"Don't Say It!": The Worst Phrases to Say at Work

Now that the government has abolished the 30% work from office rule, employees return to the office for the first time in this new norm. That being said, we might forget how challenging the office can be as we spend eight hours a day and five days a week in it. 

It can be stressful to deal with bosses, colleagues, employees, customers, and suppliers. Even the most professional manager could unintentionally blurt out whatever's on their mind regardless of who's within earshot. 

The office is like the real version of the snakes and ladders game. Some actions can take you to the finish line, such as promotions and bonuses. Other actions can cause you to slide down the preference scale to the bottom, where one ends up with next to nothing. 

The things you said to others at work can return to haunt you in the future. These are the phrases you should never say simply because of the terrible consequences that could happen:

1. "I told you so."

Nobody likes to hear it, yet so many love to say it. No one wants to listen to it, even if the other person did warn them about the very thing that happened. 

When you face a situation where someone ignored your warning or prediction, and it turns out what you said would happen actually happened, the best thing we can do is be gracious and resist the urge to gloat. 

We are not going to be much of a problem-solver, after all. The phrase does not fix the problem at hand.  

People who do learn will trust the lesson much more if it's a lesson they discover themselves, not one we shove down their throats. 

2. "Sorry, I don't have time for this, too busy."

It's understandable; you have a lot of work to do. The last thing you need is someone dumping more work on you, and you don't have the resources to finish them all. 

It is mainly an issue between the one trying to delegate the task and another one attempting to avoid it. 

If you are an employee, and you know it's unwise to say such things to your superior, you could say:

• "Of course, I would love to help. Right now, I'm working on project x, y, and z. These are all due on [date]. Which of these projects would you like me to re-prioritise to make room for the new one?" 

This response has two purposes: 

1. It establishes your willingness to take on the job, and
2. You're making it clear that your plate is already full. 

The worst thing an employee can do is telling the employer that they're busy while in reality, they're not.
 

3. "That's not my job / That's not my problem."

People usually say this because of a fundamental conflict between themselves and their employers. 

The employee tries to balance the boss' demands with their personal life. The boss tries to get the maximum value out of the employee while spending minimal resources. 

This mindset is prevalent among Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Though it may be very tempting to say what is likely to be accurate, it would be unwise for the employee to say these words aloud.

No boss wants to hear those words. An employer would sooner brand these employees as "non-team players". The non-team players usually find themselves with a lower increment and bones compared to the team players.  

The employee should consciously try to look for a more subtle way to communicate to avoid the task. This issue is similar to the no.2 issue, and the solution there could also be used in this situation. 

An alternative one can use, "I'd like to help out, but I don't have the capacity right now." 

Be honest with yourself about your workload to avoid taking on too much. Never lie if you do have free time, the boss will catch onto that. 

4. "We have always done it this way."

It's amazing that many people still resist change even though the world is changing faster and faster. 

Most of the time, people hate change because it involves additional work. It takes a lot of time to redesign things like systems, workflows, processes, and protocols. 

Most of the time, people use this phrase as an avoidance tactic. They don't want to put in the extra effort to implement someone's vision.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it" makes sense in some cases, but it's also vital to be proactive than waiting for things to get broken. 

Instead of resisting these changes, try to come across as an enthusiastic agent of change while at the same time ensuring all operational details and challenges are communicated in advance. 

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