Younger workers have no idea what the hell older colleagues are talking about

A new poll suggests a workplace jargon language barrier may be driving a wedge between generations, with half (48 percent) of Millennials and Gen-Z saying it makes them feel less involved in the workplace. The research from LinkedIn and Duolingo claims that jargon such as “blue sky thinking”, “move the needle on a deadline”, or “circling back to take something offline” is off-putting for younger workers, as 69 percent say their colleagues use too much jargon at work.

On the flipside, ‘baby boomers’ are much more comfortable with getting their “ducks in a row”, as only 38 percent say the same.

The words we use at work may seem trivial, but LinkedIn and Duolingo’s research claims they have a real impact on how we feel in the workplace. Over half of younger employees (54 percent) admit changing the way they speak to fit in, compared to less than a third of older workers who have done the same (32 percent).

Outside of work, this change is hard to shake off as well – two thirds (64 percent) of Gen-Z and Millennials admit they find themselves using workplace jargon at home, meaning ‘EOD’ (the end of the working day) for some may not be for others.

This behaviour stems from those entering the workforce feeling isolated. Whilst 60 percent of Gen-Z and Millennials admit that jargon feels like another language, almost half (46 percent) confess that not understanding jargon has caused them to make a mistake at work.

On top of this, 54 percent of younger workers have secretly looked up a word in a meeting to keep up with discussion – twice as many as baby boomers. And, in an attempt to keep up appearances, four in five (83 percent) have used a word they didn’t understand in a professional situation.

Top most misunderstood workplace jargon phrases

• COP/ EOD – 64 percent
• Watchouts – 63 percent
• Move the needle – 61 percent
• Baked in – 60 percent
• Blue Sky thinking – 58 percent
• Wordsmith – 57 percent
• Quick flag – 57 percent
• Low hanging fruit – 55 percent
• Deep dive – 50 percent
• Circle back – 48 percent

Most frequently used workplace jargon phrases ( percent of people who have used it)

• Moving forwards – 20 percent
• Touch base – 16 percent
• Noted – 15 percent
• Singing from the same hymn sheet – 14 percent
• Reach out – 11 percent
• Blank canvas – 11 percent
• Ducks in a row – 7 percent
• Take it offline – 7 percent
• Circle back – 7 percent
• Double click – 7 percent

Most annoying workplace jargon phrases ( percent of people who say the phrase is ‘annoying/ frustrating’)

• Blue sky thinking – 16 percent
• Low hanging fruit – 15 percent
• Ducks in a row – 14 percent
• Move the needle – 13 percent
• Touch base – 13 percent
• COP/ EOD – 12 percent
• Watchouts 12 percent
• Baked in – 12 percent
• Sing from the same hymn sheet – 12 percent
• A quick flag – 12 percent

Most frequently mis-used phrases  ( percent of people who say they’ve used it but aren’t confident in what it means)

• Take it offline – 20 percent
• ‘Watchouts’ – 19 percent
• Blue Sky Thinking – 19 percent
• Reaching Out – 19 percent
• Closing the loop – 18 percent
• Touch base – 18 percent
• Noted – 18 percent
• In totality – 18 percent
• Circle back – 18 percent
• Move the needle – 18 percent