In a recent Dear Abby column, a guy expressed concern that his wife was drinking two glasses of wine a day. Some health experts say that a glass or two of wine is good for you, but the guy wondered what their definition of “a glass” was.

His wife’s glass was huge — about the size of half a bottle of wine. The federal government defines a glass of wine as 5 ounces; the wife’s “glass” was more than twice that size. Her habit was anything but healthy.

Maybe common sense should have told them that a bottle of wine a day was too much. Maybe the guy was even playing a prank on Dear Abby. But more than likely it was simply a misunderstanding.

And when you’re talking about misunderstandings, you’re speaking the language of the workplace.

When you’re passing along critical information, take a minute to appreciate whether your language and rationale are clear.

If you work at a store and your shift begins at 9, you usually have to be prompt because customers are counting on you. If you’re 15 minutes late, business may suffer.

On the other hand, office workers might show up at 9:15 without any problem. As long as they get their work done and the boss doesn't schedule a crucial task for 9, those extra minutes might not hurt.

But sometimes in offices, the timing really is crucial. If meetings often start 15 minutes late, companies waste hours of productivity. Some workers will expect the meetings to start on time, while their brethren have gotten into the habit of being 15 minutes late for everything, because it doesn’t seem to matter.

If bosses don’t take the time to explain why those minutes are important, productivity can die on the vine.