Corporate jargon | Balancing necessity with authentic communication

From ‘circling back’ to ‘assessing bandwidth’ or ‘drilling down,’ there are a plethora of phrases that often draw eye-rolls from employees for their cliché overuse within the workplace.

In the age of widespread social media ridicule, and yes a whole subsection of TikTok exists purely to lampoon the workplace, these terms are the veritable low-hanging-fruit of the corporate world, yet they persist. Why? In essence, because they’re a relatively useful means of conveying complex ideas quickly.

These terms serve as a shorthand for conveying ideas and concepts that might otherwise require lengthier explanations. In certain contexts, particularly within specialised industries or fast-paced environments, utilising jargon can facilitate clear and concise communication among colleagues who share a common understanding of the terminology.

This is absolutely true of the HR sector. As a tech-enabled and analytical function at the forefront of change within businesses, HR comes replete with a whole host of jargon terms. Even the basic tenets of the function, such as L&D, Comp & Bens, D&I, wellbeing, KPIs, LMS’ (etc, etc) are complex concepts condensed into a perfect bitesize phrase which can fit into a short message.