Business English Idioms for Workplace Success

Understanding Business English Idioms

Many companies engage in responsible practices. Do you know of any companies that donate services or money? How can businesses act responsibly? Why should a company reduce and deal with any pollution? Does your company share the life of the local community? Should a company stay true to its principles and values? What companies in your country take the time to understand the impact of their operations?

Workplace Challenges and Concepts

• Burn-out: Exhaustion caused by working too hard.
• Juggling: Trying to manage your job or life when involved in several different activities, all demanding your time.
• Promotion: Moving someone up into a higher, more important, or better-paid position in a company or organization.
• Non-promotable work: Unimportant and time-consuming jobs that help a worker's organization but do nothing to advance their career.
• Multitasking: Doing more than one thing at the same time.
• Glass ceiling: An invisible barrier to advancing in your career.

Project Management Terminology

• Schedule: The plan of all the work to be done and key dates.
• Budget: The limited amount of money available for a project.
• Teamwork: A situation where everyone works together for a project to succeed.
• Updates: Regular reports with the most recent information about progress.
• Deadline: A specific point in time by which a project must be finished.
• Objectives: The main goals a project aims to achieve.
• Milestone: A very important stage completed in a project.
• Resources: Supplies, people, and other assets needed for a project.

Phrases for Meeting Deadlines and Managing Projects

• Meet the deadline: Finish on time.
• Fall behind schedule: Make slow progress.
• Catch up (on schedule): Make up lost time.
• Be back on track: Return to the original schedule.
• Finish ahead of the schedule: Finish before the planned date.
• Allocate resources: Make use of people, money, and time.
• Stay within budget: Spend the right amount of money.
• Delegate tasks: Give people different responsibilities.
• Get on with a task: Do a job.
• Get updates: Receive reports on progress.

Common Business Idioms and Expressions

• Get down to business: Start discussing important matters.
• Above board: Operating honestly and legally.
• Went the extra mile: Made a special effort.
• Pull our weight: Contribute fairly to a task.
• Hit the ground running: Start a new job or task with great energy and enthusiasm.
• Haggle: Dispute or bargain persistently, especially over the cost of something.
• Show your hand: Reveal your plans or intentions.
• Red tape: Excessive bureaucracy or adherence to rules and formalities.
• My hands are tied: Unable to act due to restrictions.
• Got the wrong end of the stick: Misunderstood a situation.
• Cash cow: A product or service that generates a lot of profit.
• Shoestring budget: A very small amount of money for a project.
• Ballpark figure: An approximate estimate.
• Sleeping partner: A partner in a business who does not take an active part in its management.
• Went belly up: Became bankrupt.
• Deep pockets: Having a lot of money.
• Took a bath: Suffered a significant financial loss.
• Tighten our belt: Spend less money because there is less available.
• Slice of the pie: A share of something valuable.
• Lion's share: The largest part of something.
• Golden handcuffs: Financial incentives designed to keep an employee from leaving a company.
• Golden handshake: A sum of money given to an employee when they leave their job.
• Walking papers: Notice of dismissal from employment.
• Kickbacks: Payments made to someone who has made a deal possible, often illegally.
• ASAP: As soon as possible.
• 11th hour: The last possible moment.
• Last minute: At the very end of the time available.
• 24/7: All the time; continuously.
• There's no "I" in team: Emphasizes the importance of teamwork.
• Team player: Someone who works well with others.
• Step up to the plate: Take responsibility or action when needed.
• Pass the buck: Shift responsibility to someone else.