- Gen Z among least likely to understand corporate jargon, report finds
- Young workers struggle to fit into a world of remote work
- Leaders should prioritize inclusion, not fancy jargon
A new study finds that younger workers feel increasingly disconnected from their workplace, with the average Gen Z worker understanding just 5.3 of 24 common workplace expressions.
More broadly, the average worker of any age identified seven out of 24, with about half (48.8%) understanding five or fewer, revealing a shift in how workplaces communicate, according to the CareerMinds report.
This comes against a backdrop of ongoing transformations, with AI automating many administrative roles and post-pandemic hybrid working changing the way colleagues interact with each other.
Workplace slang is evolving, and here we are today
CareerMinds found that younger workers were less likely to understand terms like “in preparation,” “touching base,” “putting it on the back burner” and “getting into action.” Even the most well-known term, “in the loop,” was only understood by 57.3 percent of respondents.
The report also cites a 2024 external study reporting a decline in social skills and verbal communication skills, likely due to remote work.
With younger workers less likely to feel comfortable in corporate working environments, both physically and digitally, the report says younger workers could be impacted in terms of career progression, confidence and participation.
“For managers, the bottom line is simple: Communicating clearly is a leadership skill, not a sign of being less sophisticated,” wrote career expert Amanda Augustine, implying that managers and leaders should focus on being inclusive of all workers rather than boasting about lesser-known terminology and dated expressions.
“Workplace jargon can be useful as a shortcut, but the results show how easily it can exclude people who haven’t yet learned the language.”
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