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Office banter? Bosses left fuming by buzzwords that have literally no substance

People who use buzzwords such as “literally,” “yolo” and “banter” in the workplace are liable to leave their employers foaming at the mouth, according to research.

Britain’s bosses are fed up with hearing their co-workers and candidates spouting “annoying buzzwords,” because they make communication difficult, isolate those who don’t know what they mean and lack substance, the report by CV Library found.

Read more: Balls on Milibrand: "It's what the young people call banter"

The survey of 300 employers across the country found the most annoying were crutch words such as “obviously,” which frustrated 50 per cent of bosses, while “literally” and “like” got under the skin of 46 per cent and 42 per cent respectively.

Other irritants include the terms “just sayin’”, “banter” and “totes,” which got under employers' skins when they made it into office vocabulary.

Lee Biggins, CV Library chief executive said “When you’re under a lot of stress in a leadership position, it’s easy to lose your rag with irritating employees. However, this isn’t conducive to a positive working atmosphere, so it’s important that you find constructive ways to resolve the situation.

“So, the next time an employee says ‘my bad’ or ‘epic fail’ when they make a mistake, resist the urge to jump out of the nearest window! Instead, take them aside and explain that this type of speak isn’t appropriate for the office.”

Employers are left angry by the phrases because they are unprofessional, and risk aggravating delicate situations, according to the job site.

Ranked: Most annoying office buzzwords

  1. Obviously (49.8 per cent)

  2. Literally (45.9 per cent)

  3. Like (42.4 per cent)

  4. Just sayin’ (16.2 per cent)

  5. Banter (14.4 per cent)

  6. Totes (14 per cent)

  7. Amazeballs (11.4 per cent)

  8. My bad (10.5 per cent)

  9. Yolo (10 per cent)

  10. Me thinks (8.7 per cent)

  11. Sorry not sorry (8.3 per cent)

  12. On fleek (7.9 per cent)

  13. Epic fail (4.8 per cent)

  14. Cheeky (5.2 per cent)