Most-hated corporate jargon, according to Aussie workers

A new study has found that a number of Aussie workers despise certain phrases that have latched themselves onto corporate life.

Surveying over 1,000 Australian workers, Reckon was able to reveal the most frequently used corporate jargon, as well as the most hated.

In terms of the most commonly used phrases by Aussie workers, “touch base” took the cake, with almost half (48.4 per cent) of Australians using the phrase regularly. “Get the ball rolling” was a close second (47.8 per cent), with “think outside the box” sitting at third (45.3 per cent).

There was a gendered difference between the frequency of the phrases being used, as 54.2 per cent of women commonly used “touch base”, whereas 45.8 per cent of men used “get the ball rolling”.

However, the biggest difference between genders was the use of “I hope this email finds you well”, with 44 per cent of women using the phrase, compared to only 19 per cent of men.

“Touch base” was also the most-used corporate jargon among Gen Z (40 per cent), followed by “get the ball rolling” (39 per cent) and “I hope this email finds you well” (38 per cent).

According to the report, “Ducks in a row” was named the most-hated corporate jargon in the Australian workplace, disliked by almost a fifth (17 per cent) of respondents. This was followed by “reinvent the wheel” (15.7 per cent) and “put a pin in it” (15.1 per cent).

The phrase “ducks in a row” topped the list of least favourite phrases across nearly all age groups. However, those aged 18 to 24 dislike “reinvent the wheel” the most, those aged 45 to 54 hold the most negativity towards “blue sky thinking”, and those over 65 find “break down the silo” the least appealing, highlighting a few generational differences.

“On my radar” had the greatest gender gap, with 67.7 per cent of those who hated the phrase being men, compared to 32.3 per cent of women.

On the other hand, “In the loop” is revealed as the least-hated jargon, with only 5.3 per cent of Aussies stating they dislike the phrase. While “touch base” was named the most commonly used jargon, one in 10 Aussies stated they disliked the phrase.

Overall, while a third of office workers enjoy using corporate jargon or like using it when appropriate (39 per cent), a fifth (21 per cent) expressed negative feelings towards the overall usage of corporate jargon in the Aussie workplace. A quarter (24 per cent) also find corporate jargon somewhat confusing or difficult to understand.