If you’ve ever worked in an office, you’ll likely be familiar with at least some of the vacuous phrases on this list.
None of them are game-changers, and few convey much optimism about journeys, missions or future blue skies.
But for jobs site Glassdoor, surveying 2,000 employees about their most hated examples of office jargon for a summertime PR push was clearly a no-brainer.
The list, announced as the 12 phrases most complained about by workers, is a thought shower of jargon that’s evolved over decades of changing corporate culture.
Image: Blue sky thinking was picked as most annoying by 21% of employees
Some terms were coined by strategists and psychologists who wanted to develop a strong company ethic, encourage employees to believe in their work or improve productivity and efficiency.
Most are metaphors that have lost their figurative punch and turned into cliches as they have been chronically overused.
So which catchphrases are inspiring the greatest fury in the country’s workplaces?
Touch base – 24%To meet in person and talk about a specific issue
Blue Sky Thinking – 21%Creative thinking that breaks away from confined, ordinary ideas
We’re On a Journey – 13%Suggesting a team has not reached its mission but is on its way
Game Changer – 13%Something that dramatically changes assumptions about how things are done
No-brainer – 13%Something immediately obvious or irrefutably a good idea
Thought Shower – 11%A meeting to freely discuss new ideas in their early stages
Run It Up The Flagpole – 11%To trail or present an idea to see what kind of reaction it gets
If You Don’t Like It Get Off The Bus – 10%Suggestion that someone should just leave a company if they’re not happy
Mission Statement – 10%An assertion of values an motivations with regard to a company and its work
Pick It Up And Run With It – 10%Continuing with a project that was started by someone else
Punch A Puppy – 9%To do something horrible for the long-term good of the company
Let’s Get Our Ducks In A Row – 9%To fix different interests, parties and priorities in preparation for an event
Don’t like the meaningless phrases? By all means get off the bus, but if you’re dependent on the wages paid by your jargon-spewing employer for survival you may need to think twice about it.
Source: Sky