“I've got some capacity this month. Is there anything I can take off your plate?”
B1 · Intermediate10 minPhrases
When you need this
Sometimes you finish early, a project ends, or you're ready for something harder. Asking for more work tells your manager two things: your current work is under control, and you want to grow. Both are worth saying out loud, because managers are busy and they rarely notice free time on their own.
Frame it as an offer, not a complaint. "I'm bored" puts a problem on your manager's desk; "I've got some capacity, and I'd like to get more experience in budgets" gives them a solution and a direction. Name the kind of work you want, show that nothing will slip, and end with a question so they can say yes to a specific thing.
Phrases
you have time for more work
a good reason to ask
asking for more responsibility
offering to help your manager
offering help with a specific job
naming the area you want to grow in
the reason behind your request
a task a little harder than what you do now
asking to watch and learn from someone
an offer for the future
direct, for a growth conversation
reassuring your manager about current work
ending an offer with a question
Say it out loud
Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.
Practice · 3 min
Say the line that fits. Situation on the left, one natural line on the right.
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Say it today
Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.