Virtual communication is at an all-time high and with office work in full swing, more and more employees are confronted with the dreaded corporate language that gets your blood pressure pumping even more than a looming deadline and makes you long for the days before office jargon became a cliché.
Business jargon has become a staple of office discourse, and while it’s common, it’s also “annoying,” leading to everyone chatting in overused corporate phrases.
According to data from CV Maker, business chatter has become so cliched that it gets under the skin of every company employee, whether it’s via email, phone call or during a meeting, these words are sure to scare you while chatting with your colleague.
Virtual communication is at an all-time high and as office work is in full swing, more and more employees are being confronted with the dreaded corporate language (stock image)
CV Maker surveyed over 4,500 people and asked them, “What’s the most annoying buzzword or phrase in business?”
With a whopping 538 votes, the word synergy – which means “more effectiveness through cooperation” – took first place.
Coming in at number two and three are the phrases “think outside the box” – which drives employees to “think creatively” – and “take ownership” – which encourages employees to take initiative – and drive employees into mad anger.
With 361 votes, “Circle Back,” meaning “discuss later,” took fifth place, and “Reach Out” came in sixth, with 288 votes.
Other hated company jargons that made the list were “transparency”, “make it happen”, “onboarding” and “snack”.
As annoying as you may find corporate jargon, no matter how hard you try, there is no escaping it.
The most ‘annoying’ office jargon
More efficiency through collaboration
Be clear about something
A CV Maker spokesperson said: “Corporate jargon is a type of language used by business people.
“Often it contains euphemisms, buzzwords or ambiguous expressions. Every industry seems to have its version of the jargon as the vocabulary permeates the workplace and eventually becomes everyday language.
‘These corporate terms are often used as an extra phrase to help individuals sound professional in a work environment.’
The spokesman added that using company language too much is “irritating” and could have a “negative” impact on the workplace.
“Office jargon can also have a negative impact on people in the workplace. When a person doesn’t understand a word or phrase, they can feel confused and isolated.
Watch what you emoji! Avoid these emojis when sending that work email!
- Slightly smiling face
- tongue out of the face
- Fire
- aubergine
- poop
- peach
- Laughing crying face
- Single teardrop
“When setting goals for your employees, try to use clear and concise language. That way communication can be effective,” noted CV Maker’s spokesperson.
Online learning platform, Preply’s survey mirrored CV Maker’s findings and even found that many candidates found common office jargon a red flag.
The buzzwords became a deterrent for both employees and candidates, with one in five respondents taking the use of company language in a job description as a warning sign, even stating that it was a factor in their decision to apply or not.
In a recent study by corporate communications giant Slack and language learning program Duolingo, companies showed what more than 9,400 workers think of emojis in the office.
The study found that 69 percent of operations and human resource managers admit that using emoji in the workplace allows them to communicate effectively using fewer words, and 67 percent said emoji speeds up communication.
Additionally, more than half of participants said they use emojis in work-related exchanges, while 30 percent said they never use them.
The study found that there are many universally banned emojis in the workplace.
The study showed that you should avoid the Slightly Smile, Laugh, Cry, Tongue Out, Single Tear, Fire, Peach, Poop, and Eggplant emojis in the workplace as they have ambiguities and can come across as inappropriate.