There are things we say casually at work without even realizing how damaging they can be to our career. As a result, we must be careful with the things we say at work.

Below are 4 things you say at work that can ruin your career:

Sorry I’m Late – Again

Frequent lateness to work paints you as disrespectful and unable to value time; frequently apologizing for this lateness just makes it worse by additionally painting you as irresponsible. If you were truly serious sorry for your lateness, you would do what it takes to come early regardless of the excuse. You should try to do whatever it takes to be punctual, because the moment frequent lateness is associated with you, it can kill your work reputation in the long run.

That’s Impossible

No manager or employer wants to get the feedback of negativity, lack of conviction and inability to deliver on responsibilities from employees, therefore, rather than saying that what is being asked of you is impossible, simply state your concerns as clearly as possible and ask your manager for some input and help on the matter. You need to choose your words carefully when challenged at work in order to thrive in your career, and try as much as you can to ensure your comments reflect a positive, can-do and confident demeanor. If what the management is asking really can’t be done, let them see it themselves, but let it not be for lack of trying on your part.

I Can Handle This (When You Can’t)

In a work environment, it pays to under-commit and over-deliver, rather than over-commit and under-deliver. The latter just makes you look incompetent and earns you a bad work reputation that can ruin your career. You might think that you should never be negative and say you can’t do a certain task that has been assigned to you, but it pays to be realistic and honest about what you can do. You need to be careful about is how you communicate what you can’t do to your manager, and rather than saying you can handle something that you know you can’t, let your manager know your reservations and assure him that you will give it your best shot. If you find along the way that you just can’t pull it off, you can ask your colleagues for help or go back to your manager and explain the difficulties you encountered along the way that you can’t seem to get through. This will make you look less incompetent.

Remember the saying, ‘the walls have ears’, you’ll be surprised at how true this is, especially in the workplace. Sometimes it’s better to keep your mouth shut on certain issues and if you must say it, say it to friends or family, not co-workers. Resist the urge to say anything that could devastate your career if it gets back to your boss, because even the best kept secrets have a way of getting out.