ajcjobs > BlogBreak > Archives > 2007 > March > 08
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Office talk overkill?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In the movie “Office Space” (which should be required viewing for anyone who works in an office and is not terribly offended by four-letter words or scenes of extreme violence against a fax machine), the protagonist, Peter, is accused by an overly perky co-worker of “having a case of the Mondays.” This phrase annoys him enough that he later asks his construction-worker neighbor, Lawrence, whether anyone ever says that at his job. Lawrence replies that saying something like that likely would result in physical harm — though, of course, Lawrence puts it more colorfully.
People tend to have their favorite — and least favorite — phrases, and being around the same people at work every day offers ample opportunities to hear them over and over … and over … One of my friends had a boss who always used to say, “Lord willing and the creek don’t rise,” which grated on her nerves.
My pet-peeve phrases usually have something to do with overused or otherwise irritating business jargon. A former boss would pepper virtually every e-mail, memo or conversation with “FYIs.” (I still get a little shudder down my spine when I hear that!) My current No. 1 verbal nemesis is “at the end of the day” — as in, “At the end of the day, we will have created a profitable and crowd-pleasing product.” As with many pet peeves, this one isn’t easily explained. It’s not even an objection to the literal meaning (few of the projects being discussed are completed in a day!) so much as to the phrase itself and its seemingly endless appearances at meetings and in other “business-speak” situations.
What words or phrases do your co-workers or bosses use over and over that just rub you the wrong way for some reason? Why do you think those words or phrases irk you so much? Have you ever said anything to the boss or co-worker about something he or she says that gets on your nerves? Or do you just grin, bear it and tune it out?
