According to a groundbreaking fMRI study of social exclusion, rejection activates the same regions in the brain as physical pain.
But, before we discuss what makes asking for help at work so difficult and how we can make it easier for everyone involved, let’s learn how to ask for help professionally and politely.
Asking for help at work can feel awkward or uncomfortable. You may worry about appearing incompetent, lazy, or annoying to your coworkers and manager. But seeking assistance when you need it is an important skill that can benefit your career. Learning how to effectively ask for help shows initiative, self-awareness, and commitment to producing quality work.
This article will provide tips on how to ask colleagues and supervisors for help while maintaining professionalism We’ll cover
- When to ask for help at work
- How to ask for help from coworkers
- Asking your manager for assistance
- Following up after receiving help
- What to avoid when seeking help
When Should You Ask for Help at Work?
First determine if asking for help is truly necessary or if you can solve the problem independently with a bit more time and effort. But don’t spend too much time stuck on an issue before seeking assistance. Some good times to ask for help include
- When you’re assigned a new task or project outside your expertise. A teammate can provide training or advice to help you get up to speed.
- If you are unsure about the right process or protocol to follow. Your manager can point you in the right direction.
- When you are overwhelmed with multiple deadlines or competing priorities. A coworker may be able to take a task off your plate.
- When you’ve tried to solve a problem but reached a dead end. A fresh perspective from someone else may help.
- If you need input or feedback to generate ideas. Brainstorming with others can spark creativity.
In general, it’s better to ask for help sooner rather than later when facing a challenge at work.
How to Ask Coworkers for Assistance
When you need help from coworkers:
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Consider who to ask. Think about who is most knowledgeable about the task or has the availability to assist. Avoid asking the same person repeatedly.
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Introduce yourself if necessary. If you don’t know the person well, provide context by reintroducing yourself and describing your role.
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Explain the issue succinctly. Provide background about the problem, your approach so far, and why you’re stuck. Give enough detail to paint a clear picture.
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Make a specific request. Ask if they can assist with a particular task, provide training in an area, explain a process, review a document, etc. Make it easy for them to say yes.
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Suggest a timeline. For example, “Do you have 30 minutes this afternoon to walk me through the database software?” This allows them to assess if they can realistically help within the timeframe.
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Show gratitude. Thank them sincerely for any insight or assistance provided, even if they aren’t able to help at this time.
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Offer to reciprocate in the future. Provide help in return if the opportunity arises. This cultivates a supportive team environment.
Asking Your Manager for Help
Managers expect team members to seek their guidance when needed. When requesting your manager’s assistance:
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Schedule a meeting. Don’t catch them off guard. Request time on their calendar to fully discuss providing help.
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Prepare specifics ahead of time. Outline the help you need with actionable steps your manager can take, deadlines, and desired outcomes.
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Explain why you’re asking. Provide details about barriers you’ve run into, complexity of the problem, or current gaps in your knowledge or skills. Give context for the request.
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Share your action plan if you had one. Demonstrate you tried to solve the issue independently before reaching out. Managers will appreciate this initiative.
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Ask your manager to prioritize if needed. They can help determine which projects or tasks should take precedence if you have multiple pending deadlines.
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Take notes. Write down any guidance provided so you can follow up appropriately.
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Express appreciation. Thank your manager for their time and input. Follow up later with an update on your progress.
Following Up After Receiving Help
Once you’ve received assistance, be sure to follow up with the person who helped you.
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Implement the guidance. Put the advice or training into action. Don’t let it go to waste.
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Share your progress. Provide an update to the person who assisted you. Outline successes, lessons learned, and any positive impact on your performance.
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Ask clarifying questions. It’s perfectly acceptable to reach back out if you need any clarification or have additional questions.
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Express gratitude again. Send an email, note, or speak to them in person about how much you appreciate their help. Be specific about how they assisted you.
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Pay it forward. Look for opportunities to help that person in return and provide value to others on your team.
What to Avoid When Asking for Help
When requesting help, you’ll get better results by avoiding:
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Excessive apologies or self-deprecation. You don’t want to appear insecure or overly needy.
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Over-explaining or providing irrelevant background. Be clear and concise.
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Pressuring coworkers by making unreasonable requests or timelines. Make it easy for them to assist you.
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Asking someone who seems unusually busy or preoccupied unless there is no other option.
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Repeatedly asking the same person for help without offering your own assistance in return.
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Failing to thank someone for their help or provide follow up on the outcome. Express appreciation.
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Asking questions you can easily find the answers to elsewhere like in a manual or through a Google search. Do your research.
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Being too vague or passive. Clearly explain the specific help you need.
Asking colleagues and managers for assistance may feel uncomfortable at first, but it’s a necessity for growth and success. By being considerate in your approach and following up appropriately, seeking help can benefit your career and build workplace relationships. With practice, it will start to feel more natural over time. The key is to remember that no one is expected to know or do everything independently. Asking for help demonstrates maturity, not weakness.
Tip #7: Create a workplace culture where asking for help is encouraged
Ultimately, becoming someone who is willing to assist others and who knows how to ask for help politely in a message or an email is bound to rub off on other people at work.
However, if you want to take an even more active role in fostering a positive work environment that encourages people to ask for help when they need it, here are some other steps you can take:
- Identify the barriers to asking for help — First, you should take a look at your organizational communication and identify the obstacles to asking for help. Are those who seek help viewed as incapable or weak? Are leaders giving the impression that they never need any help? Is there a lack of trust among the team members? Once you identify the barriers, you’ll be able to deal with them.
- Reinforce your strengths — Understand which actions encourage your coworkers to ask for help, strengthen them, and apply them to all departments.
- Model asking for help — When employees see that their leaders don’t refrain from asking for advice or help, they are more likely to follow their lead. Namely, leaders should not be afraid to show they are not superhuman and that they also require assistance from others.
- Reward asking for help — Don’t forget to recognize employees who seek help and try to reward them somehow. You can even use formal recognition programs to publicly praise those employees who asked others for assistance. Make sure you’re also rewarding and fostering collaborative efforts which result from asking for help.
Now that we’ve given you some concrete advice, we should provide you with some useful phrases to help you become a better communicator in situations when you need to request assistance — so let’s see what these phrases are.
Why is asking for help at work beneficial?
Ultimately, asking for help is nothing to be frightened of.
Indeed, being able to sidestep the barriers to requesting help and freely ask for advice and assistance comes with many benefits.
Namely, asking for help:
- Fosters a collaborative work environment,
- Improves productivity,
- Creates bonding opportunities, and
- Gives you the opportunity to develop and learn.
So, let’s see how these benefits play out in a professional environment.
How to ask for help — and get a “yes” | Heidi Grant
Should you ask for help in the workplace?
On top of that, 70-90% of the help that is given in the workplace is in response to requests for help. If you don’t ask for what you need, all of the answers and resources that people would gladly share with you are wasted. The solution is to learn how to ask for help.
What can one do to get someone to get help when they refuse to acknowledge they have a problem?
Mental health issues are best sorted by a proper and effective counseling session. When someone feels that they are completely alright and others say the opposite, he/she should seek the help of a counsellor. A professionalised personal in these kind of scenarios like that of a counsellor can help them the most.
How do you ask a person for help?
A straightforward, polite and thoughtful request will yield the most useful results and make the best impression. [See: What 9 Passive-Aggressive Office Comments Really Mean .] Ask directly and anticipate success. Asking for help makes many people feel vulnerable, and they may hesitate to inquire out of fear of rejection.
Why is asking for help at work important?
Asking for help at work is important because you can: Asking for help can foster a collaborative work environment by sharing skills between colleagues. The process can build goodwill between you and your coworkers as you recognize their expertise and reinforce that your team is working toward the same goals.
