'We need a chat' | Scary phrases at work to avoid - and why

If there's one thing guaranteed to send the fear of all the Halloween ghouls into a member of staff - including those in HR - it's 'Can we have a chat?'

That phrase is just one of the five top 'scaries' listed by LinkedIn in its recent research, and while it might seem like a lighthearted list, the language they've highlighted will be familiar and could be triggering for staff.

The top five 'workplace scaries' was topped with 'Receiving a message from your manager asking for a chat with no context' (24%) and also included being asked to give a presentation last minute (22%), accidentally sending a private message in a team chat (20%) and having to own up to a mistake that you’ve made (19%).

So just why does certain language send people into anxiety at work?

It's not just 'can we have a chat?' there's also 'Did you see my email?' and 'Can I have five minutes of your time?'. All short phrases with more power to scare than the worst of halloween costumes or make up on a dark night.