10 phrases Brits are sick of hearing at work

Photo: Headway/Unsplash
Don't say the wrong thing to your colleagues. Photo: Headway/Unsplash

Bonding with your colleagues can sometimes be a thankless task, so you definitely don’t want to make it more difficult by saying the wrong thing.

But there are some cliche phrases Brits just can’t stand in the workplace. A survey by job board CV-Library found a number of sayings that working Brits find to be particularly irritating, including:

“With all due respect” — When you say something “with all due respect,” it’s often not actually very respectful. So it’s hardly surprising this is the most disliked phrase of all, with half (47%) of Brits finding it aggravating.

READ MORE: Brits reveal what would most make them happier at work

“Reach out” — You might want to stick to “contact,” as a third (31%) of Brits said they hate being told to “reach out” to someone at work.

“At the end of the day” — This phrase gets thrown around a lot, and a third (30%) of Brits are sick of hearing it.

“Think outside the box” — With 27% of professionals becoming frustrated by this phrase, it’s probably best it stays firmly inside the box, never to be opened again.

READ MORE: The colleague we all know who looks busy while doing nothing

“It is what it is” — A quarter (24%) of Brits hate this phrase, which doesn’t actually say anything and could imply you don’t care about the subject.

“Let’s regroup” — One in five (19%) people would prefer that this phrase disappears from your lexicon.

“Can I borrow you for a second?” — One in five (19%) busy Brits said they would rather not hear this while they’re working. Let’s be honest, it’s bound to be more than a second.

READ MORE: Three quarters of Brits want to be touched less at work

“Have you got two minutes?” — And about 18% do not have two minutes to spare.

“At this moment in time” — It’s easy to see why 13% of people find this long-winded way of saying “now” incredibly frustrating.

“Get the ball rolling” — Curb your use of this overused phrase, as 11% of Brits admitted to getting wound up whenever they hear it.