Report: At the end of day, corporate jargon isn’t a win-win

Is your workplace “like a family” with a “boots on the ground” cool “vibe” that’s a “win-win” for teammates?

If so, then “FYI” you might want to “circle back” or at least “touch base” at the “end of the day.”

Why? All those phrases show up in a new survey from language education website Preply on the most annoying corporate jargon terms. “We spend around one-third of our waking hours at work — that’s often more time than we spend asleep or hanging out with our family and friends,” the report states. “So, it’s no wonder that workplaces tend to develop their own languages.

“Workplace jargon can help streamline our jobs and bond us to our colleagues. But sometimes it just gets on our nerves.”

Corporate jargon has even pushed its way into the home. The survey found that “FYI” is the one term people say above all others at home, with 81% using it there. Nearly two out of three, 65%, use “at the end of the day,” while 64% of respondents report using “win-win” and 63% report using “touch base” when not in the office.   

Other survey findings include: 

• “Vibe” was voted the most annoying word that Gen Z brings to the office.
• “Circle back” is the phrase “we all want to eliminate,” followed by “work hard play hard” and “boots on the ground.” 
• Email is the No. 1 place people encounter buzzwords.
• Slightly more than one in four people report hearing corporate buzzwords multiple times a day. 
• The corporate jargon people find most annoying in a job posting is “like a family.”
• “New normal” is the most annoying new buzzword of the year.