New tech tool aims to decode workplace jargon

Communicating at work can often feel like deciphering out an alphabet soup of acronyms and other corporate buzzwords. While seemingly more efficient, this can have an adverse effect for many employees. 

Sixty-percent of employees say they have to decode workplace-specific jargon on their own, slowing down their productivity, and 40% have made a mistake at work due to a lack of understanding around workplace vocabulary, according to a report from Duolingo and LinkedIn. The survey found that phrases like "run it up the flagpole," and "move the needle" are the most confusing phrases for employees. Acronyms like KPI (key performance indicator) and ROI (return on investment) are the most-searched acronyms on WordFinder. 

"Because we're all now using our computers, every keystroke matters, and humans want to figure out the most efficient way to communicate," says Cameron Lindsay, CEO of Haystack, a workplace intranet solution. "It also can be very exclusionary and can create this sort of barrier to entry." 

Read more: 10 most annoying workplace buzzwords 

To get employees on the same page, Haystack has recently rolled out a new tool called Glossary, which enables organizations to put all of their most-used jargon and buzzwords in one searchable place. Organizations can access the tool for free, and employees can then search for the definitions they're unfamiliar with, be it business terms or office slang. 

Lindsay says he's had many experiences throughout his career where he struggled to decode workplace jargon, but was too afraid to ask for a definition. At one company, a weeks-long confusion kept him from understanding a basic acronym used at his organization every day. 

"I joined an HR company and in one of my first meetings, I heard a term that sounded like the word 'atrus.' I didn't know how to spell it and I tried searching for every possible variant and I didn't want to sound dumb," he says. "After weeks and weeks of not asking, I saw it on a powerpoint: HRIS, [which stands for] Human Resource Information System. This was a core thing that the company sold and I didn't even know what it was." 

The digital glossary can help employees save face, Lindsay says, but more importantly, can be an opportunity for employers to brand their internal terms and lingo. Engineering firms, universities and organizations across industries have already started utilizing the tool. 

Read more: Sus, lit, fire: Translating Gen Z's most-used office slang 

For many, it's an extension of how employers are already operating, but now, it's accessible and searchable through platforms like Slack and Google suite. Haystack has also added pre-loaded "packs" of common terms related to industry, or even generational slang. 

"Companies have common terminology listed somewhere, whether it's a Google doc or a spreadsheet, so you can upload that into Glossary and it will import the terms for you," Lindsay says. "We also have pre-defined packs relative to Gen Z terms, or industry packs for finance or engineering." 

While having these tools can mitigate confusion, it's also important to have a culture where employees can freely ask questions, Lindsay says. As employees also job-hop more frequently, employers should take into account there will be a learning curve as new team members get up to speed. 

"It starts at the top — having an organization where you see leaders who aren't afraid to ask questions," he says. "Good organizations know that you just can't assume people know terms. Really spell it out, which is a cheap and easy way to get people up and running faster than ever."