If You Hear These 11 Phrases At Work, Someone's About To Make Your Life Way Harder Than It Needs To Be
PeopleImages | Shutterstock For many people, work doesn't necessarily become difficult and chaotic all at once. Most of the time, it starts with being told to participate on a project, handle a certain task, or step up in a way that's presented as being reasonable. However, the request usually ends up changing the way your day and workload are supposed to be managed. Before you know it, you've agreed to do something that makes your day a lot harder. Considering more than half (52%) of employees reported feeling burned out in the past year because of their job, and 37% reported feeling so overwhelmed it made it more difficult to do their jobs, many people are at their wits' end.
There's always a moment at work where someone says something, probably in a meeting, or will even send over an email or Slack message where your immediate thought is dread. You can't always explain why, but your brain automatically knows things are soon to change. Because if you hear these certain phrases at work, someone's about to make your life way harder than it needs to be. If you've been in the workplace for long enough, you can tell when someone decides that you can handle a lot more responsibility, even when you're already drowning in the ones that you have.
If you hear these 11 phrases at work, someone's about to make your life way harder than it needs to be
1. 'Let's circle back on this later'
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Hearing this phrase at work usually means that a decision is being delayed in real time. It's leaving you in this state of limbo while all of the expectations on you are still piling up. You know you're going to be inundated with updates and even asked to revise things, despite the fact that nothing has actually been decided in the first place.
It's also the most popular work jargon phrase there is. An analysis from email verification company ZeroBounce looked at more than one million real work emails to find out which overused email phrases are the most common offenders. In their research, "let's circle back" was up there alongside "reaching out."
The most frustrating part is that the topic does actually end up circling back around. But it'll usually resurface in some kind of rushed meeting or a quick Slack message. Or, suddenly, the deadline is quite urgent and you're left having to scramble because everyone expects you to already be prepared even though you don't have clear instructions.
2. 'I need this ASAP'
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Whether it's "please prioritize this" or "I need this ASAP," if you hear these phrases at work, someone's about to make your life way harder than it needs to be. When you're already being bogged down by a pile of work, it can feel overwhelming when urgency seemingly appears out of nowhere.
Immediately, the thing being put across your desk by your boss or manager is now your problem to solve, even when you have a million other things to work on. Whatever you're working on suddenly becomes irrelevant, even if you've been bending over backwards to provide the perfect results that people will be content with.
Most of the time, the urgency didn't just come from nowhere. It's usually because someone forgot it needed to be completed or waited too long to ask, and now their timeline has become something you need to stress about now. It's quite unfair, especially when you've been staying on top of your things and hitting the deadlines that need to be hit.
3. 'I assumed you were handling that'
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Lack of communication in the workplace is probably one of the worst things to experience. It's especially stressful when you weren't the one to slack on the communication in the first place.
Being told that you have this new responsibility to handle that you were never told about in the first place can be quite frustrating. It now becomes something that you have to handle and are now behind on, even though you had no idea about it.
Now, you're in this awkward position where you're behind on a task and are forced to scramble to catch up. There's also the pressure of having to complete it quickly so things don't get worse, which only adds more stress onto your plate. Even though the confusion wasn't your fault at all, you're now being forced to do damage control and keep things running smoothly.
4. 'We're all wearing a lot of hats right now'
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The best way to translate this phrase is that you're suddenly being asked to take on additional responsibilities, but there is no added pay tacked on to that and there probably isn't a lot of clarity or even support about what you're now going to be doing. Boundaries tend to disappear as extra work suddenly slides across your desk that was probably marketed as being temporary but all of a sudden is now permanent.
According to a survey from Pew Research Center, most workers (76%) say they do more than what's expected of them in their jobs. The tricky part is that saying no suddenly feels so awkward. You might feel that if everyone else is stretching themselves thin, pushing back can seem selfish as if you're not being a "team player."
Even when you're already at your capacity and doing work far outside your role without being properly compensated, you might feel the need to just bite your tongue and suffer.
5. 'Let's not overthink this'
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The second that you're trying to bring up a valid concern with someone else like your boss, you're made to feel as if your worries aren't important right now. Rather than actually addressing anything that needs to be addressed, the conversation is just brushed under the rug so that things can be kept simple in the workplace.
Despite what people think about brushing these problems under the rug, they don't tend to go away. An April 2025 Workplace Perception Gap Survey from HR platform The Predictive Index found that 46% of employees across the country say their bosses only somewhat or rarely understand their contributions at work. Many employees just feel they are being seriously misunderstood at work.
All of the deadlines and expectations that you might need clarity on don't just vanish into thin air because someone decides not to talk about them with you yet. Hearing this phrase all of the time at work means you learn rather quickly that asking thoughtful questions will get labeled as just being overcomplicated, even when you're trying to do the work the right way and bring results to your team.
6. 'I need you to take initiative here'
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It may sound empowering at first. Your boss or manager wants you to step up in a big way and it feels good to know that someone is trusting you to make decisions and take the lead. However, if you hear this phrase at work, someone's about to make your life way harder than it needs to be.
Phrases like this usually don't ever come with clear instructions. Most of the time, you're just told to take initiative but you have no idea what that initiative is. You're simply left guessing about what they want.
But when things go well, it looks like you're doing an amazing job. Though, when things go bad or not as expected, the blame falls squarely on your shoulders. Now you're taking on all this extra work without the proper guidance, and the stress of it all falling apart can quickly turn your good day into something bad.
7. 'Can you jump on a quick call?'
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It sounds like it might just be a five-minute check-in, and you may even tell yourself that it'll be easy and you can spare a few minutes. However, that five-minute call can quickly turn into 20, 30, even 45 minutes.
Suddenly, you've lost time that you could've been using to complete the work that needs to be done. Then, there's the fact that the "quick call" could've just been handled in an email rather than forcing you to be in a back-and-forth that interrupts your flow.
In a survey from consulting firm Korn Ferry, an estimated 51% of professionals say spending too much time in meetings and on calls distracts them from making an impact at work to some extent. Another 16% say this is true to a great extent. Then, there's the fact that these meetings usually come with more work added to your already busy schedule. It's just more stress and can quickly put you in a sour mood for the rest of the workday.
8. 'We're counting on you'
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Whether it's "we're counting on you" or "don't let the company down," if you hear these phrases at work, someone's about to make your life way harder than it needs to be. Because this usually comes with a lot of unspoken pressure being placed on your shoulders.
Suddenly, the success of a project or decision is now yours to handle. It also rarely comes with any extra guidance, which makes things worse. You're expected to deliver as if you have people in your corner when, in reality, it's just on you to figure it out.
This can be incredibly frustrating because it means that you're truly second-guessing everything you're doing and worrying about something going wrong. Now it's you that's let everyone down when you probably didn't even ask for the extra work in the first place.
Every time someone says they're "counting on you," it just adds more stress to your life, and while you would like the recognition, you think it should come with reasonable expectations.
9. 'This won't take long'
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It almost always will take long. The same way you might've been asked to join a "quick call," it's the same when someone at work claims they won't hold your attention for too long with something they need to talk to you about.
Somehow, the task they need you to finish takes the entire day and completely derails what you were originally going to do. It usually turns into multiple steps and all of these follow-ups that you didn't anticipate. It stretches far beyond just the few minutes that was initially promised.
It's also usually framed as being minor, so you automatically feel guilty for questioning it or trying to put your foot down. In your mind, you don't think it'll take long, but then suddenly your entire workday is thrown off-track. By the time you finish, you're now drained and can't do anything else. It's even worse when no one takes the time to acknowledge the work and effort you've put in.
10. 'We need to be more flexible'
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The flexibility that you're being expected to give rarely ever goes both ways. It often means that your time and workload are about to be truly tested. It means there will be some last-minute changes and some more unclear expectations added to your plate. It feels out of your control.
You're just supposed to bend over backwards and maybe even stay late without complaint. You're expected to pivot and get things done, even when you're at the end of your rope.
"If you've demonstrated yourself to be competent and conscientious, you'll likely have more opportunities for tasks than you have time to accomplish everything. Some of those opportunities will sound appealing, but is that enough to agree to take them on?" questioned clinical psychologist Michael Wiederman. "First, ask yourself, what is most important to you to accomplish or invest in at work? What are your professional goals?"
By the time you realize what's actually going on, the flexibility that's being demanded just becomes your default. You're now the person people go to when they want something done because they know that you'll get it done without making a big deal out of it. Saying "sounds good" rolls right off your tongue even when nothing about the request sounds good at all.
11. 'Everyone else seems to be managing'
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The subtle comparison of your limits to the limits of your co-workers can feel quite frustrating. It's as if you're being told to stop worrying and stressing because everyone around you is managing quite well.
It might not even be the case at all. You know exactly what's happening behind-the-scenes and the fact that everyone else in the office is struggling and making compromises that your bosses and managers just can't see.
"Improving support for employees is often the proposed solution. However, doing so is not always straightforward. In fact, some leaders may feel they are supporting employees well, despite an unspoken disconnect," pointed out communications expert Erin Craw.
Somehow, your challenges end up feeling like it's all your fault when, in reality, it's not at all. Your concerns are just being dismissed and you can't even think to ask for any kind of support without being shut down completely. It won't be long before you start to question whether your stress is even valid in the first place and whether or not you're overreacting.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
