71% Indian professionals seek to eliminate workplace jargon: Report

About 71 per cent of professionals in India want to eliminate or reduce the use of workplace jargon, a new report showed on Tuesday.

According to a report by LinkedIn and Duolingo, specific jargon that Indians find most confusing in the workplace, with "keep me in the loop" taking the title of most confusing, a term that means "keeping someone informed or updated on a topic".

The other confusing terms include "take offline" (to discuss something away from a virtual to an in-person setting), "win-win situation" (results that are favourable for all the parties involved) and "core competency" (capabilities that are one's defining strength).

"Through this survey, we aim to inform individuals about the various corporate jargon, and its implications and highlight the significance of workplace communication in fostering a more conducive work environment," said Karan Kapany, Country Marketing Manager, Duolingo.

About 8 in 10 Indian professionals (81 per cent) believe that workers with a better understanding of workplace jargon can get ahead at work (promotions, raises, etc.) more so than those who struggle to understand workplace terms.

Moreover, the report said that a disproportionate amount of remote (88 per cent) and hybrid (81 per cent) workers struggle with confusion around workplace jargon, as compared to those who work onsite (74 per cent).

Around 78 per cent of Indian professionals feel that jargon is overused in the workplace, with 34 per cent saying they use it all the time and it's part of their vocabulary.

Nearly 1 in 3 (30 per cent) Indian professionals often feel overwhelmed by jargon, saying they feel like their colleagues are speaking in a language they don't understand.

Further, the report mentioned that Gen Z (60 per cent) and Millennials (63 per cent) are the most confused by jargon, having misunderstood or misused it at their workplace.

"Linguistic habits and preferences vary greatly in India and across the world. So, when you're working with teams that have different functions, are spread across borders, or come from diverse cultures, it's crucial to use simpler and more inclusive language so there's less or no room for misinterpretation," said Nirajita Banerjee, LinkedIn Career Expert and India Managing Editor.

Nearly 37 per cent of professionals said figuring out the meaning of jargon in their workplace made them feel left out of conversations.