How to say "Politely decline employment interest" to your boss
Level 1: Thank you for considering me for this internal opportunity. While I appreciate the thought, I've decided to focus my efforts on my current responsibilities to ensure their successful completion. I am committed to delivering high-quality results in my existing role.
Level 2: I'm grateful for you thinking of me regarding this potential new role/project. After careful consideration of my current workload and strategic priorities, I believe my current contributions are best focused where they are. I'm always open to discussing future alignments as strategic objectives evolve.
Level 3: I appreciate the outreach regarding this potential role; it's always insightful to see where new synergies might emerge. However, a preliminary assessment against my current OKRs and the established RACI matrix indicates a misalignment with my existing bandwidth and core deliverables. Perhaps we can revisit this during the next QBR cycle if resource allocation shifts.
Level 4: Thank you for the offer. However, I must respectfully decline. My current commitments fully utilize my capacity, and taking on additional responsibilities would compromise the quality of my existing work. I need to prioritize my current project scope.
Level 5: No.
How to say "Politely decline employment interest" to your client
Level 1: Thank you for the generous offer. I am currently very satisfied with my role at [Your Company] and am not exploring new opportunities at this time. I appreciate you thinking of me.
Level 2: I'm flattered by your interest and truly appreciate the offer. While I am fully committed to my current role and the work we do with [Client Company], I value our professional relationship. I'm keen to continue delivering exceptional results within our existing engagement.
Level 3: I appreciate the outreach regarding a potential new alignment; it's always interesting to explore alternative stakeholder engagements. However, my current professional commitments are contractually bound under the existing Statement of Work with [Your Company], which delineates specific service delivery parameters. Any deviation would require a formal re-evaluation of the master service agreement.
Level 4: Thank you for the offer. However, I am not interested in pursuing external employment opportunities at this time. My focus remains entirely on my responsibilities at [Your Company] and our successful partnership with you.
Level 5: My company owns me.
How to say "Politely decline employment interest" to your coworker
Level 1: Thank you for thinking of me for this. While I appreciate the offer, my current priorities require my full attention. I won't be able to take this on at this time.
Level 2: I understand this project needs support, and I appreciate you considering me. However, my capacity is currently dedicated to my assigned tasks. Perhaps we can explore if there's a different way I can contribute or suggest someone else who might have the bandwidth.
Level 3: I'm always keen to foster cross-functional collaboration, and this initiative certainly sounds... unique. However, a quick cross-reference with our established sprint backlog and my individual KPIs indicates no current allocation for this specific task. Perhaps a formal request through the appropriate workflow management tool would clarify resource availability.
Level 4: I appreciate you asking, but I must decline. My current workload is already at capacity, and I cannot take on additional responsibilities without impacting my existing deliverables. You'll need to find another solution for this.
Level 5: Not my job.
