December 10, 2021
Editorial
Harvard Business Review Digital Articles

Go Ahead and Ask for More Time on That Deadline

Format:Electronic

Abstract

Unrealistic deadlines don’t help anyone—and yet more often than not, employees avoid asking for extensions even when they know more time would help them do a better job. Through a series of studies with more than 4,000 working adults, the author illustrates how despite people’s assumption that they’ll be judged negatively if they request a deadline extension, managers are actually likely to rate employees who ask for extra time as more competent and motivated. As such, she argues that managers should make an effort to clearly communicate when deadlines are flexible (since employees are likely to assume that they aren’t), and that when in doubt, employees shouldn’t be afraid to ask for extra time.