Ever caught yourself “giving it 110 percent” or “thinking outside the box”? You might be making your co-workers cringe.
New research suggests that seven in 10 American workers are guilty of using the most cringe-worthy phrases at the office — with “give it 110 percent” the leading offender.
The study, conducted by OnePoll in conjunction with Jive Communications, looked at the communication behaviors of 2,000 American workers and compiled the 40 most irritating office phrases.
And if you have ever “hammered it out,” or “thought outside the box,” then you probably had many a co-worker roll their eyes after having a conversation with you.
Ever stood at the water cooler and stumbled into a conversation between two co-workers? Then you’ve probably heard some utterly bilious phrases like, “Let’s ballpark this,” and “Run this up the flagpole.”
SWNSWhat about “synergy”? Ranked at 13, this is a phrase that many people at the office can’t stand to hear.
While we’ve all gone “back to the drawing board,” 27 percent of American workers can’t help but shut down and stop listening when anyone feels the need to use such cringe-inspiring phrases at the office.
We’ve all been there — whether we were the ones cringing and rolling our eyes or actually using these phrases. According to 72 percent of American workers, these annoying words and phrases are used out of habit.
However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t token office jokesters who use annoying phrases at work to test their co-workers. In fact, 29 percent of workers use these phrases for this exact purpose and 22 percent use them for assimilation purposes.
John Pope, senior vice president of Jive, said, “We’ve all been guilty of using these phrases, whether out of habit or not. While many of these phrases are helpful in conveying a message, I think this study will open a lot of people’s eyes. It will help many of us think twice about overusing phrases in the office, as well as the best way to communicate with or motivate those we work with.”
However, while many people are cringing at the office on a daily basis, six in 10 Americans can’t even understand some of the irksome phrases they hear.
With over a quarter of workers (26 percent) finding amusement and enjoyment from uttering some of the phrases that cause their co-workers to tune them out, it doesn’t seem like this trend is going to be ending anytime soon.
As a result, while you may not understand when someone says “blue-sky thinking” or “learning the ropes,” you might just have to get used to hearing these phrases more often than not.
And these days, people are causing even more cringe-worthy moments by taking online phrases and bringing them into the real world, with six in 10 American workers using online phrases in real life.
In fact, have you ever said “OMG”? If so, you are just like 68 percent of American workers who have taken their online world into their real lives.
Pope added, “These phrases definitely aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. There’s a reason they’re so well-known and exercised within office spaces. However, overuse has diluted the meaning of many phrases. If you’re constantly told to give a project 110 percent, over time it will lose its power and effect. Our goal should be to use such jargon sparingly and when the moment calls for it.”
Top 40 most cringe-worthy phrases used at the office
- 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

