10 most annoying workplace buzzwords

October 3, 2022 12:56 PM

It's time to nix overused corporate jargon.

In order to seem professional in the workplace, corporate America has created its own language of business buzzwords to motivate employees, encourage team building and describe work-specific tasks. Yet employees are getting tired of this "new normal" and no longer want to "think outside the box" in order to do their jobs effectively.

A recent survey by language learning app Preply found that 20% of employees dislike corporate jargon, though 70% use these phrases a few times a week to several times per day. Employees are more likely to pepper these phrases into their emails and slack messages than upper management — Preply found that 34% of employees say their colleagues use these terms, compared to 24% of bosses.

"We naturally start getting annoyed with words that we hear too often — they become 'empty words' that have no emotional meaning to us over time," says Mary Glowacka, head of HR for Preply's Center of Excellence. "In the workplace, employees and people managers use a distinctive type of corporate jargon that can sound like a lot while meaning very little."

Saying what you mean is especially important in job postings — Preply found that one in five job applicants viewed corporate jargon as a red flag and were put off from applying to a role because of it. Fifty percent of job seekers said "wearing many hats" turned them off from a role, and 47% disliked the phrase "work hard, play hard."

"The need for clear and effective communications hasn't changed, but what has changed is the need for more intentional communication," Glowacka says. "With more geographically dispersed workforces than ever, we tend to have fewer spontaneous interactions and written communication has become even more vital to get right."

Give your emails, memos and messages a scan to see if you're guilty of using these frustrating phrases: