Imagine you receive a message from a colleague saying, “Let’s push the meeting back by an hour.” What does that mean to you?

For some, it means moving the meeting later—delaying it by an hour. For others, it means having the meeting sooner, bringing it forward by an hour.

This simple phrase can cause unnecessary confusion, especially in global teams where English is not everyone’s first language.

Time-related expressions like “push back,” “move forward,” or even “reschedule” can be interpreted differently depending on personal habits, cultural backgrounds, and even workplace norms. A U.S.-based colleague might assume “pushing back” means later, while someone in another country might think the opposite.

In a world where we often need to collaborate with teams and collageues in different continents and time zones, clarity is key.

Instead of using ambiguous phrases, how about using phrases such as below:

✅ “Let’s change the meeting from 2 PM to 3 PM BST”
✅ “Can we delay the meeting by one hour?”
✅ “Can we do the meeting by one hour earlier?”.

Have you ever had a misunderstanding due to time-related phrasing? How do you ensure clarity with your colleagues in different countries?

Share your experiences below!