Workplace jargon 'isolates staff'
November 6, 2006
Needless jargon in the workplace is baffling employees and widening the divide between management and staff, a survey suggests.
Investors in People said that the proliferation of phrases such as "blue-sky thinking" and "brain dump" was damaging to British industry.
About a third of the 3,000 workers polled said they felt inadequate when wordy terms were needlessly used.
Others believed bosses were being untrustworthy, or hiding something.
'Lead by example'
Many managers used jargon without considering the impact it has on staff said Nicola Clark, a director at Investors in People, which works with firms to boost their performance.
"Bosses need to lead by example, ditch needless jargon and concentrate on communicating clearly with their employees," she added.
"If used inappropriately, jargon can be an obstacle to understanding, which ultimately can impact on an individual's performance and an organisation's productivity."
A survey of Scottish workers found that more than half were fed up with bosses using management jargon with two-thirds preferring no jargon at all in the workplace.
"Communication is one of the hardest things to get right in any organisation," said Peter Russian, chief executive of Investors in People Scotland.
"Using management jargon doesn't make you a good manager.
"The most effective bosses recognise that one of the keys to engaging, motivating and enthusing people is to communicate in a way which everyone can easily understand."
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