Meet with work in the balance (5,3,2)
I believe the answer is:
touch and go
'in the balance' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'meet with work' is the wordplay.
'meet' becomes 'touch' (synonyms).
'with' becomes 'and'.
'work' becomes 'go' (synonyms).
'touch'+'and'+'go'='TOUCH-AND-GO'
(Other definitions for touch and go that I've seen before include "Dubious" , "Risky advice" , "in the balance" , "What swimmers do between laps" , "advice recommending the briefest of contacts?" .)