Talk the talk

Speak English, please
The backlash against office lingo has already begun. Forty per cent of those questioned felt that office jargon was frustrating and off-putting and some even said it was downright rude and pretentious.

Says Eldoori: ‘There are some concerns about the rise of office jargon. Mainly that people were using these words when they didn’t know what they meant, or to gain a competitive edge over their colleagues – particularly in a confrontational situation because it’s very difficult to argue with someone when you don’t know what they mean. You have to be very brave in an office environment to say: “I don’t have a clue what you are talking about”.’

Despite the fact that office jargon is most prevalent in the IT sector many of these companies discourage their employees from overusing unfamiliar terms.

John Nicol, an IT manager for a London-based company, believes that corporate jargon can complicate relations in the workplace. He says: ‘I wouldn’t promote the use of office jargon among my employees because I often think the simple approach is the most affective. If someone doesn’t understand the jargon it can waste time or even worse cause resentment or embarrassment between colleagues. It can be difficult enough to keep up at work, never mind having to learn a whole new vocabulary. It can be funny and even useful if it’s kept to a minimum but when someone spouts out whole sentences in jargon, people just get confused.’

The advantages of speaking the office lingo Although jargon can be exclusive, this can often have its advantages. Many workers found that it can help build team confidence and liven up dull meetings. But whatever the advantages or disadvantages of office jargon it appears, for now, it’s here to stay. Says Eldoori: ‘I’d like to do this survey in three years time. I bet this year’s words will be familiar and there will probably be a whole range of new terms as well.’