Here's the Jargon to Avoid in a Post-Pandemic World

The business world has always been awash a language all its own that might seem to make sense the first few times you use it, but quickly becomes little more than nonsense that everyone repeats.

Everyone hates jargon, but it somehow has a tenaciousness that defies all explanation, living—and thriving—long beyond the point that anyone wants to hear it. And over the last two years, it has multiplied at an astonishing rate.

The pandemic, along with the tools we’ve had to adopt to continue to get things done, has introduced all sorts of new jargon in our work and home lives (think about it… how often did you refer to “the new normal” in 2019?). But as more people adopt the new jargon, it’s causing some divides.

Workplace tool Slack surveyed 2,000 remote and hybrid workers, asking how they feel about their co-workers’ use of jargon. Almost half said they have at least one co-worker who’s hard to work with because of their reliance on the buzzwords. And two-thirds said it’s off-putting when colleagues use them in messages when communicating with them.

Virtually no one can claim to be jargon-free in their work life, of course. Some 89% of the people Slack surveyed confessed they used some of the terms, mostly to sound more professional or intelligent, though sometimes it was just to fit in with other people at the office (virtual or otherwise).

So, what’s the most hated jargon these days? Here are the most overused/bothersome, as discovered by Slack. Brace yourself… You’re likely to see a few phrases you’ve used in emails or conversations, maybe even at some point today:

• ASAP (15%)
• Keep me in the loop (15%)
• Just checking in (14%)
• Team player (14%)
• Give 110 percent (13%)
• Sorry for the delay (13%)
• New normal (13%)
• No worries (13%) — tied
• Touch base (13%) — tied
• Think outside the box (13%) — tied
• Loop me in (13%)
• Back to square one (13%)
• Circle back (13%) — tied
• There’s no I in team — tied

Here’s the good news. While, yes, you’re going to want to strip those phrases from your vocabulary as much as possible, you don’t have to communicate in a stilted manner. In fact, no one wants that.

Nearly three-quarters of the people surveyed by Slack said they prefer co-workers to communicate in an informal fashion.

“With 74% of respondents saying informal messages have made work feel more flexible and 71% noting it’s helped them to work more efficiently and productively, there should be little doubt that informal communication has evolved to become a mainstay of positive, inclusive and efficient workplace culture,” said Ali Rayl, Senior Vice President of Product at Slack. “Informal communication through modern collaboration platforms helps overcome perceived barriers between senior leadership and their employees; leads to transparent and informative discussions; and makes work more fun, allowing employees to express themselves and create a more welcoming work environment.”

How informal? Just as many people in the survey said they incorporate GIF files and emoji into their comments to better connect with coworkers when they’re not in the office. Heck, even 24% of the respondents use all caps from time to time to show their level of excitement.

That’s not a good idea all of the time, of course. But when it’s an internal communication – and one that doesn’t need to be overly formal – the use of fun fillers like that make the office feel more flexible, friendly and even inclusive.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

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