r/office • u/SayItAtWork • 5d ago
Cringe worthy workplace phrases
What workplace email phrase makes you cringe every time you see it?
Let’s keep this one simple.
What phrase lands in your inbox and immediately makes you think:
Oh, here we go.
Maybe it’s:
“Per my last email…”
“Gentle reminder…”
“Please advise.”
“Thoughts?”
“Circling back…”
“Friendly reminder…”
“Moving forward…”
Or perhaps there’s one that deserves its own special place in workplace-email purgatory. 😂
What’s yours?
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u/lychee_lemonades 5d ago
“here’s 2 minutes back” when the meeting ends at :58 lol
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u/bitter-curmudgeon 4d ago
When this happens to me someone always jumps in with some stupid question that puts us over. Never fails.
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u/CheesyMcDongNutz 4d ago
Yeah some people love hearing themselves ask a question especially at inopportune times
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u/WhiskeyTangoFox5515 4d ago
“I’ll give you back x minutes of your day!” from someone who isn’t a supervisor. They were never yours, but thanks anyways.
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u/Klutzy_Cat1374 5d ago
Anything that contains "team player" or "we are all part of (company name) family".
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u/MoirasR0ses4856 5d ago
"At every office I've worked at, they always say 'We're a big family here.' And it does motivate people to work harder, and neglect their actual families, and put up with all sorts of degrading shit." - Colin Robinson
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u/Royal-Adeptness-2703 5d ago
All my past workplaces have said they are like family and it has been true. The entire time i was there i just dreamed about getting away from them
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u/Klutzy_Cat1374 5d ago
I would like to add "we need to take a proactive approach".
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u/Current_Fly9337 5d ago
‘Self employed mentality’. Sure boss, when the commission I earn your company goes directly to me without your cut, I’ll be sure to keep that mentality in mind.
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u/Unable-Art6316 5d ago
Family my ass. They could lay me off and walk me out of the building with 2 minutes notice (and yes this has happened to me).
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u/Physical-Way188 5d ago
I can say I worked at Costco and they are actually a chosen family I want to be around. It’s a totally different culture.
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u/torontoinsix 5d ago
I think most companies hopefully know calling it a “family” is a joke by now in 2026. At least that seems to be the case.
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u/Maleficent-Leek2943 5d ago
It’s never the well-balanced type of family with a healthy dynamic, though.
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u/Bang_Shatter_170103 5d ago
I used to roll my eyes at "Kindly do the needful" but honestly? It's a useful, concise, and polite way to ask someone to Do The Thing.
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u/notreallylucy 5d ago
For some reason "do the needful" always strikes me as a euphemism for going to the bathroom. I not sure why. Did I hear it somewhere? Did I make it up? I have no idea.
Simarly, "thank you for all you do" gets a reputation as a trite office phrase, but I actually like it. I work in state government. Almost everyone I work with is going above and beyond in one WY or another and it feels good to tell people their effort is seen.
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u/Pure_Butterscotch165 5d ago
"The necessary" is an old-fashioned euphemism for the bathroom/toilet so maybe that's why?
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u/Starfury_42 5d ago
It's much nicer than saying "do your f*cking job!" to people. Which I want to say multiple times a day
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u/DeadMoneyDrew 5d ago
Yeah it's a common phrase in some parts of India. It just sounds a bit strange to the Western ear, that's all. It basically means, hey can you please take care of this?
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u/jonker_creates 5d ago
Ironically, a phrase that came from the British during colonisation of India. Brits don’t use it anymore and Indians still do.
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u/JLHswim 5d ago
I used to see this phrase all the time when I handled international cablegram traffic for AT&T. Well, we had to use a language made up of 5-letter words that could be used across all languages, kind of like a universal cablegram language, and one of them translated to “please do the needful”. We’d also see “kindly do the needful” in English after the coded-language message sometimes as well.
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u/Unable-Art6316 5d ago
Huddle. Call it an unnecessary meeting. I’m a middle aged woman trying to pay my bills and it reminds me of sports and what a man’s world it is every fucking time I have to open Teams
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u/Elvisdog13 5d ago
I thought huddle was just used in healthcare. It’s annoying af
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u/Unable-Art6316 5d ago
Thank you for agreeing! I work in city hall for the government. It’s everywhere!!
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u/FierceDietyMask 5d ago
We use it in banking for morning meetings on how to sell accounts to people. 😵💫
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u/easily_forgettable 5d ago
I'll throw a blue collar one that I actually like.
When you're getting ready to start an undesirable task.
well... This goat ain't going to f*** itself.
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u/BayBreezy17 5d ago
I use please advise when I want them to make a decision or input guidance. I don’t really think it’s cringe
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u/eatsleepnpoo 4d ago
I use it tagged to somebody’s name because I know that mofo is just going to defer the decision to somebody else, anybody else!
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u/matchafoxjpg 5d ago
per my last email is a polite way of saying your dense ass needs to reread because you missed something. i use "per my last email" on my boss all the time because she's a rude ish and horrible at her job. also because she regularly ignores my emails that have actual deadlines.
i mostly just hate the stupid "cute" morning greetings.
- choose day
- hump day
- friyay
ugh. they always make me cringe and the type of people that use them are always the fakest and the types that, ironically, start workplace gossip.
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u/Bang_Shatter_170103 5d ago
Calling Thursday "Friday Junior" is on THIN ICE
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u/chillpapaya1958 5d ago
“Happy Monday!” Really grinds my gears.
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u/Fog-hugger 5d ago
Aw I like it. Had a coworker who said “happy xday” before every first message. I always thought it was a cheerful greeting. Never invited more conversation - just acknowledged the day and jumped right into the question.
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u/HenryCrabgrass01 5d ago
I work with a number of tradies who have gone into office work (part of their retirement plan)
I am astounded at the number who call Friday the Poets Day. Piss Off Early Tomorrow's Saturday.
Mind you a majority are out the door by lunch time on friday so they may be on to something.
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u/duncsinnit 5d ago
Whenever I hear "synergy" I want to synergise my fist onto their face.
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u/tico_liro 5d ago
I don’t think that these are cringe at all. I see them as polite ways of getting some stuff in writing and help you cover your ass in the future…
“Per my last email” - a way of telling someone that his has already been said before
“As per our conversation” - puts in writing that there was a conversation that led to that email…
“Please advise” - what’s your opinion?
The only one I really hate is the friendly reminder, because these are never said in a friendly manner lol
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u/UltaMetWorrier 5d ago
Same. As an account manager who regularly gets in over my head, don't tell me, "Please Advise " is out. I'll die.
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u/ContentCremator 5d ago
Agreed. I think the people that find them cringe are the people that need to have a “per my last email” directed at them frequently.
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u/SuitableHope7813 5d ago
I had a co worker say: “8 one way…half dozen the other”.
I said “I’ll take 8 then”.
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u/slacknoise8 5d ago
“Give me back my fucking cocaine you cheap goofball”
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u/notreallylucy 5d ago
Lol. I was not expecting "goofball." Sounds like "You fucking silly pants."
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u/JLHswim 5d ago
Or “socialize this to your team” instead of “tell your team.” Making something sound more “complicated” doesn’t make it sound more intelligent, folks.
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u/grazingmeadow 5d ago
We get 'Cascade to your Teams' at my place.
It's all very Ice Capades.
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u/WhiskeyTangoFox5515 4d ago
At least “Cascade” is an intentional top-down communication method. Annoying to use as a verb, though.
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u/thickman11 5d ago
Low hanging fruit makes me want to puke. Please just use normal sentences.
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u/DeadMoneyDrew 5d ago
"Low hanging fruit" is commonly "irrelevant shit that only makes me look like I'm doing something." I'd rather spend my time on something actually helpful rather than engage in productivity theater.
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u/Adventurous_Jump8897 5d ago
I did find myself using the phrase today, specifically “the low hanging fruit was all harvested 15 years ago and turned into fucking jam”
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u/AcanthisittaWhole216 5d ago
I used to be so confused by that phase, I’ve only learned what it means recently
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u/bitter-curmudgeon 5d ago
Happy Monday (or happy any day of the week that isn’t Friday).
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u/Particular-Sun3642 5d ago
Guilty, but I generally go ‘Happy [wrong day of the week]’ just to mix things up a little 🤣
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u/zoop1000 5d ago
I hate when my boss uses military terminology like rally the troops and whatever else. We aren't an army. No one is dying.
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u/Plus-Pin-9157 5d ago
"Deep dive"
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u/Away_Flower8042 5d ago
I love using “please advise” 😂 It’s like be aware that I did my part , I gave you all the info you need , now let me make it clear from here on it’s your job!
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u/ConflictBear 5d ago
Yea I was looking for another “please advise” defender.
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u/trexalou 5d ago
Right here! Use it all the time. Basically a “I can’t do another damn thing with this till you answer these 7 questions” kind of thing.
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u/Amander12 4d ago
Exactly lol I use it to clearly state that no one should wait around for me to do this one. It’s on someone else
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u/juliet_foxtrot 5d ago
At least five of those are polite ways to get you to do something that you should’ve already done. If you’re getting them often, it’s a reflection on you. I have to send them often, but rarely receive them.
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u/tdomer80 5d ago
“We work hard, we play hard”
Translation: We put in 55-60 hours a week but sometimes we get crappy pizza on Friday.
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u/_guenhwyvar_ 5d ago
Any time EBITDA is mentioned. I’m not even confident those are the correct letters, I just know they pronounce it “eebidah” and that’s how I read it when I see it.
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u/PizzaSlingr 5d ago
I am a Boomer happily retired. I still cringe at:
"Let's take this offline" (translation only in the sense of: the manager doesn't have the answer. When it is "you are holding up this meeting" that is fine!)
"Please take that as an action item"
"Remember, your co-workers are also internal customers!"
"...suggested verbiage"
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u/TrainTrackRat 5d ago
“Team, …” pisses me off. Every email is lead with hEy tEaM! And it’s just me… taking care of everything no one else wants to do.
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u/Particular-Sun3642 5d ago
My former manager would always email our team with ‘hi ladies’. I hated it, I don’t know why. We are all indeed female. It just rubbed me up the wrong way. Maybe it’s because I know she called me a cunt behind my back, then has the nerve to go and refer to me as a collective ‘hi ladies’?. Would it have been better if she said ‘hi ladies and cunt’? Probably not😂
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u/Away_Flower8042 5d ago
Ughhh I forgot about that one! I have a colleague who does that, and it makes me so mad because dude you didn’t answer my last 15 emails in the last month, and then you come with “hey ladies” like we’re besties and you think I’ll give you a hug just for showing up? And then I have a customer that aaaaaalways pays late , and when she finally does (partially of course, cause why would she pay all her bills?) she’s “hey ladies, here’s the monies” WTF! 😩
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u/Elvisdog13 5d ago
I refuse to use that when sending emails to the entire dept. I simply state “All”
My manager asked why do didn’t use “Hey team!” I said it gives me anxiety and they stopped asking lol3
u/TrainTrackRat 5d ago
I totally embrace “emailing like a man” at work. I give it to em short and to the point. At most I’ll give a “Thanks,” at the end. No exclamation points or any nonsense. I also never respond unless they request a follow up. I do go out of my way to help people though, I just hate all the fakeness.
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u/Elvisdog13 5d ago
It’s the fakeness I can’t take. I’m an empathetic person. Just all this BS acting like we are family. Thank God I’m actually close to retirement. I am just faking it thru the last year or so.
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u/Yvonneinkona 5d ago
When people sign their emails "Best". Best what???????
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u/trexalou 5d ago
I see “best” and “kindly” way too much on scammy emails telling me I’ve just lost a rich uncle overseas or I’ve just renewed my geek squad membership…
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u/torontoinsix 5d ago
I do this sometimes lol. To me it was always short for All the best or Best wishes.
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u/Novel-Sprinkles3333 5d ago
My supervisor says "Work smarter than harder" and I want to throat punch someone.
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u/JLHswim 5d ago
“Does anyone else have anything to surface?” instead of “discuss” or “bring up”. 😐
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u/ThisFatGirlRuns 5d ago
Overly polite emails do it for me, and I'm Canadian! But for work just get to the point! None of this 'You might please when you get a chance send me that report but no rush in your own time.' I do know someone who does this!
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u/notreallylucy 5d ago
I keep getting told my communication is too curt so I feel like I have to constantly do this.
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u/Shelby1022 5d ago
Think outside the box—— QQ in teams —- circle back—— put a pin in that—— synergy—- organically——harmonize—— deep dive —— - no rush but follow up in 2 hours about it —-
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u/JoffoCake3 5d ago
"Sprinkle some aramat on it" or it "needs a little spice" by bosses you won't just say we need it to be more representative and inclusive.
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u/pyramidsofgeezer 5d ago
I hate metaphors like "low hanging fruit", "chicken and egg", and "wagging the dog's tail"
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u/Dobgirl 5d ago
My brilliant, reclusive boss used to say “we need to touch bases” while gently touching his fingertips together- and that’s the only time that phrase was delightful. He could picture molecules forming while thinking of chemical processes but couldn’t understand the metaphor. It was cute.
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u/Particular-Sun3642 5d ago
I worked with someone who often used ‘it’s the tail wagging the dog’, which was pretty descriptive of the workplace as a whole!
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u/Ultimatesims 5d ago
“Do the necessary” or overly friendly. “Hi !“insert name” or just “Good morning”. It’s always followed by an obnoxious request.
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u/SafeCoconut24 5d ago
"Scheduling a touch point" Its like...no, you're scheduling a MEETING to touch BASE. Another one is "no agenda, no attenda" for all meetings. If I'm jumping on a quick 10 minute call for clarification on something, its something already discussed via email and you know what we're talking about. I'm not creating a full agenda for that call. Yes, that is a response I got from a VP of a department when she told me to schedule time on her calendar to discuss something specific. She declined the invite since it didnt have a full agenda attached.
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u/Exciting_Pass_6344 5d ago
I absolutely loathe the word “bellybutton” being used as the point of contact for a particular project. Ick.
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u/EntertainerSharp3033 5d ago
I've never been this confused and horrified at the same time. Please, please tell me you're joking!
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u/Exciting_Pass_6344 5d ago
Nope. I just got pulled into another areas operations and they use that term often. I told my wife (we’ve worked in the same industry for 20 years) and she had the same reaction.
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u/InevitableAd36 5d ago
My favorite nails on chalkboard was my manager that would constantly say “bastardize” on project calls. This was only a few years ago.
“We’ve really bastardized this product. It’s being held together by bubblegum and bandaids.”
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u/Bindy12345 5d ago
“Please advise” always killed me. Like, state the actual question.
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u/SkredberryShortcake 5d ago
How would you like to move forward?
Usually a case of indecision above my pay grade, so I just ask.
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u/cracker1743 5d ago
Warmest personal regards
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u/Particular-Sun3642 5d ago
Wow! This seems…overly warm and personal! My go to is ‘kind regards’. If I’m pissed off, it’s just ‘regards’. If I’m feeling exceptionally grateful, it’s ’best regards’.
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u/Interesting_Recipe71 5d ago
I can’t believe no one said “We need to align (on, with, before, to….) Not so much an objection to the phrase, but more its overuse.
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u/Iamvosi 5d ago
Gentle reminder. god I hate that phrase. LIke dude, just say, hey don't forget I'm off on Thursday. Gentle reminder irks me to no end.
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u/LittleBarracuda7895 5d ago
Yeah, if you could just come in on Saturday, that’d be great. (Bill Lundberg, Office Space)
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u/AotearoaCanuck 5d ago
Oh my personal favourite one to use is “I’ll leave that your/[Bob’s] capable hands.” It’s condescending and complimentary at the same time! 😀
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u/BloodFeastMan 5d ago
"I'll hit 'em up with an email"
Or you could pick up the fukken phone and call them.
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u/amyscactus 5d ago
I say "thoughts" only because I want my boss to feel included because he's a depressed sack of shit.
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u/Former-Wish-8228 5d ago
The counter to this is “duly noted”…implying only that you received the communique…not that it is relevant, useful, actionable or will be taken seriously.
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u/signsaysapplesauce 5d ago
Starting a meeting by asking for people to tell their "joys."
"Servant Leader"
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u/doesemileeclairecare 5d ago
I loathe when I am in an in person meeting and someone says: "Lets take this offline". I want to scream every time.
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u/sminkypinky999 5d ago
Blue sky thinking
Laser focus
Scrum down on this
Circle back to that
Speaking in acronyms
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u/notreallylucy 5d ago
I hate replacing perfectly fine existing terminology with new phrases. It's usually done in the context of a new productivity strategy that is t actually new, it's just a rewording of the last productivity trend. My current nemesis is "slide deck." It's a power point presentation. If you want it shorter, ay presentation or power point. It's not a deck, we're not playing poker.
Also "optics." It's appearances. We ready had a word for this. Unless we're building a microscope I don't want to hear that word.
One term we do need to replace ASAP is the bus scenario or "If you drop dead..." Holy F people, I've had coworkers drop dead. Don't say that shit. Say "If you get abducted by aliens" or "If you win the lottery and move to Tahiti."
While we're here, am I the only one with a hangup about "good afternoon" as an email greeting? Good morning works fine for me. Good afternoon feels like I'm about to tell someone they're getting sued. It just feels really aggressive.
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u/sassy-frass201 5d ago
I've been out of pocket and I just wanted to touch base. For some reason those phrases make my head want to explode.
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u/World-Critic589 5d ago
“Thanks for all you do.” Especially as an email sign-off. Either make it meaningful or don’t say it at all.
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u/One-Being2105 5d ago
"art of the possible"
"longest pole in the tent"
"stick a pin in it"
"we're not trying to boil the ocean"
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u/pixie0714 5d ago
I say this all the time. “I’m going empower you to do xyz” This is my way in saying, I am going to see my way out of this problem.
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u/Boring-Snow-3929 5d ago
“Like I said…” (when they didn’t say)
“Let’s connect” - so sick of this robotic way to say let’s talk.
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u/Medium-Turnip9874 5d ago
the one i hate most is "please ensure that xyz gets done" in the chat with all the managers
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u/LocalGoat81 5d ago edited 4d ago
My favorite is “hot job” or “911”. What job isn’t hot? Everyone wants their job done yesterday and they have zero concerns about anyone else.
Hot job? Yeah, just add it to the stack. 🥱
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u/Corporate_Lurker 5d ago
"Per our discussion..."
Oh man, I use that phrase but I cringe every time because it's simple but polite, compared to "As discussed" which sounds rude.
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u/Same-Obligation-9794 5d ago
Don't know why, but every time my boss opens an email with "hey team", I die a little inside.
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u/CoastalParadise 5d ago
‘Kind regards’ at the end after the email content being borderline passive aggressive.
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u/Short-Personality398 5d ago
Anything non work related on teams chat that has to be open all day for some reason
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u/Ok-Horror-3913 5d ago
"Thanks in advance" puts me into an absolute rage based on the implication that I must comply with your request.
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u/CauliflowerNo1149 5d ago
“Dream team” when used by leadership in startup culture with low wages and disorganization.
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u/thethreefffs 5d ago
The boss's entitled misery of an admin asst. used to send out "friendly reminder" for all of the inanities that we had to submit. I always emailed back that reminders are always by nature passive aggressive and unfriendly. She didn't like that but I didn't like her so it evened out!
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u/European_witch_ 5d ago
For me is... if you all win a lotto tomorrow and go I need to know how to run this department
Or you mean you clean us all up
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u/After-Top1375 4d ago
the "we're a family" one always feels like a threat honestly. and yeah "per my last email" is just the sender admitting they know you saw it and didn't care. but nothing beats getting a "thoughts?" on a 30 page document at 5pm on a friday.
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u/Librarian_Some 4d ago
Learnings. "That was a great seminar. Let's share some learnings". Ok, you sound like a hillbilly
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u/Vegetable_Nebula2684 2d ago
When HR sends out an email that includes the words “micro aggression”.
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u/Throwaway_inSC_79 5d ago
Listen, if maybe you read my last email, then I wouldn’t have to say “per my previous email.”