Reporting to Your Boss: Delays, Bad Numbers and Plan B
How to give a project update when the news isn't good, explain a delay without excuses, and respond to criticism of your report.
At some point you will have to tell your Swiss manager that something is not going well. The numbers are bad, the supplier is late, the deadline is slipping.
This is where a lot of newcomers get it wrong — not because of their German, but because of their instinct. In some workplace cultures you soften bad news, or wait until it improves. In Switzerland you say it plainly, and then you say what you are doing about it.
The good news: plain and short is much easier in a second language than diplomatic and long.
Key phrases to know
- Hier ist der Wochenbericht zum Projekt. – Here's the weekly report on the project.
- Was ist das Problem? – What's the problem?
- Wir haben Verzögerungen bei den Lieferanten. – We have delays with the suppliers.
- Haben Sie einen Plan B? – Do you have a plan B?