The 40 most cringeworthy phrases you're probably using in the office
Do you tell your employees to "give it 110 percent?" Please ... don't.
That phrase, according to a survey by OnePoll of 2,000 American workers on behalf of communications technology provider Jive Communications, topped a list of 40 of the most cringeworthy phrases said in the workplace. So if you're thinking of using that phrase to motivate, please think twice.
While you're at it, don't exhort your employees to "think outside the box," "hammer it out" or do some "heavy lifting." That's going to annoy them, too. If you want to really get under their skin then go ahead and tell them to "push the envelope," or promise to "circle back" or create a "win-win situation."
"We've all been guilty of using these phrases, whether out of habit or not," John Pope, the senior vice president of Jive Communications, said in a Fox News article. "These phrases definitely aren't going anywhere anytime soon."
Pope, who confirmed the survey's data, said he believes that the overuse of these phrases has diluted their meaning. "Our goal should be to use such jargon sparingly, and when the moment calls for it," he said.
Although we've all been there, the fact is that using these phrases with employees can harm a company's productivity. According to the survey, 27 percent of American workers acknowledged tuning out people who use this kind of jargon, even though almost 72 percent admitted to habitually using these phrases.
So, are you at fault? Tsk, tsk. Just to be sure, here's the list, in order of cringe-worthiness:
Give 110 percent
Think outside the box
Hammer it out
Heavy lifting
Throw them under the bus
Don't count your chickens before they've hatched
Pushing the envelope
Let the cat out of the bag
Let's circle back
Win-win situation
Blue-sky thinking
Boil the ocean
Synergy
Low-hanging fruit
Take it to the next level
Barking up the wrong tree
Going forward
Let's ballpark this
Run this up the flagpole
Back to square one
There's no I in team
Back to the drawing board
Paradigm shift
Elephant in the room
Raise the bar
Drill down
Best thing since sliced bread
Deep dive
Skin in the game
Reach out
Touch base
Play hardball
Don't reinvent the wheel
Kept in the loop
The bottom line
Down the road
I'll loop you in
Hit the nail on the head
ASAP
Team player