Office lingo is important for a number of reasons: first, it helps you understand what everyone is talking about so you’ll never be clueless and you’ll always have a comeback ready if needed. Secondly, it promotes faster communication and better efficiency. And thirdly, office lingo is lots of fun, and makes it possible to play tricks on people who have no idea what you’re talking about!

Of course, almost everyone knows common phrases like “game changer” and “working hard or hardly working?” but do you know what “touching base” means? This phrase is commonly found in email communications, and new employees might be puzzled by it, since its meaning is not as straightforward or well-known as with other phrases. “Touching base” simply means renewing contact with someone.

Similarly, “getting all your ducks in a row” has very little to do with actual ducks and more to do with organizing your team and getting ready for an important upcoming project or event. This phrase often goes hand in hand with the phrase, “use cases” which refers to situations when a certain product or service could be used.

Phrases like "don't get bent out of shape" often times will lead people to not get upset when they're given advice.  In the Human Resource department the reality is it's a slogan used for office ergonomics.  It's always best to buy ergonomic office chairs for your employees to avoid them slouching in their chairs versus sitting up straight and having a workstation that allows their body to be ergonomically safe.

Office lingo has many other phrases you should learn, such as something being a “no brainer” (easy to do) or “tabling something” - meaning to postpone a discussion or a decision. These phrases can come in handy during meetings or when you get email communications, since you might have to respond quickly and show everyone involved that you know what’s going on.