12 most dehumanizing jargon to ditch
No one wants to be called a “resource.” Cut these 12 words from your vocabulary to make your office a more enjoyable place.
Business jargon is somewhat incomprehensible, and always dehumanizing, demoralizing and demotivating.
We hear people utter these phrases all the time in offices all across the United States. These phrases make employees feel less human and more like replaceable parts in a massive corporate machine.
However, it is simple to rehumanize that dehumanizing business jargon.
1. Resource
One of the most dehumanizing words in corporate jargon is “resource.” It can refer to a copy machine, paper clip or person.
If the resource you’re referring to breathes air, talks and has a name, it is best not to use the word “resource.”
2. Human capital
This is a close cousin to “resource,” but at least it acknowledges that people are different from staplers.
The people who spend 40-plus hours a week working for a company are more valuable than this term implies. A company can’t survive without people.
3. Tap
“We’d like to tap your brain for this upcoming project.”
Ouch! You mean stick a metal object in my brain to drain out my intellect like I am a maple tree? No thanks. But I am happy to help you with the project.
4. It is what it is
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