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By Melissa Fleur Afshar
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Being told to "circle back" on "key deliverables" might sound like standard office speak. But a new study has found that such workplace jargon may be doing more harm than good—making employees feel confused, demoralized and less likely to collaborate with their coworkers.
The research, published in the International Journal of Business Communication, shows that the overuse of jargon disrupts how employees process information, lowers their confidence and reduces their willingness to seek or share information in the workplace.
That reluctance to communicate can break down team collaboration and stall productivity.
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"You need people to be willing to collaborate, share ideas and look for more information if they don't understand something at work," paper author and advertising researcher professor Olivia Bullock of the University of Florida said in a statement.
"Jargon might actually be impeding that information flow across teams."
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In the study, the researchers recruited nearly 2,000 participants, asking each to imagine that they were starting a new job—and read an 'introductory email' with key information.
Half of the participants were given a message filled with jargon terms like "intranet" and "EFT payments"—while the other half received the same information written in ordinary lingo.
The results revealed that employees who received the jargon-heavy version had a harder time understanding the message, felt worse about themselves, and were less likely to ask for clarification. That reaction, the researchers concluded, can negatively impact collaboration and workflow.
When asked how they would respond to unclear communication, participants exposed to jargon were less inclined to ask questions or share information, a pattern Bullock says leads to fragmented teams.
"They weren't as willing to collaborate," she said. "If you can't ask for more information or share that information downstream, you're creating silos, and that's disrupting your workflow and environment."
The study also found that age plays a role in how employees respond to jargon.
While older workers had more difficulty processing technical language, they were more likely to seek clarification.
In contrast, younger employees were less likely to ask questions when confused, potentially compounding miscommunication.
"It gives credence to the idea that younger people are more vulnerable to these workplace dynamics," Bullock said.
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Reference
Bullock, O. M., & Bisbey, T. (2025). Jargon in the Workplace Reduces Processing Fluency, Self-Efficacy, and Information Seeking and Sharing. International Journal of Business Communication. https://doi.org/10.1177/23294884251364525
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