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Corporate jargon is supposed to make communication easier, but using it excessively can sometimes backfire.
Office phrases such as “Synergy” and “Touch Base” irk employees. (representative image)
Corporate jargon has always been a part of office culture, but some phrases are no less than nails on a chalkboard. According to a recent survey by Notta.ai, “touch base” or “let’s circle back”, used during meetings and office interactions, are among the most despised parts of the corporate jargon, especially for Gen Z and millennials who have devoted a large portion of their lives to navigating the always-changing workplace.
More than 5,000 Reddit comments from around 100 distinct subreddits were examined by the Notta.ai research team to determine which corporate buzzwords annoy employees the most.
The study ranks the phrases using sophisticated natural language processing (NLP) technologies and offers insights into the terminology that is becoming stale in today’s workplace culture.
When it comes to workplace aggravation, “circle back” causes the most annoyance. Employees were upset by its misuse, seeing it as a vague and ineffective strategy to postpone or avoid addressing an issue, even though its meaning is straightforward—returning to a topic at a later time.
In meetings and emails, the phrase has grown commonplace, often leaving employees wondering if their concerns will ever be taken seriously.
Second on the list after “circle back” is another corporate favourite: “synergy.” The phrase, which was first used to highlight the benefits of teamwork for collaboration, has become so overused and misapplied that workers now identify it with nonsensical corporate jargon.
Reportedly, an individual on Reddit even said that the term “synergy” now sounds like “corporate filler with no real substance.”
Though “circle back” and “synergy” are at the top of the list, many other corporate terms have also entered the chart of the most obnoxious office jargon. The terms “lean,” “touch base,” and “agile” were commonly used in employee complaints.
“Lean,” which is often used to refer to a streamlined and effective method, is viewed as being too general and vague. Similarly, the term “agile,” which describes adaptability in corporate operations, has been overused to the point where many workers believe it has lost its meaning. The phrase “Touch base” also merited a spot in the top five.
Many now consider it to be a cliched way of saying “connect” or “follow up,” with no obvious activity to support it. The term “bandwidth” also appeared on the list, as many employees complained about being expected to do more work while they were already overworked.
Acronyms are another common workplace nuisance, along with corporate jargon. Employees often become confused or disinterested when terms like “KPI” (Key Performance Indicator), “CRM” (Customer Relationship Management), and “VPN” (Virtual Private Network) are used excessively in conversations without enough explanation.
Even familiar acronyms like “WFH” (Work From Home) and “IRL” (In Real Life) nevertheless annoy people despite their widespread use. Employees are forced to follow a complicated web of jargon that can seem needless or impersonal as the workplace changes and new phrases are created.
