It's hard to say 'no' at work. Etiquette experts told us how to get better at it.
"That's above my pay grade."
It's often said as a joke, sure, but it could also be a real response to one of the biggest challenges many workers face on the job: How to say no.
Many people have experienced "job creep," where they're gradually given more and more responsibilities, or are otherwise asked to do work they simply don't have time for. Tactfully declining seems like the obvious solution, but it's easier said than done.
"People don't know how to say no," etiquette expert Lizzie Post of the Emily Post Institute told Business Insider.
"If you talk about the high-level business advice, the people that excel, the super achievers, the A-list CEOs and entrepreneurs, they will all tell you that their day is a thousand nos and one yes," fellow etiquette expert Daniel Post Senning added. "Your capacity to say no is a professional skill as well as a social and personal skill."
The experts' book, " Emily Post's Business Etiquette," went on sale May 20 and covers how to politely decline in various business-related situations. They shared with BI some additional tips for doing so.
These aren't one-and-done solutions. But they can help you get more comfortable with saying no and setting boundaries at work.
It's easier when it's an immediate or shorter-term ask and you can deflect with a fast-approaching deadline for another project.
"It's a lot harder when you start to get asked to do much more than the job you were hired for, and the expectation is just that you're going to do it and take it on because the company needs you to," said Post. "I have seen numerous friends go through this where they say, 'I'm all of a sudden doing the job of three people and I still only have the salary I started with.'"
In those cases, the best advice is to "really spell it out," Post said.
"The only thing you can do is encourage that person to speak up to their employer about it and to talk about it in a real sense of 'I am experiencing burnout' or 'The work quality would really start to diminish,'" she said. "Come prepared to talk about why it's overwhelming and why you don't have enough time to make this happen."
Beforehand, consider "doing an honest assessment" of your track record when saying no, Post Senning said. What specifically do you struggle with, and what do you tend to fall back on? What could you do better?
When preparing for and actually having the conversation, pay attention to your emotions to keep them in check.
"Separating the emotional fight-or-flight response — that's your reaction to the stress of what's happening — from the way that you respond to the person is a really important part of good etiquette," Post Senning said. "The difference between 'No, I can't believe you asked me to do that' and 'I'd like to sit down and talk with you about my workload' is huge."
It can help to remind a colleague what's on your plate and explain that you'd only be able to take on a new task if you deprioritized other assignments.
Some people might benefit from mentally reframing these conversations. Instead of viewing it as rejecting a colleague's request, you can think of it as setting boundaries to build sustainable work habits.
"It's an important professional skill," said Post Senning. "It's an important part of communication, particularly for the benefit of the people around you."
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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 4, 2025) - Edgemont Gold Corp. (CSE: EDGM) (the "Company" or "Edgemont") announces that, further to its news releases dated February 20, 2025, March 21, 2025 and April 15, 2025, it has entered into a merger agreement (the "Definitive Agreement") dated June 4, 2025, with Laiva Gold Inc. ("Laiva"), and 2717194 Alberta Ltd. ("SubCo"), a newly incorporated, wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. Pursuant to the Definitive Agreement, the Company will acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Laiva (the "Laiva Shares") in exchange for an equivalent number of common shares of the Company (the "Transaction"). The Transaction will constitute a reverse takeover transaction of the Company by Laiva and will be a "Fundamental Change" of the Company under Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") Policy 8 - Fundamental Changes and Changes of Business ("Policy 8"). 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Finder's fees may be paid in connection with the Concurrent Financings and will disclosed in due course and as confirmed. In addition, prior to the Closing, the Company will effect a consolidation of its common shares (the "Edgemont Shares") on a 3:1 basis (the "Consolidation"), whereby each holder of Edgemont Shares will receive one post-Consolidation Edgemont Share for each 3 Edgemont Shares held at the time of Consolidation. Certain common shares of the Resulting Issuer to be issued pursuant to the Transaction are expected to be subject to restrictions on resale or escrow under the policies of the CSE, including the securities to be issued to Related Persons (as defined under the CSE policies), which will be subject to the escrow requirements of the CSE. Pursuant to voting support agreements agreed to by the parties, the directors and officers of Laiva, as well as certain key shareholders of Laiva, have agreed to vote in support of the Transaction and related matters. The Definitive Agreement includes a number of conditions precedent to Closing, including but not limited to, receipt of the requisite shareholder approvals from both Edgemont (approving the Transaction as a "Fundamental Change") and Laiva (approving the Amalgamation), completion of the Concurrent Financings, completion of the Consolidation, the Name Change being effected, approvals of all regulatory bodies having jurisdiction in connection with the Transaction, approval of the CSE, including the satisfaction of its listing requirements, the settlement of certain outstanding liabilities of Laiva, the receipt by Laiva of certain environmental permits and the satisfaction of other closing conditions customary to the transactions of this nature. There can be no assurance that the Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all. Following completion of the Transaction, Laiva will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Resulting Issuer. 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Additional Information Additional terms regarding the Transaction were previously disclosed in news releases of the Company dated February 20, 2025, March 21, 2025 and April 15, 2025, which are available under the Company's SEDAR+ profile at Subject to satisfaction or waiver of the conditions precedent referred to in this news release and in the Definitive Agreement, the Company and Laiva anticipate that the Transaction will be completed no later than September 30, 2025. There is no assurance that the Transaction will be completed on the terms proposed herein or at all. Trading in the common shares of the Company has been halted and will remain halted, pending the satisfaction of applicable requirements of CSE Policy 8 and permission to resume trading has been obtained from the CSE. All information contained in this news release with respect to Laiva was supplied by Laiva, and the Company and its directors and officers have relied on Laiva for such information. 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The Laiva Gold Project is situated in the North Ostrobothnia region of Finland, along the Gulf of Bothnia coast. It lies approximately 20 kilometres (km) southeast of Raahe, 80 km southwest of Oulu, and 550 km north of Helsinki. The Laiva Gold Project comprises 2 applications for exploration permits and 1 active mining permit covering a total of approximately 22.46 square kilometres (km2). Image 1 To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: The Laiva Gold Project is a historical open-pit mining operation that consists of two open pits. Mineralized material produced from the Laiva Gold Project has historically been processed at the Laiva Gold Mine Process facilities (the "Laiva processing plant"), located within the Laiva Gold Project. The Laiva processing plant was constructed in 2011. Nordic Mines operated the plant from the commission date to the end of March 2014. The mill production rate during this period averaged approximately 210 metric tonnes per hour (mtph) verses the design rate of 250 mtph. The ground mineralized material particle size ranged from P80 110 micrometer (μm) to 130 μm versus a design particle size of P80 75 μm. The mineral processing plant is located approximately 1 km northeast from the South and North open pits on the Property site. The Laiva Gold Project is currently on care and maintenance and is a former gold producing mining operation. The processing plant comprises a single stage crushing circuit, grinding mills, a 3-megawatt (Mw) installed power mill, flash flotation, gravity and regrind circuits, high grade and low grade carbon-in-leach circuits, carbon stripping, and a gold room. Spent mud is sent to either a high grade or low grade dam. The low grade dam is situated approximately 7.5 km from the plant where it is processed through a thickener. A geochemical laboratory is situated within the Property, previously managed by an independent contractor. Geochemical samples were processed and analyzed using a pulverize and leach machine (PAL1000) with 52 steel pots and an Atomic Absorption spectrometer with a capacity of 8,000 samples per week. This laboratory has historically been used to process and analyze grade control samples. Most of the power used to source the Laiva Gold Project operations is from a high-voltage grid in the area. It is located to the east of the Laiva Gold Project and supplies 110 kilovolts (kV) of power. A secondary 20 kV power grid is available from the village of Mattilanperä. About Edgemont Edgemont holds a 100% interest in the Dungate copper/gold porphyry project located just 6 km south of Houston, BC, in a region with a history of successful mining projects including the Equity Silver Mine and Imperial Metals' Huckleberry Mine. The Dungate project is comprised of five mineral tenures covering 1,582.2 hectares that can be explored year-round by all-season roads. For more information, please visit our website at Qualified Person Statement The scientific and technical information contained in this news release have been reviewed and approved by John Williamson, a director of Edgemont, who is a "qualified person" as defined under National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. For further information, please contact:Stuart RogersChief Executive OfficerTel: (778) Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release contains forward-looking information or statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws, which may include, without limitation, statements relating to the terms and completion of the Transaction, the receipt of corporate, regulatory and stock exchange approval in respect of the Transaction, the terms and completion of the Concurrent Financings, the technical, financial, and business prospects of the Company and Laiva, their respective assets and other matters. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking information or statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking information or statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking information or statements. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future, the ability to achieve its goals, expected costs and timelines to achieve the Company's goals, that general business and economic conditions will not change in a material adverse manner, and that financing will be available if and when needed and on reasonable terms. Such forward-looking information or statements reflects the Company's views with respect to future events and is subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including the risks and uncertainties included in in documents filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at While such estimates and assumptions are considered reasonable by the management of the Company, they are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, and regulatory uncertainties and risks. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking information or statements include, but are not limited to, the ability of the Company to complete the Offering on the terms described herein, including obtaining the requisite regulatory and stock exchange approvals, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions, failure to compete effectively with competitors, failure to maintain or obtain all necessary permits, approvals and authorizations, failure to comply with applicable laws, including environmental laws, risks relating to unanticipated operational difficulties. The Company does not undertake to update forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, except as required by law. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as the term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Not for distribution to United States newswire services or fordissemination in the United States. To view the source version of this press release, please visit Sign in to access your portfolio
