3 Tips to Ask for What You Need at Work

While it’s important for both you and your manager that you ask for what you need at work, it can be difficult to start those types of discussions. Here are a few helpful tips as you take up the challenge to do so this week.

1. Be clear about what you want. Flesh out what you want to say before you talk to your manager. If you need to vent or sort out your thoughts, write them down or talk to a trusted spouse, friend, or coworker so you’re very clear on what you need. This will save both of you time and show your manager you respect his or her time as much as your own.

2. Be direct. Use language that clearly states what you need and its importance. You don’t have to demand anything or be aggressive, but being assertive and sure of yourself goes a long way towards your request being taken seriously. Nothing says “I’m not really sure of myself OR my request” like using lots of “kind of”s and “maybe”s and other tentative language like that. If you’re not sure where to start, feel free to try some of these starter sentences:

“I’ve been thinking about what would help me do my job more efficiently, and I’d like…”

“I do my best work when ____, so I need…”

“In order to be more productive/efficient, I’d like…”

“I need ______ in order to do my job to the best of my ability.”

3. State the business reasons and benefits. Knowing the reason “why” behind a request is crucial for your manager to be able to make it happen. If you state the benefit to the business (greater efficiency/productivity, lower costs to the company, more profits, etc.), it’ll help your manager see you’ve thought it out and give him or her a solid reason to consider it.

There you have it: a few tips to get you started. Think about what you need to do your job better and go ask for it. Then let us know how it went with a comment.

Do you have any tips for making requests of managers? If so, please share them in a comment so we can all grow and learn together.