'Pls fix' messages from higher-ups evoke dread in office workers. We want to hear from you: What do you hate hearing at work?

• Few messages at work inspire more dread than the "pls fix" message from a higher-up.
• It can keep employees constantly on edge in anticipation and often comes with little indication of what exactly needs fixing.

It's just two words, but it's a bonafide annoyance for many employees: "Pls fix."

The phrase has come to represent a request for revisions from a higher-up at work, one that's often vague and pushes into employees' time off the clock, as The Wall Street Journal recently reported. It's particularly common for young professionals in industries like consulting and banking.

We want to hear from you: What are your most-dreaded phrases in the office? Tell us in this form.

Amelia Noel, a former consultant and investment banker who is now a career coach, told the Journal she used to take her laptop with her to brunch and even once brought it along on a Christmas carriage ride with her family in Central Park, so she'd be able to tend to her work quickly if need be.

"Until you've gotten that 10 p.m. 'pls fix,' you just don't get it," she told the newspaper.

Employees dread the last-minute messages because they can often come in as workers are preparing to sign off or during off-hours, but require immediate attention. This can put workers permanently on edge, in a state of perennial anticipation of one short message that can suddenly derail their plans and spell hours of extra work.

Another issue with "pls fix" messages is that they can be very vague, sometimes with little or no guidance besides the order itself. Without any specifics on what the problem is, employees are left unclear on what exactly is wrong, how long it'll take to fix, and how the final product should look once fixed.

The communal frustration it evokes is so great it's given rise to "pls fix" merch, memes, and even a podcast, the Journal reports. On TikTok, the hashtag #plsfix, where workers show themselves dropping everything at places like the gym or the beach to take care of work when such a request comes in, has racked up more than 11 million views.

Though employees loathe these eleventh-hour messages, at a lot of consulting and banking firms, they're just par for the course.

Susan Grimbilas, global head of human resources at BCG, told the Journal higher-ups could improve upon how they make their asks, but at the end of the day, she says, "I don't care what time it is or where you are—you're going to have to make sure your numbers make sense."