Jobs and the Future of Work

These are the most hated bits of office jargon

People work on their computers during a weekend Hackathon event in San Francisco, California, U.S. July 16, 2016. REUTERS/Gabrielle Lurie SEARCH "LURIE TECH" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. - RC11B3BD6C00

What expressions do we hate to hear? Image: REUTERS/Gabrielle Lurie SEARCH "LURIE TECH" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. - RC11B3BD6C00

Martin Armstrong
Data Journalist, Statista

Most people working in an office have come across at least one of these at some point, and most will have cringed inside upon encountering them. It might be a British thing, but hearing the following word combination is not a pleasant experience: touch base. Indeed, 24 percent of respondents to the latest Glassdoor survey in the UK said that they were annoyed by this particular example of office jargon. Quite far behind in second place was the classic 'no-brainer' with 14 percent.

Further down on 9 percent, and getting a tad more niche is 'lipstick on a pig', meaning to try to improve a bad idea or product with only superficial changes. On 8 percent is 'let's get our ducks in a row', a needlessly abstract way of saying you need to be prepared for something.

Image: Glassdoor
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