The State of Workplace Jargon: How and Why to Avoid Office Jargon

Let’s face it: Whether it’s emailing “let’s circle back on this” or telling your coworkers you need to “run this up the flagpole,” we’re all guilty of using workplace lingo. Personally, I will throw a “let’s put that in the parking lot until the end” into the conversation to keep a meeting focused–in a heartbeat. And while it may seem harmless, this language cementing itself in our vocabulary can have a serious impact on our world of work. In fact, in partnership with Duolingo , we found that nearly half of working professionals in the US say they want to eliminate the use of jargon at work . And the youngest professionals are leading the charge: 60% of Gen Z want to ditch workplace jargon–entirely!

The pet peeve of jargon isn’t surprising. Remote work and disperate workforces require communication to be extra clear. Things can get lost in translation when communicating digitally and adding phrases like “is the juice worth the squeeze” into the mix certainly doesn’t help the cause. In fact, 50% of professionals say misunderstandings of workplace jargon lead to wasted time every week and 41% say they’ve had a misunderstanding or made a mistake at work because they didn’t know the meaning of workplace jargon or misused it.

“Jargon is, by its nature, a type of language that’s exclusive to professional circles,” says Dr. Hope Wilson , Senior Learning and Language Curriculum Expert at Duolingo. “The primary way you learn how to use language is by observing how others use it. So new employees, younger employees, remote employees — they’ll have had less of a chance to be exposed to jargon, meaning they won’t have picked up on its meaning, let alone the nuances of how to use it.”

In the U.S., the most confusing workplace jargon terms are:

• Boiling the ocean
• Herding cats
• Ducks in a row
• Move the needle
• Run it up the flagpole
• Drinking the Kool-Aid
• Out of pocket
• Building the plane while flying it
• Throwing spaghetti at the wall
• Juice worth the squeeze

And it turns out that the use of workplace jargon can even impact career growth. Even though most professionals want to get rid of these phrases, even more think that people with an understanding of workplace jargon are able to get ahead at work compared to those without a grasp on the terminology.

In the U.S., the most commonly used workplace jargon terms are:

• Out of pocket
• Too many cooks in the kitchen
• Drinking the Kool-Aid
• Circle back
• Double click
• Take it offline
• Parking lot
• Fully baked
• Low-hanging fruit
• Move the needle

Even further, looking at the impact that this jargon has reveals inequity in the workplace. Professionals shouldn’t feel alienated for not knowing what “boiling the ocean” means. Whether you’re a professional whose first language isn’t English or you’re a fresh grad who hasn’t been exposed to workplace environments yet, you shouldn’t have to solve linguistic riddles just to get your work done.?

This discrepancy results in inequitable growth opportunities, and even off-putting experiences, in the workforce. Phrases like “the peanut gallery” and “bottom of the totem pole” may be used casually in meetings, but can be culturally offensive–or downright racist. For more on that, definitely check out my LinkedIn Learning course: Inclusive Language for Marketers .

In the U.S., the most offensive (outdated, not inclusive, etc.) workplace terms:

• That's crazy talk
• Blacklist
• Pow-wow
• Chinese menu
• Bottom of the totem pole
• Open the kimono
• Beat a dead horse
• More than one way to skin a cat
• The peanut gallery
• Boomerang employees

Knowing this is a growing issue, what can we do to lessen the vocabulary-driven disparity? Here are four steps you can take right now:?

1. Understand the foundations of communication. No matter what your role is, communication is critical to workplace success. Study up the foundations of communication to get a better understanding of effective communication in the workplace. LinkedIn is also releasing free LinkedIn Learning courses to help professionals do just that:?

• Nano Tips for Communicating with Confidence
• Nano Tips to Enhance Your Communication
• Nano Tips for Developing Magnetic Charisma
• Communication and cultural differences
• Foundations of communication
• Why authentic communication matters

*Courses will be unlocked in the US, UK, India, Australia, Brazil, Colombia and Japan with translations available via closed captioning or native language content

1. Be thoughtful and mindful of your language choices. Can you say what you’re trying to communicate in a simpler way? Chances are you can rephrase to be more direct. This is particularly important when giving peers or employees feedback. Imagine your manager asking you to “run it up the flagpole” or to do some “blue sky thinking” and going back to your desk wondering–what on earth am I supposed to do… with THAT!?!?
2. Use tools like LinkedIn to gain insights into how other professionals are approaching this topic. Not only can you find tangible advice on LinkedIn, you can also search various phrases on LinkedIn to see how other professionals are dismantling them in their own offices.?
3. At work, don’t be afraid to ask questions to get clarification on what something means. Data shows that the majority of professionals find jargon confusing! Also try to keep your communication simple. Everyone is coming from different backgrounds so keeping things straightforward helps everyone.

How we communicate with one another has a direct impact on how we feel showing up to work each day. Knowing that certain phrases and sayings can have a negative impact on our coworkers, we should all strive to be cognizant of the fact that how we speak can be alienating, whether we realize it or not. Though these changes may seem small at first, they can have a big impact on creating an equitable workplace.?