The most cringe-worthy office phrases

Do you tell your employees to “give it 110 per cent?” 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 cringe-worthy 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 out- side 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 sur- vey’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 per cent of American workers acknowledged tuning out people who use this kind of jargon, even though almost 72 per cent admitted to habitually using these phrases.

So, are you at fault? Tsk, tsk. Just to be sure, here’s the top 15, in order of cringe-worthiness: Give 110 per cent 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