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- Gen Z feels like workplace jargon is a different language, a recent LinkedIn survey found.
- They're also taking to TikTok to mock common corporate phrases.
Young professionals are joining the workplace and expecting to climb the corporate ladder and build their network, only to discover that they have to learn a whole new language to keep up with their older peers.
A recent LinkedIn and Duolingo survey of over 1,000 people in the UK between the ages of 18 and 76 found that almost half of Gen Z and millennial respondents said they feel left out at work because of the use of workplace jargon like "blue-sky thinking" and "low-hanging fruit."
Over two-thirds of young people said their colleagues were going overboard with the jargon, and 60% said it feels like a different language, per the survey.
Some workers are taking to TikTok to express their frustrations about this. TikToker DeAndre Brown posted a video with over 400,000 views titled: "Gen Z responding to Corporate Jargon," where he mocks his older peers for using phrases like "elephant in the room," and "hop on a quick call."
At one point in the video, he says in response to the phrases: "Just get to the point. We don't need to do all the corporate jargon. You're wasting time."
Another TikToker who goes by the handle – @stuffkarensays – posted a mini-series on TikTok called CSL – "corporate as a second language" – lessons.
"Welcome back to corporate as a second language where we'll be learning to mask our rage using commonly used corporate jargon," she says. In one video, she jokes that "thanks for your feedback" actually means: "I don't care about your opinion and I will do nothing with this feedback."
Gen Z's main issue with corporate jargon appears to be that their older colleagues don't say what they mean, but are instead masking their views with fake niceness.
Here are eight phrases older professionals are guilty of using that Gen Z find weird:
1. Blue-sky thinking
"Blue-sky thinking" is used to describe a form of creative brainstorming. It encourages people to think creatively without being inhibited by existing beliefs or ideas. It's also ranked top on Gen Z's list of the most annoying phrases, according to the LinkedIn survey.
2. Boiling the ocean
Dramatic much? "Boiling the ocean" is business speak for taking on an impossible or unnecessarily difficult project and is usually considered a negative phrase to describe a task, according to Investopedia. The phrase comes from the literal concept of trying to boil the ocean – an impossible feat.
"Let's not boil the ocean" is another play on this phrase. TikToker @stuffkarensays decodes this in one of her videos, by saying that it really means: "You're doing the most, please stop."
3. A quick flag
When a manager says "a quick flag," it doesn't mean they're asking you to whip out a flag. Instead, they either want to raise something important or that's potentially an issue.
It's one of the most misunderstood and annoying phrases for Gen Z, according to LinkedIn.
4. Ducks in a row
Getting your ducks in a row is all about making sure that you're properly prepared and organized for a task or project. It's also a popular jargon phrase used at work.
But Gen Z isn't on board with it – it's one of the most frequently used phrases in the workplace that this generation can get confused with, per LinkedIn.
5. Herding cats
"Cat herders" in the corporate world are those who can organize different people to come together and complete a difficult task, despite maybe having conflicting views.
It's also another phrase that Gen Z finds confusing, per LinkedIn.
6. Low-hanging fruit
Another offender, "low-hanging fruit," refers to tasks that are the easiest to accomplish. The fruit that hangs lowest on the tree is easiest to pick, after all. But 55% of those surveyed by LinkedIn say they don't understand what it means.
7. Singing from the same hymn sheet
To "sing from the same hymn sheet," refers to people having the same understanding of something or saying the same thing, often publically. For Gen Z, it's just an unnecessarily complicated expression.
8. Move the needle
In business speak, "moving the needle" is all about completing tasks that have a noticeable impact or enough of an effect that people notice.
Gen Z struggles to understand this phrase and would likely prefer a more direct order.
