Expert Shares Advice About What Not to Say at Work

Some things are better left unsaid at work, since they might annoy or offend your coworkers. The CEO and Co-Founder of AI career tool Kickresume, Peter Duris, shares his expert advice on the topic.

Peter Duris, CEO and Co-Founder of Kickresume, comments:

“While every workplace is different and some teams communicate more casually than others, there are still some general rules of thumb that are helpful to keep in mind. In general, avoiding jargon and being polite and inclusive in your emails and face-to-face will go a long way.

“There are also some phrases that might rub people the wrong way, like saying “I’m too busy” when you’re asked to do something, or “As per my last email.” Here are some alternative ways to say the same thing without risking annoying your coworkers!”

What not to say in the office

• Corporate jargon: Our recent study found that participants were much less likely to understand, trust, or remember a memo filled with jargon compared to one written in plain English. What’s more, 75% of posts on LinkedIn about jargon were negative—entry level employees hated this type of language the most, with 85% of their posts about corporate speak being critical.
• “I’m too busy”: If your boss or a colleague asks you to do something and you don’t have capacity, it’s best to avoid this phrase even if it’s totally true. Instead, let them know you already have a lot of other work that needs to be done, and if it’s your manager asking, turn the question back on them and ask which task you should prioritise.

What not to say in your emails

• “Ladies” or “gents”: You don’t want to make anyone feel excluded if you’re emailing a mixed gender group of colleagues. There was even a recent case in the UK in which an former employee of the insurance firm Royal & Sun Alliance sued for sex discrimination after receiving emails addressed “Gents”. Although she lost her case, the employment tribunal agreed that this word is old-fashioned and not inclusive. Instead, stick to “Hi all” or “everyone”.
• “As per my last email”: Everyone knows it’s annoying when someone doesn’t seem to have read your last email or seems to have missed or ignored a key point. But this phrase can come across passive-aggressive or condescending. What might be better is to say “it’s really important that…” and then reiterate whatever it is you need from your colleague.

What not to say in your OOO reply

• “Contact my colleague, so-and-so”: Unless you’ve agreed with them that they’re happy to cover emails for you while you’re off. This is especially true if you’re in a profession where you receive lots of emails, as it could add significantly to their workload.
• Consider who’ll be reading it: Don’t forget that with Outlook and other email tools, you can tailor your out-of-office message based on the recipient. So while a jokey reply might be fine for your teammates, a more serious version wouldn’t go amiss for your clients, customers or other contacts outside the business.