You have a set of responsibilities associated with your role. They may ebb and flow throughout the year, but you know them well and find you can achieve them comfortably.
Getting too comfortable can lead to boredom and complacency. But you don’t need a new job to avoid feeling stuck. You can ask for more responsibility to create new challenges.
How do you ask your boss for more responsibility at work? Keep reading for a short guide.
“I’d like more responsibility around here.” It’s what you’re thinking, but that statement won’t win you any favors. Managers aren’t in a rush to delegate new tasks because delegation takes work, especially training.
So rather than asking for more work or opportunities generally, identify those opportunities for yourself and ask for them. Can you see things within your wheelhouse that your manager is stuck doing? Even better, are there action points that you could take ownership of that would add value to current projects or even the business?
There’s almost always room to scale. Once you find the opportunities that could grow your career, it’s time to figure out how you’ll do them.
Before you present your chosen option to your boss, you’ll need to flesh out the idea.
How will you get the extra work done? Where will you pick up the skills? How much will it cost? What value will it add? Where will the spare time come from?
You’ll also need to demonstrate the stability of your current workload. No one is going to give you extra tasks if you can’t manage what you have already.
With your goals identified and a plan in place, it’s time to pitch.
As with anything, context is key, and timing is everything. Don’t pick a particularly stressful time to make the ask — even if it might add value.
When you pitch, help them envision what the goal will do for them. Share the impact of the results’ impact and provide them with milestones and performance measurements to track them.
If they can see the value off the bat, they’re more likely to tell you to run with it.
You don’t need to feel stuck in your role. If you’re ready for more, all you need to do is ask — just make sure you have a plan before you do it.
Are you looking for a new role with new responsibilities? RightStone is placing qualified IT candidates in challenging positions right now. Find the list of currently available jobs on our website.