Thought grenades explode blue sky thinking in office jargon stakes

WORKERS and managers who use office jargon such as “blue sky thinking” and “singing from the same hymn sheet” have been warned the phrases are out of date and that they should be replaced with new buzzwords.

A survey of 1,600 office staff revealed the best and worst workplace cliches — as well as the “downright ugly”, which are guaranteed to be a huge turn-off for colleagues.

Recruitment firm Office Angels said the essential buzzwords for this year include “thought grenade”, meaning an explosively good idea, and “let’s sunset that”, meaning a bad idea will never see the light of day.

Worst phrases included “thinking outside the box” and “park that thought” as well as the now hated “blue sky thinking”.

Staff also came up with the ugliest phrases, including “getting down with the kids”, meaning a manager trying to interact with junior staff; “open up your kimono”, meaning putting your cards on the table, and “let’s raise the anchor and let this one drift”, meaning to forget about a bad idea.

David Clubb, managing director of Office Angels said: “Jargon is an inevitable part of office life and it’s interesting to see it evolve.

“However, while trendy jargon may be used as a shortcut, clear, simple communication will never go out of fashion. My advice, if in doubt, drop the jargon and simply say what you mean.”