MBA in the USA – Cultural consulting by Grayson Leverenz

image: HorsePunchKid

To put something on the back burner means to deprioritize it.

The term originates in cooking where chefs move simmering pots to the back burner to focus on preparing the dishes in the front.

A manager might say, “Senior management called an emergency sales forecast meeting this afternoon. I need you to put everything on the back burner, and help me analyze our actual numbers versus the forecast.”