I’ve found that more often than not the problem in these kind of situations is too many layers of communication between the boss making the decision and the people tasked with implementing it. Those in the middle aren’t in a position to say no because they’re not in the know about the details.

The solution is to talk to arrange to talk to the boss directly, even if you’re several levels away in the hierarchy. Sometimes it’s not worth it, but in a situation like this it clearly is. 9 times out of 10 a situation like this can be resolved with a sit down over a coffee.