Which words or phrases are most despised by office workers?
Office jargon isn't just annoying — it could also be costing organisations big bucks, according to a new report.
Kickresume recently found that small companies with roughly 100 employees could be losing $546,000 annually due to miscommunication as a result of office jargon.
The costs get higher as businesses grow bigger, according to the report. Mid-size firms with about 1,000 employees risk losing $6 million per year due to miscommunication.
Large companies, or firms with roughly 10,000 employees, could lose $40 million a year due to miscommunication from office jargon.
Kickresume determined the financial cost of office jargon by looking at how many hours are lost due to poor communication (7.47 hours a week) and the average private-sector wage in the United States.
According to the report, complex business lingo can leave employees feeling confused and unclear about things.
"These employees might need to ask for clarification before they can get started on a task, which only slows them down," the report read.
"A totally preventable back-and-forth explaining the meaning not only wastes time, but can end up wasting money too."
Kickresume's findings underscore previous research that proved how the use of office jargon can be a barrier for organisations.
A study published in the American Journal of Industrial and Business Management revealed that the use of jargon can be "worthless when it gets in the way of communicating ideas or information."
"As a result, it tends to negatively impact the effective and efficient communication in the organisation," the paper read.
It added that the use of jargon can make employees feel "irritated and left out," which could end up affecting the individual's and the organisation's productivity.
According to Kickresume's research, entry-level professionals are the biggest haters of office jargon, with 85% of them rating it as "highly negative."
On social media platform X, the most debated and highly criticised office jargon is "circle back" (45%), Kickresume found. Other controversial office lingo includes:
In the wake of the consequences of overusing office jargon, Blue Beetle People Solutions CEO Graham David outlined on LinkedIn several ways to avoid falling for the "jargon trap." They are:
"If you want to be understood, there's no shame in using clear and direct language. In fact, it's an entirely sensible goal," David said on LinkedIn.
