Across Australia, ‘touching base’, ‘thinking outside the box’ and ‘picking up the momentum’ are all common phrases thrown around the office daily that typically aren’t used outside of the workplace. Accounting software company, Reckon, wanted to get the ‘big picture’ on Aussie work jargon in the workplace. To do so, Reckon surveyed 1,000 Australian office workers to reveal the most frequently used and most commonly hated phrases.
Aussie work jargon
| Most used phrases | Most hated phrases |
| Touch base | Ducks in a row |
| Get the ball rolling | Reinvent the wheel |
| Think outside the box | Put a pin in it |
| Best practice | Circle back |
| Reinvent the wheel | Blue sky thinking |
| On my radar | Low hanging fruit |
| Bottom line | Piggybacking |
| Big picture | Break down the silo |
| Hit the ground running | Ping it |
| In the loop | Think outside the box |
‘Touch base’ has been named the most commonly used corporate jargon phrase in Australian offices. While ‘touch base’ is the most commonly used jargon among women (54.2%), ‘get the ball rolling’ was the most frequently used phrase among men (45.8%). ‘Touch base’ was also the most used corporate jargon among Gen Z (40%), followed by ‘get the ball rolling’ (39%) and ‘I hope this email finds you well’ (38%).
‘Ducks in a row’ is named the most hated corporate jargon in Australia. On the other hand, ‘In the loop’ is revealed as the least-hated jargon, with only 5.3% of Aussies stating they dislike the phrase. While ‘touch base’ was named the most commonly used jargon, one in ten Aussies stated they disliked the phrase.
Key findings:
- 7 out of 10 office workers in Australia use corporate jargon to communicate in the workplace.
- Those aged 25-35 are most likely to use corporate jargon, with 80% of those surveyed stating they use corporate jargon at work, compared to only 64% of those aged 55-64.
- The most common reasons Australians gave for using corporate jargon were ‘to save time and have more efficient communication in the workplace’ (52%), ‘they picked it up from colleagues naturally and don’t realise they use it’ (48%) and ‘to fit in with colleagues and stakeholders’ (36%).
- 1/3 of office workers enjoy using corporate jargon or like using it when appropriate (39%).
- 1/5 of workers (21%) express negative feelings towards the use of corporate jargon in the workplace.
- A quarter (24%) or participants said they find corporate jargon confusing or difficult to understand.
You can view the full study here: www.reckon.com/au/small-business-resources/corporate-jargon-survey