Jargon at Work

   The stereotypical IT employee spews computer speak at a dizzying rate of speed.  The babble mystifies listeners and leaves the impression of superiority not helpfulness.  Remember when you didn’t know what “re-boot” meant? Big words and technical terms may sound impressive but they do little to improve communications and get the job done.

    We all do it.  Every industry, specialty and even company has their own jargon and unique terms.  I could bore you to tears talking about COBRA, FTE’s, PEPM, PTO, and a slew of other terms and abbreviations.  Employers call the people they hire, employees, associates, team members, service specialists and baristas!  Locations get nicknames that become part of a culture.  At a start up we gave the cafeteria the grandiose name, Employee Dining Facility.  Everyone called it the EDF. 

    New employees and customers can be particularly baffled by jargon.  When I took my first job as a waitress in high school I searched high and low for the walk-in when the chef instructed me to go there to get some milk.  In case you skipped over the food service phase of employment the walk-in is large refrigerator that you can walk into.  (Inside the walk-in you might find Queen Mary’s and rolling racks.) As a consultant I spend plenty of time in meetings with clients figuring out the terms they are using. 

    While doing some work for a supermarket company I heard one of the most extreme examples of misused jargon.  Two employees of a beverage distributor pulled into the parking lot in front of a store and were overheard having a conversation as they took equipment out of their car.  One asked the other if they “had the gun” and was “it loaded.”  A customer that heard this exchange called the police who responded with a SWAT team on the roof of the supermarket.  The pricing guns used to label products are routinely called guns and they are loaded when the stickers or tags are rea

   You could probably make a long list of jargon that you use all day long.  Don’t stop using the words and terms you need to get the work done.  Explain them to employees, especially new ones.  Encourage employees to ask questions.  Telling a new employee to “go get the gun” will not start a training session off well.  A glossary of terms is really helpful and can be put on line for all to share and add too.  When it comes to customers use words they will understand or take time to explain terms so that they don’t feel they ‘re left in the dark or need to call 911!