Problems at work – Vocabulary and Phrases
to be broken – not working
Our coffee machine is broken. We have to buy coffee in a café.
to break – to make something stop working
Who broke the fax machine?
to be missing – be absent
The contract is invalid. Your signature is missing.
to be tired – having very little energy left
I am usually very tired after work.
stress – the physical pressure
I hate stress.
stressful – full of stress
This is a stressful job.
to be under a lot of stress – a stressful situation
I don't like working under stress.
to work under pressure – a hard stressful situation
He works well under pressure.
ready – fully prepared
Are you ready to start?
correct – right
The number is not correct.
incorrect – wrong
Please check the incorrect answers.
helpful – wanting to help; giving assistance
Your comments were very helpful
unhelpful – not willing to help
The secretary is always so unhelpful!
flexible – willing to make modifications or adaptations
I am quite flexible on Friday. Just tell me when you are free.
messy – dirty, untidy, disordered
Whose is this messy desk?
responsible – having a duty to see that something is done
Nobody wants to be responsible for anything.
irresponsible – acting as if having no duty to see that something is done; without care
He behaved like an irresponsible idiot.
to be delayed – to be late
The delivery will be delayed.
to motivate – to give motivation; move to action
We need to motivate people to work from home.
to demotivate – to make someone lose motivation
Sooner or later the boss will demotivate everybody here.
motivation – the condition of being motivated
I have no motivation whatsoever.
a workaholic – someone who cannot stop working and has no time for anything else
She's a workaholic. She works on Saturdays and Sundays from home.
workload – the amount of work a person is expected to do
For most of us, having a reasonable workload is an important aspect of a good job.
lifestyle – the way people choose to organise their lives
You need to change your lifestyle.
rat race – a difficult, tiring, often competitive activity or routine
Look at the rat race! It's not for me.
to take part in the rat race – to participate in the difficult and tiring activity
I won't take part in this rat race.
flexitime – a system where employees choose the time they start and finish work each day
Under flexitime, there is typically a core period of the day when employees are expected to be at work (for example, between 10 am and 4pm), and the rest of the working day is "flexitime", in which employees can choose when they work.
to argue – to present reasons for or against a thing
I argued against accepting the plan.
to have an argument – to argue; to quarrel
I'm afraid we'll have an argument over the budget.
to agree with – to have the same views, opinions
I agree with you.
to disagree with – to have different views, opinions
I strongly disagree with her. She is not right.
a conflict – a disagreement
There was considerable conflict about which plan should be accepted.
to handle conflicts – to manage / deal with disagreements
Our boss is not able to handle conflicts.
to solve conflicts – to find an answer to disagreements
This conflict cannot be solved easily.
to criticize somebody for something – to find faults / mistakes about somebody's activity
Why did he criticize me so much?
criticism – a critical comment
What you need to learn is positive criticism.
to make a compromise – to make an agreement after a conflict
Are you ready to make some compromises?
to give your opinion – to say what you think
He never gives his opinion about anything.
to be sick – to be ill; to have health problems
Sorry I cannot come to work today. I am sick.
to be late – to not come in time
You're late as usual!
punctual – to come on time
Our boss is always punctual.
to go on strike – to stop working in protest against working terms and conditions
How many people will go on strike?