“Smashed it”: The office buzzwords hated most by legal workers

Sep 20, 2018

Written By Becky Kells, Editor, AllAboutLaw

You might not have even entered the legal workplace yet, but when you do, it’s probably a good idea to avoid irritating your colleagues: that means swerving the clichés! Here’s a list of buzzwords guaranteed to annoy the others in the office—probably best to keep them to a minimum!

Buzzwords and jargon seem to be unavoidable in the modern workplace, no matter how annoying people might find them. 4Com has looked into the phenomenon, surveying those working in the legal sector to discover the profession’s most irritating office jargon.

According to 23% of the legal sector, “It’s on my radar”, “smashed it”, and “I’ve got a lot on my plate” are the three worst buzzwords they have heard their colleagues utter. Describing something as a “no brainer”, asking someone to “run the numbers”, or attempting to boost unity by declaring “there’s no ‘I’ in team” came in as a solid second at 15%, as did “best practice” and “a holistic review”.

If you’re guilty of “thinking outside the box”; “going back to the drawing board”; or asking, “what’s the bigger picture?”; you’re also likely to have annoyed your colleagues. It would seem that lawyers aren’t keen on metaphors: “having the bandwith to take on more” and “taking a deep dive” were also flagged as irritating office utterances.

Despite one in seven (15%) legal workers agreeing office buzzwords are annoying, the same percentage (15%) admit to using them daily.

Some claim to use office jargon without really noticing (15%), while others choose to use the language in order to impress their co-workers (15%). One in seven (15%) legal workers even confess to using the language at home - and enjoying it.

Additionally, the survey looked into the jargon those in the legal industry use most often. The top five most commonly used office buzzwords and phrases are:

- 39% - No brainer; Thinking outside the box; ASAP (39%)

- 31% - Win win; I’ve got a lot on my plate; Catch up (31%)

- Best practice; Give you a heads up; At the end of the day; To be fair (23%)

- There’s no ‘I’ in ‘team’, Back to the drawing board; Smashed it; What’s the bigger picture? (15%)

- Close of play; Value added; Let’s touch base; Run the numbers; I’ll just ping that over; Wash-up; Check in; I’m working on the deck; From the get go; Matrix; Thanks for flagging; Play hardball (8%)

Commenting on the research, Mark Pearcy, Head of Marketing at 4Com said, “We can all be guilty of using the odd buzzword or two when talking to colleagues. It might sound snappier in an email, but unless the person receiving it knows exactly what you mean, there’s not much point!”

If you’re about to start your training contract, or are hoping to land yourself a vacation scheme interview, commit these words to memory – and avoid them.

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