10 things that you shouldn’t say in an office

Office jargon has been around since the first office was created and is frankly pretty annoying; it's an assault on the ears even to hear it. If you’re a cricket fan then the chances are you have played Boycott Bingo or if you too are one of those frustrated employees then the chances are that you’ve been to a meeting and played "Buzzword Bingo" using cards with expressions like "outside the box" or "on the same page."

Fortunately, such jargon goes out of style pretty quickly. I haven't heard "going forward" for a while but equally on the flip side, old expressions are almost immediately replaced by new, even more irritating ones.

Over a cup of coffee one morning we “brainstormed” the jargon we hear on a daily basis and here are a few of the results, with the odd example.

Leverage. Deployment of an insufficient amount of something to do that which was previously done with much more. Example: "After the layoffs, we can leverage our staff of three to cover the entire country".

Reach out. This one really is my pet hate for so many reasons. To deliver news. To talk or connect with someone. Example: "I wanted to reach out to you about my next job". No you don’t, you want to talk to me!!

It is what it is. Meaning: Get used to it.

Viral. So prevalent that it has almost became the word of 2013. Example: "Twitter has gone viral".

Game changer. A catalyst that will transform a frog into a prince or vice-versa. Example: "Getting indicted for fraud was a game changer for Joe Bloggs".

Disconnect. A situation in which you wanted jam, but someone gave you peanut butter. Example: "There is a disconnect between what the consumer wants and what we intend to provide".

Value-add. A gain, usually financial. Example:

Circle back. See you again and again and again whether or not you want to be seen. Example: "The stalker abided by the court's restraining order but then circled back to hang out by the house".

Socialise. Ram the idea down their throats. Example: "We need to socialise to our patients our practice of closing the doctor's office every day for two hours at lunch." In other words, “Call an ambulance”!

Cutting edge. Oh dear, my second pet hate. So modern, it's to die for. Example: "Their offering is so cutting edge that they will take the country by storm".

Now that these expressions have been officially identified as irritating jargon, you might want to give them up, or add to the list! Unless your boss is planning to circle back to reach out to interface and socialise to your value-add. What can I tell you? It is what it is.

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