Google search data reveals most confusing terms used in the workplace
A new report from Preply has revealed the most misunderstood corporate jargon acronyms and terms for Australian employees.
The report, which was carried out in February, discovered the top 10 misunderstood jargons by looking at their search volumes across Australia using Google's Keyword Planner.
This involved analysing searches for the meaning and definitions of certain phrases.
It found that the term "ad hoc" was the most misunderstood corporate jargon term, with 314,931 annual Google searches.
This was followed by "stakeholder" (261,279) and then "iteration" (119,760), according to the report.
The report said terms like "ad hoc" and "stakeholder" likely emerged on top of the list because of younger workers, who may not be very familiar with the words.
And despite becoming the hottest topic across the world as of late, "artificial intelligence" also garnered nearly 70,000 annual Google searches.
"Even though artificial intelligence is becoming more common in businesses every day, many Australians still see it as complicated jargon, suggesting a lack of understanding about what it means," the report said.
It further indicated that the high search volume came from older employees, as younger workers were more familiar with AI tools.
Corporate jargon acronyms
Meanwhile, the most misunderstood corporate jargon acronym is KPI, which means Key Performance Indicator, with 376,910 annual Google searches.
Other highly searched acronyms include VPN (Virtual Private Network), with 231,791, as well as API (Application Programming Interface) with 210,894 annual Google searches.
Preply said it was also surprised to see "ETA" on the list but noted it could also be because younger employees were likely unfamiliar with the acronym.
"'ETA' has been around for quite a while – it was first used in aviation before it made its way into the corporate world," the report said. "So, if your boss asks for an 'ETA on that,' they're really just asking when something will be finished."
