HR Soapbox Blog

(Published March 8, 2010)

You know it when you hear it. A term or a phrase so overused in the business world that it's become almost a mockery of itself. When strung together, the jargon causes the speaker to sound less like a capable businessperson and more like a character in a Saturday Night Live sketch.

Some people use business jargon hoping to impress their listeners, to indicate they're "in the know." Others start using it almost unconsciously, simply imitating how their own boss talks. But by relying on clichés, you run the risk of sounding intellectually lazy and miss the chance to express yourself with greater clarity and originality.

Here are some workplace terms and phrases that I believe are more than ready to be retired:

thinking outside the box — Meant to indicate original ideas. Ironic, since all the originality has long since left this overused phrase. And surely there must be some useful ideas left inside the box! 

let's touch base — More intimate than "Have your people call my people," but still too vague to be a valuable phrase.

not even on my radar — A more sophisticated way to admit, "I was absolutely clueless about this problem until just now!"

bring your A-game — Meant to indicate that you should perform at your very best. But really, as opposed to what…bringing your C-game?

let's knock it out of the park! — Great, another sports metaphor. You'll have listeners wondering, "Am I in a conference room or on a baseball field? Let's see, I'm wearing a skirt and high heels, so…must be a conference room. Who knew?"

get all your ducks in a row — Meant to encourage the listener to prepare carefully before taking action, but I dislike the second, unspoken part of the phrase, which would be: "…before you blow the poor little duckies out of the water." Let's express ourselves without the need for buckshot and feathers flying, shall we?

value-added — This was a biggie at a travel company I used to work for. Stick this term in front of something and people think they're getting more for their money, giving them "more bang for their buck" (another phrase to be avoided!).

let me pick your brain — Conjures up images of Frankenstein and his monster, at best…or Hannibal Lecter, at worst. Ew. Why not just say, "Listen, I need your help"?

run it up the flagpole — Putting an idea out there to get a reaction. Sounds very dated and corny (though it probably sounded just as corny when it was first introduced!).

action items — Whatever happened to a good, old fashioned "to-do list"?

repurpose — A favorite term (and practice!) at another former workplace of mine, meaning taking something that already exists and using it again and again in different products or settings. I guess it's supposed to sound better than "reuse" or "recycle."

made it more user-friendly — A nicer way to say, "No one liked our original version, so we went back and fixed all the problems we should've avoided in the first place."

rightsizing — A rather insulting euphemism for downsizing. Don't even bother trying to put a positive spin, linguistically speaking, on layoffs and reductions-in-force.

streamline our operations — Another way to say that you ran out of money and had to cut back. We get it.

What business buzzwords make you cringe? Run some up the flagpole for us so we can see whether there are some value-added terms that weren't even on our radar. (So sorry!)

Eileen Mager
Writer

(Published March 1, 2010)

All of the employers on Fortune magazine's 2010 list of the 100 best companies to work for go out of their way to create a positive and rewarding company culture. Granted, most of these are large companies (all have at least 1,000 employees) with big budgets to spend on salaries and perks…but it's their employee-centered core priorities that make them stand out. For example:

• 84 of the 100 best companies allow employees to telecommute or work at home at least 20% of the time;
  
  
• nearly one-third of the best companies offer an on-site child-care center;
  
  
• 19 companies offer fully paid sabbaticals;
  
  
• 17 of the best companies have successfully avoided ever having to implement a layoff;
  
  
• 14 companies pay 100% of their employees' health care premiums.

The company at the top of Fortune's list this year, SAS, is the world's largest privately owned software company. SAS goes all-out by offering: child care for $410 a month; 90% coverage of employees' health insurance premium; unlimited sick days; a medical center staffed by four physicians and 10 nurse practitioners at no cost to employees; a free 66,000-square-foot fitness center and natatorium; a lending library; and a summer camp for children. 

And what does SAS get in return for bending over backward to offer all of those perks? An extremely happy, loyal, and productive workforce; job turnover at SAS is the industry's lowest at just 2%.

Okay, so most employers simply can't afford to lavish their employees with such indulgent perks. Trust me, your employees do understand that. The bottom line: Employees appreciate being appreciated. Encourage your employer to show its appreciation in one form or another, perhaps by focusing on one unusual benefit to offer employees, like these employers did:

• Mitre, a nonprofit technology services provider (#69 on the list), pays employees to go back to school, awarding them a one-time bonus of $2,500 to go toward a Master's degree or $4,000 toward a Ph.D.
  
  
• Another employer on the list, Umpqua Bank (#23), loans employees the money to purchase suitable business attire, setting up a payroll deduction so that an employee can then repay the bank at no interest.
  
  
• Cleaning-product producer S.C. Johnson & Son (#83) helps employees manage their personal errands by providing an on-site concierge service to perform such chores as picking up and delivering groceries and changing the oil in employees' cars.

Does your company have any unusual perks or benefits? Share them here! Who knows…perhaps you'll inspire another employer to mimic your best practices, setting them on the road to becoming an employer of choice.
 

Eileen Mager
Writer