The most annoying business jargon

The business world is plagued by a plethora of meaningless cliches and pointless jargon. We've pinpointed a few of the worst offenders favoured by real life David Brents.

The workplace is overwrought with cliches, buzzwords and industry jargon, often leading to a 'disconnect' between coworkers (i.e. you have no idea what they're saying, but you nod and smile anyway). 'Viral' terms and phrases like these are among the most overused in the office, according to a recent Accountemps survey.

In a poll of 150 senior US executives from the country's 1,000 largest companies, executives were asked, "What is the most annoying or overused phrase or buzzword in the workplace today?" Their responses included:

• Leverage: As in, 'we intend to leverage our investment in IT infrastructure across multiple business units to drive profits'.
• Reach out: As in, 'remember to reach out to customers impacted by the change'.
• It is what it is: As in, 'the server is down today, and clients are irate. It is what it is'.
• Viral: As in, 'our video has gone viral'.
• Game changer: As in, 'transitioning from products to solutions was a game changer for our company'.
• Disconnect: As in, 'there is a disconnect between what the consumer wants and what the product provides'.
• Value-add: As in, 'we have to evaluate the value-add of this activity before we spend more on it'.
• Circle back: As in, 'I'm heading out of the office now, but I will circle back with you later'.
• Socialise: As in, 'we need to socialize this concept with our key stakeholders'.
• Interface: As in, 'My job requires me to interface with all levels of the organisation'.

Accountemps conducted a similar survey in 2004. The following 'Hall-of-Fame' buzzwords were cited in both surveys:

• At the end of the day
• Synergy
• Solution
• Think outside the box
• On the same page
• Customer-centric

Some phrases cited in the most recent survey suggest executives are suffering from recession fatigue, including:

• Recession
• Depression
• Economy
• Do more with less
• Restructuring
• Downsizing
• Gloom and doom
• Pay freeze
• Bailout
• Overworked

"Nearly everyone is guilty of using buzzwords from time to time," Messmer noted. "But professionals are evaluated increasingly on their ability to communicate. Avoiding overused terms, particularly in formal communication, can help workers more effectively convey their message."

Article republished from our sister website AccountingWEB.com.

What business jargon really gets your goat? Share your cliches below!