When you’re at work, do you often hear people use phrases like “It’s on my radar,” “Table this,” or “Think outside the box”? Most of us do. According to a recent survey by Preply, seven out of ten people use this type of business jargon at the office.
But just because we hear this type of language at work, that doesn’t necessarily mean we like it! The survey results also indicated that one out of five people find business buzzwords to be annoying.
So what terms do people tend to hate the most? Here are the five that were rated most poorly:
- New normal – This phrase is often used to remind people that they need to adjust to a new, possibly unpleasant situation.
- Circle back – The idea that a certain issue will need to be discussed again may not be the most pleasant news for some people.
- Company culture – Respondents felt unhappy when they were told to do things because it was the “company culture” or the “way things are done here” instead of being given a valid reason.
- Boots on the ground – This phrase is often used to give people the unhappy news that they need to put in long hours at work or an enormous amount of effort in order to get something done.
- Give 110% – Respondents didn’t appreciate being told that they have to give more than 100%, which isn’t actually possible.
And what business buzzwords did survey respondents find the least annoying? Here are three of the least irritating expressions:
- At the end of the day – This phrase is often used when people are talking about what was learned from a series of events. Respondents didn’t have a problem with this phrase.
- Debrief – This word is often used to suggest that people should gather together to discuss something that has occurred. Once again, respondents didn’t mind this jargon.
- Table this – Survey respondents felt fine about “tabling” something (or putting it aside for now).
