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Employee
employee
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Setting a boundary with a coworker who keeps dumping work on you

A colleague regularly sends you tasks that are not your responsibility.

Strategy

Name the pattern, clarify ownership, and offer a handoff path.

I have noticed the last few Friday requests have landed in my inbox even though they sit with your team. I want to be helpful, but I cannot own this without it cutting into my own deadlines. Going forward, can we route these through [owner] before end of day Wednesday so the right person can pick them up?

If they push back

If they say it is faster through you: 'I get that. It is also creating a bottleneck because I cannot prioritize it. Let us solve the routing, not the symptom.'

What not to say

Do not say yes to keep the peace.

Follow-up

Confirm the new routing in writing with both of you and the right owner.

Get the exact words for your situation.

TACT writes a custom script based on your context, tone, and seat at the table.