Whether it is a manager or a team member everyone has a certain lingo that they commonly use in their regular conversation; either with their colleagues, in meetings or while talking to their managers. I haven’t really made a conscious effort of noticing people’s lingo but now after reading this it makes me think – Yes, I think I have worked with people who use some commonly used phrases in their day-to-day conversation.

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Even the most boring office space has sources of amusement. You just need to know what to look for. One such source can be ‘office lingo’. These are phrases that bosses insist on overusing. As stupid and irritating as they are, they can lighten up your day as well.
According to HR expert Abhishek Bohra, there are simpler ways of saying the same things. “But bosses prefer to sound authoritative without realising that they simply sound corny. The only thing you can do is use your politest fake smile and bear with it,” he says.

We decode the 12 most common ones for you:

Give it your 110 per cent

Meaning: Make an extra effort towards work.

Think out of the box

Meaning: Get more creative and innovative.

Do you have the bandwidth for…?

Meaning: Can you fit more into your schedule?

I have you in my radar

Meaning: I’m tracking what you are doing.

Have 360 degree thinking

Meaning: Make sure you take all contingencies into account.

Don’t let the grass grow on this one

Meaning: I need this done as soon as possible, preferably yesterday!

Let’s brain storm

Meaning: Let’s put our heads together for better ideas (usually ends up being a useless meeting!).

Take it to XYZ level of granularity

Meaning: Pay attention to the details.

Let’s touch base on XYZ

Meaning: Let’s discuss something. This usually means you are in trouble.

Let’s knife-and-fork it

Meaning: A nice way of saying your work was crude and needs refinement.

You need to push the envelope

Meaning: Give your work more, more and more.

I can see where you are coming from

Meaning: I get your point. The only reason this is annoying is that it’s always followed by a ‘but’!

Office speak can be annoying when it’s directed at you, but it also makes for great dinner table conversation. Pick your favourite phrases and start a conversation about them the next time you have a bunch of friends over. They will come up with even better ones of their own!

Here is another one: Decoding Office Lingo

So what’s the lingo like in your office? And who are the people who generally do that? Is it your mate, manager or a colleague? It would be interesting to know.

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