Are you trying to ask someone to do their job and focus on their workload?
Perhaps you’re worried that “do your job” in itself is unprofessional or rude.
Well, this article is here to help you understand a bit more.
We’ll teach you how to professionally say “do your job” to ensure you don’t cause offense.
Is It Professional to Say “Do Your Job”?
It is not professional to say “do your job.” In fact, it’s quite rude.
For the most part, it’s a blunt and flippant remark that suggests you’re sick of hearing from somebody.
It’s usually quite a direct way to tell them they’re not focusing on their work.
While it’s quite rude, it’s still correct to use.
However, we recommend keeping it out of emails. It’s better to use something like this when messaging someone you know well.
Check out this message sample to learn more:
You should do your job and focus on what’s to come. Otherwise, you might get into more trouble.
Pros
- It’s a simple reminder to tell people they need to focus on their jobs.
- It’s straightforward and direct.
Cons
- It’s flippant and offensive in most written cases.
- It’s not professional, so it can get you into trouble.
Well, it’s clear that “do your job” isn’t the best phrase to use professionally. So, it’s a good thing it’s not the only one that works! Now, it’s time to see what else is available.
Keep reading to learn how to tell someone to do their job professionally. We’ve gathered a list of some fantastic alternatives to help you understand what will work best.
What to Say Instead of “Do Your Job”
- Fulfill your duties
- Execute your tasks
- Please continue with your work
- Carry out your responsibilities
- Please get on with what you need to do
- You should focus on your obligations
- I’d like you to complete your projects
- Execute your professional tasks
- Complete your job effectively
1. Fulfill Your Duties
To start with, we recommend using “fulfill your duties” instead of “do your job.”
To be honest, you can’t get much more formal than this.
It’s a direct and straightforward way to let someone know you expect them to get on with work.
So, it’s a good choice when emailing an employee. It’s certainly more effective if you’re speaking from a position of authority over the email recipient.
You can also check out this email sample if you need more help:
Dear Kate,
Fulfill your duties and get back to me when you’ve completed them.
Then, we’ll talk about what comes next.
My best,
Thomas Jefferson
2. Execute Your Tasks
Next, make things more interesting by using “execute your tasks” as a professional way to say “do your job.”
This works really well when you’d like to remind someone of their duties and tasks.
For the most part, it works best when writing to an employee. After all, it’s another one of those comments that will work best when you’re speaking from a position of authority.
It’s polite and respectful, though. So, don’t worry about accidentally offending the recipient if you use something like this to get them to focus more.
If you’re still unsure about it, you can review this email sample:
Dear Allison,
Execute your tasks to the best of your ability, please.
I look forward to seeing what you come up with.
Yours,
Tyler Browne
3. Please Continue With Your Work
For a nice way to say “do your job,” try “please continue with your work.” The inclusion of “please” is what’s most important here.
After all, it’ll help you to stay as polite and sincere as possible. Most of the time, the recipient will appreciate the more light-hearted tone that comes with this.
You might want to use something like this when replying to a coworker.
If they’re trying to butt into one of your projects without you asking, this could be a helpful way to professionally say someone is not doing their job and should get back to it.
Feel free to review this sample email if you still need help:
Dear Rachael,
Please continue with your work, and let me continue with mine.
I think we’ll both get more out of this if we do that.
Thank you so much,
Clarence Kenneth
4. Carry Out Your Responsibilities
Next, it’s worth writing “carry out your responsibilities.” This is a direct and commanding way to get someone’s attention and ask them to do their job.
So, you might be able to use this when guiding your team in a project. Something like this will help people understand what their duties are and what they’re bringing to the table.
For the most part, it keeps things formal and sincere.
Most of the time, your team will be happy to oblige as long as they respect you as a leader of sorts.
Check out the following email sample if you still don’t get it:
Dear Missy,
Carry out your responsibilities and get through this quickly!
Then, we can all come together to see how far we’ve come.
Yours,
Markus Lillie
5. Please Get on With What You Need to Do
You may also want to write “please get on with what you need to do” instead of “do your job.”
This shows you how to politely ask someone to do their job when you’re unsure what else to say.
It’s fairly friendly and sincere. So, you can use it when you respect the recipient and want them to continue doing something for you.
For instance, you can use this when writing to an intern. It’s a good option to remind them of what their job entails and what you’d like them to get on with rather than writing to you.
Also, you can review this email sample to learn a bit more:
Dear Maria,
Please get on with what you need to do.
I look forward to hearing back from you once you’ve completed these tasks.
Yours,
Trudy Moore
6. You Should Focus on Your Obligations
If you’re still wondering how to politely ask someone to do their job, use “you should focus on your obligations.”
This keeps things open and formal when you’d like someone to pay attention to their own workload rather than yours.
Generally, you can use this when writing to a client. It shows that you need them to keep working on a project for your company, so they should dedicate more time to that.
It’s also smart to review this email sample to learn more about it:
Dear Mr. Clark,
You should focus on your obligations to get this project done on time.
I’ll focus on mine, and we’ll meet in the middle once we’re both done.
All the best,
Michael Taint
7. I’d Like You to Complete Your Projects
Another way to say “do your job” is “I’d like you to complete your projects.”
This one is a bit more friendly and approachable. Don’t get us wrong; it still works really well in formal emails.
However, you can use this when writing to an employee and asking them to get on with something you’ve already set for them.
Generally, this is a more encouraging phrase. It shows that you’d like someone to crack on with their work, but you don’t want to put too much pressure on them.
Also, you can review this example to learn more:
Dear Christie,
I’d like you to complete your projects to the best of your ability.
Please let me know if there’s anything you might need me to help you with.
Best regards,
Tom Lone
8. Execute Your Professional Tasks
Feel free to write “execute your professional tasks” in some instances to mix things up.
This is a great way to be bossy and sincere. It keeps the recipient in line and ensures they’ll do their job without much trouble.
Also, it removes the rudeness of “do your job.” It still keeps things formal, but it makes sure you don’t accidentally offend the recipient when including this in your email.
You may also review the following email sample to learn more about it:
Dear Julia,
Execute your professional tasks before all of this, please.
I’ll be in touch when I have more for you to get on with.
Yours,
Tyler Rodrigo
9. Complete Your Job Effectively
Finally, we recommend using “complete your job effectively” instead of “do your job.”
First of all, this uses “complete” instead of “do.” So, it’s a simple synonym that works really well if you’re trying to keep a more formal tone in your writing.
Also, including the adverb “effectively” suggests that you want someone to not just do their work but do it well.
Therefore, this works best when writing to an employee. It works when you’re speaking from a position of authority, and you would appreciate it if someone took their work seriously.
You can also check out this example if you want to learn more:
Dear Adam,
Please complete your job effectively and get back to me later.
I want you to get back in touch once you’ve completed these tasks.
All the best,
Rosanne Moxie