People share 'corporate buzzwords' they'd like to fire immediately without pay
It's time to retire 'fast-paced environment' once and for all!
Can we pivot to something else already?
OK, hive mind. Ready to do a deep dive to develop some synergy and make a lasting impact?
Yeah, corporate lingo can be kind of cringe.
Even in the age of working from home, we are still just as subject to the latest business-speak meant to inspire and motivate employees, which instead makes our brains say “kill me please.” In fact, it’s sometimes even more awkward. Who hasn’t had an “all hands” Zoom meeting where they had to “touch base,” “circle back,” then offer a “final thought?” No one. No one, I tell you.
Reddit user u/PM_ME_YOUR_MUSIC asked, “What are the most annoying corporate buzzwords or phrases you’re sick of?” and let’s just say that people “hit the ground running” with hilarious answers. No “low-hanging fruit” here. Are you triggered yet?
Below are 11 of the best answers that anyone in a corporate environment can relate to and giggle at. Read 'em fast, and you’ll “get five minutes of your time back”.1. "Take a more holistic approach"
“I will place a rose quartz on the copy machine and rub the stapler with rosemary oil.” – @Synicist
2. “Competitive pay”
“Yes your pay will be competing with your bills.” – @PM_ME_YOUR_MUSIC
3. "Our workers are part of our family"
“Translation: we have boundary issues.” – @shanster925
4. When someone refers to a request as an “ask”
“We had a word for this already, what was wrong with it?” – @Johanssjoberg
“Request is two syllables. Not punchy, not cool.” – @Fred2718
5. "We all wear multiple hats around here"
“I hear this everyday. It's just an excuse to not hire anyone else.” – @ChurchWineDrunk
6. "Rockstar"
“My company already changed 'rockstar' to 'jedi' in our JD 5 years ago. They changed it to 'ninja' at the beginning of this year.” – No_Imagination_4907
“I hate your company.” – @JohnCail01
7. “Win win win”
“First people said ‘win win’ for something that was good for both parties, this makes sense. One popular exec said ‘win win win’ once for something that helped us, our third party partners and the customer. That's fine as a one off and a good play on the original expression. But now every exec says it's a ‘win win win’ when something good happens. They're not even a ‘win win’, just something that's good for one party.” – @NotACockroach
8. "Willing to work in fast-paced environment"
“*ends up in cubicle*” – @Raven0uss
“Should really hire two people but only willing to pay for one.” – @Sellswordinthegrove
9. “Core values”
“A corporation is a corporation, they don't have values aside from their responsibilities to their shareholders and the law. Pretending there's some moral or ethical policy overriding any of that is insulting to the employees who are expected to parrot it.” – @Aquoad
10. "Must have excellent communication skills"
“What if they are just great communication skills, huh? I guess I'm screwed.” – @TheBladeRoden
11. "Young, dynamic and fast-growing team"
"In my experience, it usually means inexperienced people, frequent resignations and just general lack of stability.” – @longlegs25
Or maybe you prefer to steal this person's delightfully positive take on the whole thing:
"I love corporate buzzwords. You can send emails which sound intelligent without actually saying anything and just confuse everyone." – @boywithtwoarms
"Now your fishes will be warmed."
"To have one’s eyes lined with ham."
"To lay your head in water."
"Repetition teaches the donkey."
"I only understand train station."
"To speak directly from the liver."
"Horse horse, tiger tiger."
Beaver in water. Photo by 
An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
Medusa image of giant squid in Gulf of Mexico off of Mississippi Gulf CoastPhoto credit: 
Sign warning against feeding alligators next to alligator in Mississippi marshlandsCourtesy of Jacalyn Wetzel
Mississippi Gulf Coast beach in BiloxiCourtesy of Jacalyn Wetzel
2009 photo of giant squid caught in Gulf of Mexico near Mississippi GulfPhoto credit: 
Thank goodness this story has a happy ending.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."