Kit Out My Office, an online retailer of office furniture, have compiled their annual list of the most annoying office phrases that it believes should be stamped out as part of our New Year’s resolutions.
Traditionally, New Year’s resolutions are personal goals to better ourselves, which can range from getting in-shape through to taking up a new hobby. Very few of us consider our colleagues and that is something that Kit Out My Office want to change.
Instead of setting a personal goal, collectively come together in your workplace to stamp out annoying phrases to improve morale.
The most irritating office phrases for 2018 are –
Think outside the box
Hit the ground running
Do more with less
Can I borrow you for a second?
Amazeballs
2017’s most annoying office phrases were –
Think outside the box
It’s not rocket science
Amazeballs
Going forward
Can I borrow you for a second?
To produce the list, Kit Out My Office asked 2,519 office workers across the UK in November 2017 to vote for terms and office jargon they hate the most. This is a refresh of the original survey, which was undertaken in December 2016 to understand what phrases individuals and businesses should avoid in 2017.
At the opposite end of the spectrum lays “it is what it is”, which is the least annoying phrase used, with nobody stating that it was irritating or overused.
Phrases that are least likely to annoy your colleagues –
It is what it is
Best-practice
No brainer
Cool beans
Move the goalposts?
Office jargon is often used as a tool to make a task or job seem bigger or better than it actually is, believes Gareth Jones, the person responsible for the survey at Kit Out My Office.
“The modern working life is fast-paced, and as such we strive to deliver information in a clear and concise manner. The downside of this is it is a breeding ground for jargon. Setting a collective New Year’s Resolution in your office to stamp-out jargon in 2018 could definitely help to improve morale.” said Gareth.
Gareth had this to say about the latest results from the annual survey: “We honestly hoped to see a little more variety versus last year, as we hoped people would start cutting out annoying office phrases. However, they’re still being used widely, which provides us with a reason for continuing to undertake the survey.”
Dr Julia Claxton, Principal Lecturer in Leadership and Organisational Development at Leeds Beckett University added her opinion, “hurt feelings, unclear goals and ambiguous strategies are just a few examples of issues that can arise and contribute to low morale and are the basis of an ineffective team that can be easily avoided.”
