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17 Business English Phrases for Delays and Too Much Work
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
Updated: 11 hours ago
In this article:
A lot of English learners know words like late and busy, but those words are often not enough at work. You need language that sounds more natural and more exact. In this article, you will learn business English phrases for delays and too much work that can help you explain a situation better and sound more confident when something is taking more time than planned.
For more useful phrases for problems, delays, and difficult situations at work, see our full guide to Business English for problems at work.
Business English Phrases for Delays and Too Much Work: Workplace Scenario Quiz
Candle Shop
You work at a small candle shop.
This morning, a local TV show mentioned your candles, and online orders have been coming in all day.
You and two other team members have been making candles, packing gift boxes, and printing shipping labels since early morning.
Later, the owner points to the orders that still need to go out and asks, Why are these taking so long?
You say:
We’re stretched pretty _____ right now, so things are moving a little slower than usual.
A) lean
B) thin
C) tight
D) slim
Choose the phrase that best completes the sentence. Then listen to the sentence.
Using Business English Naturally at Work
Many learners understand a phrase when they read it. The harder part is using it naturally in a real conversation at work.
That’s what you practice in Pro Vocabulary Lab.
Inside the program, you’ll work with:
realistic workplace situations
short dialogues based on real work conversations
speaking practice with natural Business English
Business English Phrase for Too Much Work
The idiom in the quiz is:
stretched thin
idiom
having too much to do and not enough time, people, or resources to do everything well
We’re stretched thin right now, so replies may take a little longer than usual.
Our team has been stretched thin since two people left last month.
I’d love to help, but I’m already stretched thin this week.
We’ve been stretched thin lately, trying to keep up with all the new orders.
That's right! The correct answer is B) thin.
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More Business English Phrases for Delays and Too Much Work
Here are some other common words and expressions people use when work starts piling up.
Phrases for Delays
backlog
noun
work that should already be done but is not finished yet
We’ve still got a backlog from the weekend, so orders are going out more slowly today.
I didn’t get through everything yesterday, and now I’ve got a backlog to deal with.
Once the sale started, the backlog just kept getting bigger.
fall behind
phrasal verb
to make slower progress than planned or needed
We fell behind after the supplier missed the first delivery.
If we don’t get the final numbers today, we’re going to fall behind.
I was out for two days, and I’m already starting to fall behind.
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behind schedule
phrase
later than planned
The site is about a week behind schedule at this point.
We’re slightly behind schedule, but nothing’s seriously off track yet.
Are we behind schedule, or do we still have enough time to finish this today?
behind on
phrase
not finished with something you should already have done
I’m behind on emails, so it may take me a while to reply.
We’re behind on a few orders from Monday.
She got sick and fell behind on the paperwork.
catch up
phrasal verb
to do extra work so you are no longer behind
I’m staying a little late tonight to catch up on invoices.
We lost a few hours this morning, but we should be able to catch up tomorrow.
She took Friday off and spent most of Monday catching up.
bottleneck
noun
the part of a process that is slowing everything down
The bottleneck is packing. Orders are coming in faster than we can get them out.
Everything slows down at the review stage. That’s the bottleneck right now.
Production is moving fine, but shipping is the bottleneck.
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turnaround time
noun
the amount of time needed to complete something and return it, send it out, or make it ready
Our usual turnaround time for custom orders is three business days.
The client is asking for a faster turnaround time than we normally offer.
We need to cut the turnaround time if we want to keep up during busy weeks.
hold things up
phrasal verb
to delay progress
We’re ready to send everything over. We’re just waiting on one signature. That’s what’s holding things up.
The photos still haven’t come in, so that’s holding things up on our end.
I don’t want to hold things up, so go ahead without me.
snowball
verb
to quickly grow into a bigger problem
It started as one late shipment, but the whole thing snowballed from there.
If we don’t deal with this now, it could snowball into a much bigger issue.
A few small mistakes at the start can snowball pretty fast on a project like this.
Phrases for Too Much Work
swamped
adjective
very busy and unable to keep up with everything
I can’t talk right now. I’m completely swamped trying to finish this report.
She’s been swamped all week because two people on her team are out sick.
Sorry for the late reply. I got swamped after lunch and never made it back to my inbox.
overloaded
adjective
given too much work or too many things to deal with
He’s overloaded right now, so I wouldn’t give him anything else this afternoon.
We’ve been overloaded since the new orders started coming in.
She looks calm, but she’s actually pretty overloaded at the moment.
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under pressure
phrase
feeling stressed because something important must be done soon
He’s been under a lot of pressure since the deadline got moved up.
I’m under pressure to get this finished before tomorrow morning.
She was clearly under pressure, but she still handled the meeting well.
tied up
adjective phrase
busy with something and not free to do anything else
I’m tied up with a client call right now. Can I call you back in twenty minutes?
She’s tied up all afternoon, so you probably won’t reach her until tomorrow.
He wanted to help, but he was tied up dealing with a problem at the front desk.
have a lot on your plate
idiom
to have a lot of things to do or deal with
I know you’ve got a lot on your plate right now, so there’s no rush on this.
She’s had a lot on her plate lately with work, the kids, and moving house.
We all have a lot on our plate this month, so let’s keep the plan simple.
snowed under
idiom
so busy that you cannot deal with everything
I’ve been snowed under all day and still haven’t finished the schedule.
She’s snowed under at the moment, so it may take her a while to get back to you.
We got snowed under when three new projects came in at once.
buried in work
phrase
extremely busy because you have too much work
I can’t come to lunch — I’m buried in work today.
He’s been buried in work ever since the new manager joined.
We were buried in work last week and barely had time to take a break.
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PDF Practice: Business English Phrases for Delays
Practice Business English Phrases for Delays and Too Much Work
Read the scenario. What would you say in this situation? Say your answer out loud.
An Event for International Clients
Tomorrow morning, your company is hosting an event for international clients.
Up until lunch, you had everything under control: the welcome bags were nearly packed, the schedules had been printed, and the name tags were almost ready.
Then the client emailed with a few changes. More guests have been added, several names need to be corrected, and each bag now needs one more document.
Now you and your team have stopped packing, and everyone's redoing all the work.
Later, your manager asks, Do you think we’ll have this ready by tomorrow morning?
Your Turn
What would you say?
Say your answer out loud.
Try using: fall behind.
Check Your Answer in Pro Vocabulary Lab
Inside Pro Vocabulary Lab, you can listen to a natural audio version of the answer, read the transcript, and practice more workplace situations like this one.
Practice Real Workplace English Inside Pro Vocabulary Lab
workplace scenarios based on real job conversations
short dialogues and model answers
speaking practice with natural Business English
more situations focused on problems, delays, and giving updates at work
Erin West is a Business English coach, writer, and founder of RealBusinessEnglish.com. She creates practical lessons and quizzes based on real workplace English.
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