Have you got your ducks in a row? Is your business on the runway and are your employees ready to do a ‘brain dump’?
If the answer to any of these questions is ‘yes’ then chances are you are the type of boss that uses jargon, while your employees are crying out for plain English.
This is because most employees are sick of management jargon in the workplace, according to a new report by Yougov.
More than half of UK employees said the use of jargon phrases such as ‘blue-sky thinking’ and ‘the helicopter view’ was a problem at work.
However, despite 54% of UK employees saying jargon is problem, workers are less likely to experience it if they work in a small company.
Only 19% of employees in small firms say jargon is used at work, compared with 65% of workers in big businesses.
The research also suggests the use of management jargon is damaging to work environments - over a third of those surveyed think it betrays a lack of confidence.
One in five think people who use the jargon are ‘untrustworthy’ or trying to cover something up.
“The research gives bosses an invaluable insight into the impact of management jargon on the workplace,” said Nicola Clark, director at Investors in People UK.
“If used inappropriately, jargon can be an obstacle to understanding, which ultimately can impact on an individual’s performance and an organisation’s productivity,” she added.
Clark is urging bosses to ‘lead by example, ditch needless jargon, and concentrate on communicating clearly with their employees’.
© Crimson Business Ltd. 2006
