Six clichéd business terms that should be banned from the office

Every office worker knows at least one bit of clichéd business-speak that they would be happy to never hear again. Members of the business community were asked if there were any other sayings they hear around the boardroom (or the water cooler or the neighboring desk) that they found particularly egregious. Read ahead and find out what they had to say:

3. Synergy

Mark Duncan/AP/File
Cleveland firefighters compete in a tug-of-war against Cleveland Police during a time out in an NBA basketball game between the Washington Wizards and the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines "synergy" as "the increased effectiveness that results when two or more people or businesses work together." According to Brenda Christensen, director of communications for Contatta.com in Scottsdale, Ariz., it's also "gobbledygook biz-speak" used by people who are "just trying to sound 'smart.'"

Jim Phelan, co-founder of the mobile application design firm Electric Slide in Brooklyn, N.Y., found the term not just loathsome but ominous. "I'm particularly mortified by the use of the word 'synergies' in reference to the number of people who can be laid off following an acquisition," he said.

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