What would you ban and why? (Definitely tearoom!)

No don't use the word problem - MichaelG might get a complex from worrying about it. Please use the term issue instead.

John

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Edited By Ajohnw on 23/08/2016 22:06:16

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I see no reason to engage in a pointless squabble. I don't attempt to control it either, whether or not it's what the big i am wants to hear. I certainly wouldn't ban anyone or suggest to over a disagreement. I invite you to do so, if that's how low you want to go.

Michael W

I take issue with the problem of ugly use of language.

;0)

Martin

I would ban forums that are incapable of giving each posting a # number. Makes life difficult to give a reasoned reply.

Regards Ian.

I'd ban all management speak, not just "issues". Worst of all is the need to be "across this issue", meaning to know about the problem or topic of discussion. Then the need to "move forward from this point".

"Major paradigm shift" would be another one. "Productivity" to mean make everyone who is left after the redundancies work harder, or "pedal faster".

And don't slow down on the climb up the career ladder lest you "run out of tarmac".

And any quotes from Sun Tzu's The Art of War in a business context should be banned outright. No, polishing the bum of your pants in an office chair is not just like being at war. Nobody is shooting at you. A bomb is not likely to blow you into a million pieces at any moment. You are not a great warrior because you just clinched a deal to "move more product". Or a great general because you "incentivized" anyone, engaged in "blue-sky thinking", outside the box or otherwise..

Nice one. Like it, but you forgot the low-hanging fruit

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Be gentle, Hopper

It's only jargon ['shorthand' which is used to avoid re-stating commonly understood concepts] ... Rather like that ugly expression "management speak".

MichaelG.

At least one of the phrases aligns with some parts of model engineering - "maintaining traction."

Problems I like; I trained as a problem solving engineer. One of the reasons for retiring was the replacement of problems with challenges.

And going off on a slight tangent, management, some 30 years ago, used to proceed along the lines of, "It's a challenge." "It's a chance to develop yourself." and in a very strong french accent, "You 'ave to do eet!" Can you guess who I was working for?

Colin

Crikey. I don't know about a Tea Room, but I think we need a Therapy Room for sad old gits. I'll be in that queue, I need to get my blood pressure down. There's so much I want to ban.

Steve

I'd ban 'organic food'.. until such time as someone creates inorganic food....

We made a joke only this very morning about using management speak in interviews (rather topical here at the moment seeing as we are all out of a job soon). Ducks in a row, low hanging fruit and comfort breaks to name just a few!!

Temperatures above 25 centigrade.

Neil

No, Neil: temperatures BELOW 25 Centigrade.

There are worse: don't ever work for a company that feels the need for each department to have a mission statement. Astonishingly my Out on time for the stores was approved, even though it had nothing to do with the stock.

Being empowered by a manager means he's getting you to the job he's too lazy/incompetent/inept/ignorant/playing golf to do himself.

Perhaps we should agree to ban diachronic linguistics. That way 'organic' would remain pure and agricultural workers could be called villains without causing offence.

When it comes to the problem versus issue we may have been guilty of preferring opinion and personal experience to checking the evidence. Whilst visiting me mum today I looked "issue" up in her copy of the Shorter OED. The meaning Michael objects to dates from the 16th century. If it's re-emerged recently as a corporate americanism they got it from us!

Next question: what sort of word is 'flea-bay'. I'll open the bidding by suggesting it's a calque.

No wonder we find the simple pleasures of machining metal so compelling...

Cheers,

Dave

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 24/08/2016 19:12:28

Contemptuous

I'd ban the latest Americanism that seems to have crept in where in interviews every reply has to begin with "So...".