The American news outlet NPR recently reported on a survey by the language app Preply that found irritation with ビジネス用語 (bijinesu yōgo, business jargon), terms and idioms used in work settings that can sometimes gloss over the seriousness of what is being talked about. Examples included “workforce reduction,” which can refer to layoffs, and “fast-paced environment,” which might mean a chaotic work environment.
NPR said a similar report by LinkedIn and Duolingo found that 60% of Gen Z-aged workers want to ditch workplace jargon entirely.
Japanese office workers share the same sentiment. In a separate poll conducted in Japan, ビジネス用語の誤解が追加の会議など無駄な時間につながると回答した人は7割でした (bijinesu yōgo no gokai ga tsuika no kaigi nado mudana jikan ni tsunagaru to kaitō shita hito wa nana-wari deshita, 70% of respondents answered that misunderstandings of business terms result in wasted time such as additional meetings).