Are you afraid of your managers?

Do you shake in your Louboutins when she or he or they come marching up to your desk to add on extra work on top of the too much work they already have you doing?

Do you shout out, "No more! I can't finish everything I have to do now!"

No, you don't. Like the spineless, mouse baby you are, you nod your head and say, "Thank you for the added responsibility. I can easily change my schedule. I really didn't want to take time off for that heart transplant."

Clearly, you have a problem.

You can't say no.

That's why I want you to say yes to a recent John Heggestuen article on the Business Insider website. It's titled, "Here's Exactly How to Tell Your Boss You Have Too Much Work Without Saying 'No.'"

Heggestuen realizes that there are times when "you can't do everything that's being asked of you." Unfortunately, he doesn't realize that, for you, those times are all the time.

He is correct when he says, "saying 'no' can leave the wrong impression." What he doesn't understand is that the trouble with your saying no is that it leaves the right impression. You really don't like the work you are doing or the manager you are doing it for and you definitely don't want more.

In other words, you want to be considered a team player, even though you spend most of your time in the locker room.

Heggestuen's first recommendation for saying no without saying no is to "ask yourself whether the amount of work you have is reasonable for your role."

This is tricky. You may have a little excess time in your job, like 7 hours of every 8-hour day, but that doesn't include all the valuable contributions you make above and beyond your job description. It's hard work accepting the jeers and sneers when you show off your advanced fashion sense to the clueless slobs you work with. And who else works so hard to keep the workplace buzzing with the latest gossip, especially considering the time it takes to make that stuff up?

If your manager doesn't understand how busy you are, even when you are not doing any so-called "work," you may have to demonstrate your value. Yes, it may be time to share the photos you have of the HR team frolicking naked in the CEO's hot tub.

It took a night of hiding in the bushes to get those shots, but it will be worth it when the extra work goes away, as does most of your regular work, as well.

A second suggestion is to explain, "I know this task is important and I can definitely prioritize it."

"It's all about empathy," our author writes. The idea here is to understand that your managers may also be feeling overwhelmed, which is why they made the giant blunder of thinking they could unload some of their work on you.

You could explain the error of their ways, helpfully pointing out that the assignment clearly requires their special genius, but you'd probably start giggling uncontrollably before you get to the "special genius" part. Instead, show that great reserve of empathy by saying, "I realize that you are too incompetent to do your job, but that's exactly why you need me. To make a bungler like you look good, you need a bigger bungler like me."

Once you have established an empathetic connection with your manager, say, "these are my priorities for this week." As Heggestuen writes, "managers often forget about everything you're doing." This is certainly the case with you, since you have spent every day since being hired working hard to stay invisible.

Still, be honest in explaining your priorities. You won't be doing much actual work for the company, but you will be checking out "Operation Zero," the latest update to "Call of Duty Black Ops." Combine that effort with visits to the local bakery to test the gluten level of any new cupcakes, and your manager will definitely give you a pass when it comes to any new work.

You might also point out that the less you have to do, the fewer projects you will screw up — probably. Best of all, explain that if your manager forgot the extra work and started actually giving you less work, you could expand your gluten-testing efforts to include donuts, plain, glazed and jelly.

Now that's extra work you can handle.

Bob Goldman was an advertising executive at a Fortune 500 company, but he finally wised up and opened Bob Goldman Financial Planning in Sausalito, California. He now works out of Bellingham, Washington. He offers a virtual shoulder to cry on at [email protected]. To find out more about Bob Goldman, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at creators.com.

Photo credit: at Pixabay