A recent survey conducted by the online language learning platform Preply has revealed that Oakville employees are among the top five users of workplace slang in Canada, despite the often-confusing nature of corporate jargon.
In Oakville, employees are found to average 8.6 instances of corporate slang per day, placing them fifth in Canada for their utilization of such language. Among the most irritating workplace phrases in Oakville are “pipeline” and “out of pocket,” cited by 37% of respondents.
Surprisingly, over half of Oakville workers incorporate corporate slang into their workplace culture, with 56% using it to bolster their perceived credibility.
Across Canada, a staggering 88% of respondents admit to employing corporate jargon in their work communication, averaging six uses per day. The survey, which involved 1,002 Canadian residents across 44 cities, identified “touch base” as the most prevalent phrase, while “ping you” emerged as the most annoying.
Interestingly, “window of opportunity” was recognized as the least irritating workplace expression. Additionally, the survey uncovered that Gen Z prominently incorporates terms like “G.O.A.T.” and “slay” into their workplace vocabulary.
The study also sheds light on the motivations behind using corporate jargon, with 28% of male respondents using it to fit in socially, 31% utilizing it as a time-saving shortcut, and 27% employing it to enhance communication with colleagues.
Regarding demographics, Gen Z emerges as the cohort most prolific in business buzzword usage, averaging eight instances daily, while Boomers employ them the least, with an average of five times daily.
Across departments and seniority levels, Management ranks highest in the utilization of corporate expressions, followed by Sales and Operations. Interestingly, legal departments, with their technical terminology, are found to be the least likely to resort to corporate jargon.