Can you stay on top of all the English at your workplace? Or do you feel you’re behind in your language learning? English is the international business language, but not all of it is straightforward. Here are some terms you might hear at your office.

Stay on top of
If you’re feeling overwhelmed in your job, you’re probably not staying on top of your work. This means to stay in control, and not get behind or let your work pile up.

On the ball
This phrase comes from the sports field. When you are on the ball, you have to be alert and in charge. "Make sure you are on the ball with those reports." The opposite is to drop the ball, which would mean not completing an assignment and letting down the people you work with.

Think outside the box
Many employers expect their staff to think creatively and approach projects in new and different ways. In this phrase, the box signifies conventional wisdom, or what is already known. Thinking outside the box suggests coming up with new and innovative methods. "For this marketing project, we need to think outside the box."

Get the ball rolling
This idiom means to start something and set it in motion. "Let's get the ball rolling on this project." Once you're off to a great start, you may express your desire to keep the ball rolling.

Brainstorm
This means to spend time thinking up lots of ideas. Many companies may hold brainstorming sessions to tackle problems and dream up new ideas. "Let's brainstorm new ideas for the advertising campaign."

Pull strings
What happens when you pull the strings to a puppet? It does what you want it to do. This phrase means to go beyond what is normally done to make something happen. "It will be difficult to talk with her. You may have to pull some strings with her department."

Multi-tasking
Are you good at multi-tasking or doing multiple tasks at the same time? "This week we need you to write a report, make a presentation, and review last year's earnings. I hope you can multi-task!" It still means you only get paid one salary though!

Bite off more than you can chew
If you take on too much work, you may not be able to do it all properly. "He's working late every night. He bit off more than he could chew."

Downtime
Are there periods of time where you don't have much work to do? Where your job is just not as busy? That time is called downtime. "If you have some downtime this week, please brainstorm some ideas for our next team outing."