5 Ways To Opt Out Of Low-Value Work Assignments

Have you ever had your boss “invite” you to be a part of an “important” initiative that made you feel uneasy? Usually accompanied by that sinking feeling, “I am going to give my time and energy to something that is going nowhere.”

We have all been pulled into extracurricular, low-value teams that don’t have clear objectives or expected deliverables. You know, those initiatives that have a great deal of momentum and leadership interest that wanes when other priorities take over.

If you haven’t been pulled into one of these consider yourself lucky. And even if you have you might find the following telltale signs useful.

Ten Telltale Signs You Are Being Assigned Non-value Work Assignments:

The team is cross-functional and/or cross-business
When the team is asked to focus on an ambiguous topic
There is no assigned leader
The initiative is designed and sponsored by a senior leader
Lots of important people are on the cc list when the team is announced
The idea for said initiative came out of a leadership meeting and wasn’t vetted with anyone likely to be chosen to execute
When the team is ready to report out, they can’t get on leadership’s calendar/ can’t get their attention
It’s very difficult to see the alignment of the team’s activity with business values or priorities
The initiative is (or could be) aimed at achieving a political goal
The initiative doesn’t contribute to your career goals

Here’s An Example

A former colleague of mine was assigned to an initiative that checked every box on the list. She was asked to join a cross-business / cross-functional team to essentially test out another person on the team as the leadership was having some challenges with him.

It took some time for her to figure this out and by then she was a bit stuck on this team. So she minimized her participation until the group disbanded and the gentleman was reassigned. It seems the leadership already had their answer and needed confirmation but at quite a cost to the team, who lost productive time and focus in the process, not to mention the hit on morale.

Another Example

Similarly, a former teammate of mine was assigned a project where she was set up for failure. She was asked to pull together a cohesive presentation to a pharma audience pulling in offerings from different parts of the business. The problem was there was no business strategy for her to draw from. When she asked she was told to do the project anyway.

She spent countless hours in meetings that weren’t relevant to her and started getting major stress as she would procrastinate working on this project, which further stressed her out as she kept slipping the deliverable deadline.

When her manager truly understood the situation she stepped in and relieved her team member of this project. It was too poorly scoped and the team needed to develop the market strategy first. Just in time, her team member’s health was starting to be negatively affected by all the stress.

How To Opt Out Of Low-Value Work Assignments

So what do you do to avoid such assignments? Sometimes if it’s too politically charged you just have no choice and in that case, minimize as much as possible. Go for that C- grade. Just enough to pass. Why? Because ultimately the chances you will be measured on this particular pet project are nil.

But if it isn’t a must-do (say not a direct order from the CEO), there are some things you can do, gracefully, to bow out.

Give yourself permission to say no
Ask questions, “What is the charter?” “How long will the team be needed to fulfill its purpose?” “What should I de-prioritize to make room” “Do you consider this a stretch project for me?”
If it’s not your direct boss asking (say it’s your boss’ boss), ask for help to challenge your involvement – in some cases that may be a very welcome ask as your boss likely would rather you focus on your top priorities.
Develop boundaries/ define your involvement, i.e. no traveling, no more than two hours per week/ or even one. Join the team for two months then rotate to another person.
The challenge is you are really the right person to serve on the team.

I strongly suggest you at least try these opt-out strategies. If you don’t, passive-aggressive behavior will likely follow. You might opt out of meetings due to conflicts, miss deadlines, or start resenting the team, your company, or your manager. And you will likely vent to someone in the hallway giving them bad vibes.

Wrapping This Up

Ultimately if you are given work assignments that a) don’t align with your goals or b) aren’t a stretch project aligned to your career aspirations, then you should do everything you can to opt out.

And if you are in a position of power to influence these sorts of projects, have courage and stand up. Question someone you see going down that path. More than likely others will stand with you as they likely could already sense the project is flawed. And if you are a manager, please don’t assign your staff projects non-value-added projects. Consult the list if you’re in doubt!