From the boardroom to the bedroom: Corporate phrases we use at home

As hard as we try to keep it from happening, sometimes the professional can seep into the personal side of our lives. Work besties, never-ending Slack notifications, corporate meme accounts… It’s clear that the lines between our personal and professional lives are increasingly blurred. In the era of remote work and digital connectivity, this overlap seems inevitable. We spend so much of our time immersed in professional environments, in person and virtually, that it’s only natural for the language of the workplace to spill over into our home lives.

While this may seem anti-work-life-balance, it’s not all doom and gloom. We’ve noticed that a lot of “work slang” we use in the office has started showing up at home, and it’s actually pretty funny. Whether you’re “pivoting” your weekend plans, “onboarding” a new hobby, or trying to “synergize” a family gathering, there’s a good chance you’re using work phrases without even realizing it. So, here are a few comically corporate phrases people have used in their personal lives.

When you just need to get things done

We all have things to accomplish outside of work, so why not put a corporate spin on things? Perhaps it can even boost productivity …

• “There are 3 possible scenarios I can see.”
• “Can we do this asynchronously?”
• “We can circle back next week.”
• “Let’s put that in production.” (Talking about laundry, cooking, or any other house chore.)
• “That’s not really a priority right now.”

Getting organized has never been easier

As much as we long for a vacation, planning one can take, well, a lot of work. So, it’s no wonder that corporate speech finds its way into our holiday plans.

• “I’ll put it on my to-do list.”
• “My vacation plan is outlined in a Google Sheet.”
• “Give me your email, so that I can add [insert activity] to our calendar.”
• “I made an Excel to track our expenses in Ireland.”
• “Honey, we’re going to see the family next weekend.” “Ok, is it in the shared agenda?”
• Followed by the inevitable, “You never sent me the invite … I can’t go.”
• “I’ll ping you when I’m free!”

How about a little mediation?

Conflict management and feedback exchange are an essential part of a healthy work environment, as well as a home one!

• “We fought last week, let’s do a quick debrief of what happened.”
• “Do you have any feedback on (meal, outfit, interior design choice, etc.)?”
• “Let’s challenge that idea.”
• “When you did this X, it made me feel X. What can we work on together so that it won’t happen anymore?” (#constructivefeedback)

While we don’t condone the blurring of work and personal life when it’s against your will, we can still laugh at some of the ways corporate culture has crept into our psyches. Perhaps this is a sign we could all use a vacation …

Photo: Thomas Descamps for Welcome to the Jungle

Follow Welcome to the Jungle on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram, and subscribe to our newsletter to get our latest articles every week!