The 100% Foolproof Way to Get a Colleague (or Anyone) Off Your Back

Are you apprehensive about doing favors for colleagues or people you don't know that well? I swear this trick works every time.

Photo by Walls.io on Unsplash

Before I share the best way to get a colleague (or anyone) off your back, I want to be clear that I enjoy helping people. I think we’ve all asked someone for a sensible favor. I’m not talking about something like asking for a ride to LAX (because, who are we kidding here?? JK, I’d still do it for a close friend). But in all seriousness, we’ve all asked for help - in the workplace and otherwise.

Especially living in LA and working in media, part of the whole schtick is networking and finding trustworthy people I can be vulnerable with about needing this or that. They don’t necessarily have to be best friends, but simply people who I’ve developed a reciprocated loyalty and value in. We all want to get ahead, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with enlisting people (you’ve built legitimate relationships with) to help you get there. So yeah, if a colleague is writing an article about new fall fragrances, and they need a contact for Phlur, I’m more than happy to share.

That said, when a favor involves doing legwork that could potentially put you out or impact your reputation (depending on how things go), it’s not as simple as doling out an email address.

If a colleague, friend or acquaintance asks you for a more involved favor, below is the foolproof way to get them off your back.