Do you know how to describe your work environment? The following business idioms, phrasal verbs, and vocabulary words about working hard can describe your work situation, responsibilities, job challenges, and successes.
Business Idioms about Working Hard
Be on a roll
-
Definition: To experience a time of success or good luck.
-
Example: You made three sales this week and you’re also the Employee of the Month. You’re on a roll!
Buckle down
-
Definition: To have strong determination and work hard towards a goal.
-
Example: We have to buckle down and finish this assignment by tonight.
Burning a candle at both ends
-
Definition: To work extremely hard; to work too hard and not have good health or peace of mind.​
-
Example: He’s working two jobs and going to school: I’m sure he feels like he’s burning a candle at both ends.
Give it 110%
-
Definition: To make the maximum possible effort.
-
Example: I gave it 100% at my last job. I will do the same with your company.
Go the extra mile
-
Definition: To make a special effort to achieve something.
-
Example: Tom went the extra mile and added graphics and more data to his report. ​
Multi-task
-
Definition: To deal with more than one task at the same time.
-
Example: We need to hire someone who can multi-task: answer phones, speak with customers, and help with office management.
Pull one’s own weight
-
Definition: To do your fair share of work that a group of people is doing together.
-
Example: It’s important that we all pull our own weight on this project.
Raise the bar
-
Definition: To raise the standard of quality for something.
-
Example: We created a new online platform for customers. It’s really raising the bar for customer service.
Stay ahead of the game
-
Definition: Gaining or maintaining an advantage in a situation (often by completing a task before its given deadline or knowing the latest about an industry’s trends).
-
Example: I try to read reports about the latest in my industry’s news. I like to stay ahead of the game.