to thrive and need to know when workloads are exceeding expectations.
Pro Tip: Be honest about the extra hours you’re putting in. You don’t need to go into extensive detail, but sharing the impact on your wellbeing helps your manager support you. Learning to manage upward—sharing challenges rather than carrying them alone—is a critical skill. Asking for help is not a weakness; it’s part of effective workplace communication.
3. Delegate Responsibilities
Having a “can-do” mindset all the time can lead to stress and burnout. Often, people feel that tasks will only be done correctly if they handle them personally or worry about adding to someone else’s workload.
Delegation is essential for managing workload and maintaining efficiency. Even if you aren’t in a managerial position, you can delegate tasks by coordinating with your manager to redistribute responsibilities effectively.
Perfect resource allocation is rare, so teams should be comfortable adjusting workloads as needed.
Pro Tip: Consider delegating in situations like:
- The task is outside your strongest skill set.
- Someone else can complete it faster.
- Taking on the task would distract from your core responsibilities.
- The overall workload exceeds what can realistically be done.
- Delegation provides learning opportunities for colleagues.
- Redistributing work improves team collaboration and efficiency.
Effective delegation helps ensure work gets done efficiently while reducing stress for you and your team.
4. Learn to Say ‘No’ Effectively
The last step in managing your workload is embracing the ability to say “no.” While it’s a short word, it can feel intimidating in the workplace.
Keep in mind that declining an unrealistic request, tight deadline, or extra responsibility won’t make projects collapse. In fact, setting boundaries protects the team and the business from bigger issues later—like missed deadlines, overworked staff, or compromised work quality. Saying “no” can prevent problems before they occur and keeps operations running smoothly.
When faced with an unreasonable request, confidently communicate your limitations. Although it might feel uncomfortable, saying “no” is an essential part of responsible work management. At the same time, be willing to reconsider if additional resources or support make the task achievable.
Tips for Practicing ‘No’ in the Workplace:
- Completing tasks by an impossible deadline
- Working on weekends without prior agreement
- Taking on someone else’s workload temporarily
- Adding features or work outside the project scope
- Delivering work without adequate resources or tools
- Handling tasks alone that require support
Before accepting a request, assess whether you have the capacity and skills to take it on. If a direct “no” feels too abrupt, consider negotiating an alternative, such as:
“I can take this on if [other task] is rescheduled to make time for it.”
This ensures proper prioritization while keeping your core responsibilities intact. It’s also perfectly fine to respond with:
“I need to review my schedule and will get back to you.”
Taking time to evaluate requests helps you make thoughtful decisions while maintaining professionalism and protecting your wellbeing.
Establish Healthy Boundaries at Work
In the rapidly expanding U.S. tech sector, it’s crucial for IT professionals to maintain engagement, satisfaction, and productivity. Implementing these four strategies can help you set clear personal boundaries, manage stress, prevent burnout, and stay a positive contributor to your workplace.
Employers also play a key role in this process. In an upcoming piece, we’ll share practical ways tech managers and leaders can foster healthier work environments and support staff in maintaining reasonable workloads.
Further Tips and Insights
For additional advice, visit the Amiti blog, which covers topics such as the U.S. tech industry, job interview strategies, CV writing, and professional development.
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