Do you realise it’s E.O.W? It seems acronyms such as End Of the Week have become the new office jargon, according to a study by Office Angels.

The research, conducted among 1,000 employees, looked at how people communicate in meetings and found that acronyms are being over-used by 71% of office workers. A major contributing factor is the infiltration of text message culture into business meeting vocabulary.

Nearly two-thirds (63%) of employees admit that despite failing to understand the acronyms, they’re too embarrassed to ask for an explanation. While one in ten (11%) confess they also feel pressurised to use business acronyms.

The top five most commonly used and least understood acronyms are:
– Y.O.Y.O – You’re On Your own
– E.O.D – End of Discussion
– K.I.S.S – Keep It Simple Stupid
– C.W.O.T – Complete Waste Of Time
– B.T.D.T – Been There Done That

Despite the incomprehensibility of these acronyms, 60% claim they use them to perk up dull business meetings, while four in ten (41%) say they exploit them to outwit colleagues during heated discussions. A further 35% admit they use acronyms to make them sound more credible and ‘in the know’.

The survey also exposes how the infamous North-South divide extends to boardroom banter. Southerners (26%) reveal they are more likely to take advantage of acronyms to dazzle colleagues than their northern counterparts.

Whilst acronyms are rife in the creative sectors such as marketing and media, they are filtering into traditional workplaces such as banking and finance.

Fans of corporate acronyms claim they are a good ‘MOP’ – Measure Of Performance. For example 42% of acronym advocates say they’re an indicator of how well-informed a person is. A further 32% claim they create a sense of ‘belonging’ – people feel they are part of a group.

However, meeting acronyms can also arouse strong opposition, with 40% of office workers describing them as irritating and distracting. A further 21% find acronyms unnecessary and pretentious.

Heard any useful / useless acronyms lately? Post them below!