Phrases to use that don’t sound like excuses
Dealing with everyone at the office pining for your attention takes up the bulk of your waking life, and with the little time you have left, you try valiantly to get some actual work done, take the MRT home and make sure your body gets a minimum of the food and water it needs to stay alive.
With all of that going on in your life, at some point you’re bound to screw up.
Maybe you’ll miss a deadline, maybe you’ll produce a less than stellar piece of work, or maybe (gasp) a client will complain about you. Yes, even if you’re Mr or Ms Perfect at work. And when the time comes, here’s what you can tell your boss so he doesn’t blow his top.
I’ll need more time for this so I can do an even better job
Those Japanese drama serials might show employees doing a deep 90-degree bow and begging for their boss’s forgiveness at the slightest infraction, but don’t try that trick here.
Instead, frame your little delay in a positive manner by telling your boss you need more time—and then showing why giving you more time will enable you to do a better job.
For instance, if you’re late with a report to be sent to a client, tell your boss you’ll need another 24 hours to get it done so you can add in key figures that will give the report more weight.
Tell your boss exactly how much more time you need so he doesn’t get antsy, but more importantly, make it sound like the reason you want more time so you can do an even better job.
Help me work better with you
Most of us aren’t exactly trying to find a cure for cancer at work, but sometimes it can feel like it thanks to difficult colleagues who delight in passing cancerous remarks.
When dealing with difficult colleagues, don’t try to beat them at their own game by politicking or bootlicking. Instead, address them directly and ask how they can help you work better with them. By asking for their input, you’re forcing them to talk about the crap they give you.
At the same time, you are also sneakily highlighting the fact that they’re the ones who’re making your life miserable at work.
We need to get to the root of this problem
So your team has been working tirelessly on this project for weeks, and unfortunately it’s been a spectacular flop. Text from http://www. msn.com