A review of the most liked and hated business buzzwords that people say at work has been undertaken. This comes from Preply (an online learning platform). The central question was ‘which words do people like hearing at work, and which ones will irritate people?’
The review found the most annoying business buzzwords are “new normal”, “culture”, and “circle back”. In contrast, if you would rather avoid annoying anyone then the assessment found using business buzzwords like “at the end of the day” or “debrief” are acceptable.
The review also found that using specific business buzzwords in job descriptions could irritate potential candidates. For example, using words like “rockstar” and “wear many hats” should be avoided by employers, whereas business buzzwords like “proactive” and “empower” will not put any candidates off.
The study surveyed more than 1,551 U.S. citizens who worked in an office setting either in-person or remotely to find out which words and phrases they liked and disliked most.
Business jargon needs to be treated with care. Used wisely, words can smooth communication and enhance credibility. In contrast, when poorly used or misunderstood, they can do the opposite.
To begin with, what are the most frequently used business buzzwords? These were found to be:
- Win-win
- Culture (e.g., “Company culture”)
- ASAP (as soon as possible)
- Think outside the box
- Moving forward/going forward
- Circle back
- It’s on my radar
- On the same page
- Bring to the table
- New normal
Of the typical business phrases, the most annoying business buzzwords were found to be:
- New normal
- Culture (e.g., “Company culture”)
- Circle back
- Boots on the ground
- Give 110%
- Low-hanging fruit
- Win-win
- Move the needle
- Growth hacking
- Think outside the box
For the words and phrases least likely to be irritating, these were:
- At the end of the day
- Debrief
- Sweep the floors
- SMB (Small and mid-size business)
- Table this
- B2C (Business-to-consumer)
- Blue sky thinking
- Ideate
- Game changer
- Teamwork/Teambuilding/Team players
Commenting on the data to Digital Journal, Mary Glowacka, Centre of Excellence Lead in the Human Resources Chapter of Preply, says: “In the workplace, employees and people managers use a distinctive type of corporate jargon that can sound like a lot while meaning very little. These buzzwords can appear in emails, meetings, and conversations.”
