A Guide to the Most Annoying Office Talk in 2023

We've all been there, spending a good chunk of our day at work surrounded by colleagues who seem to speak a language of their own. Yup, office jargon – those fancy-sounding buzzwords that are supposed to make us feel all professional and connected. But let's be real, sometimes they're just plain annoying. So, let's dive into what's hot and what's not in the world of workplace lingo this year.

Preply.com revealed the results of surveying 1002 people to find out the buzzwords can we expect to hear in 2023 and which do we hope to never hear again:

Study Reveals the Most Annoying Corporate Jargon (preply.com)

Buzzkill: The Most Annoying Buzzwords

The title of "Most Annoying Buzzword Brought by Gen Z" goes to none other than "vibe." And guess what? The phrase to be happily thrown into the linguistic abyss is "circle back." You know that feeling when you hear it? Yeah, me too. And get this, more than a quarter of the survey participants admitted they're stuck hearing corporate buzzwords multiple times a day. Oh, and if you're thinking about including "like a family" in a job posting, don't bother. People hate it.

Jargon: Not Just for the Office

Turns out, office jargon isn't confined to office walls. A whopping 58% of Americans ‘fess up to dropping buzzwords in their personal lives. Yep, even at the dinner table. "FYI," "at the end of the day," "win-win," and "touch base" are sneaking into everyday conversations.

The Love-Hate Buzzword List

Hold onto your office chairs because here comes the fun part. We've got the buzzwords that tick people off: "circle back" takes the gold, "let's table this" snags fourth place, and "put a pin in it" lands in sixth. But hey, if you're curious about the whole list, here it is:

1. Circle back
2. Work hard, play hard
3. Boots on the ground
4. Let's table this
5. Synergy
6. Put a pin in it
7. Get ducks in a row
8. Low-hanging fruit
9. Reinvent the wheel
10. Throw it up and see what sticks

On the flip side, we've got the buzzwords that make people go, "Hey, not bad!" The first-place winner in the "Least Annoying Buzzword" category is "sync." And it seems like people dig teamwork-related terms:

1. Sync
2. Pushback
3. Pipeline
4. Level set
5. Have in back pocket
6. Window of opportunity
7. Loop in
8. Align
9. Take offline
10. On the same page

Buzz-Killing Job Postings

When it comes to job postings, buzzwords might not be your best buds. About 55% of folks see them as a negative, and only 2% think they make a job posting appealing. That whole "like a family" thing? Yeah, it's not fooling anyone. Oh, and snazzy job titles like "rockstar," "guru," and "ninja"? Nope, they're not cutting it either.

The Buzzwords We're So Over

Remember how "new normal" became the phrase of the hour during the pandemic? Well, turns out, people are kinda done with it – 42% to be exact. "Lean in" and "hop on a call" also lost their coolness points, coming in second and third in the annoying list.

Generational Buzz: Who Says What?

Hold on, because here comes the juicy part. Gen Z is all about "vibe" – they just can't get enough. And if you work with them, brace yourself for "no cap," "bet," "lit," and "basic." But beware, these words can change their meanings faster than you can say "office party."

On the flip side, the older folks are all about the metaphors. If you catch someone from the boomer generation saying "ducks in a row," you're officially in their office lingo club. And if you're already familiar with "boots on the ground," "reinvent the wheel," "think outside the box," and "wear many hats," then congrats, you're fluent in boomer-speak.

So, there you have it – the lowdown on office buzzwords in 2023. They might annoy us, they might entertain us, but one thing's for sure: they're not going anywhere.