Do you guys have to use formal speech at work? Some companies prefer their employees to use formal language and avoid slang terminologies.

The work place is currently innudated with many jargon terms besides IT terminologies.

We use this handy guide for workplace communications:

http://www.communitymx.com/blog/index.cfm?newsid=426

I've worked with at least one or more IT teams at most of the fortune 1000, some extensively. I've also dealt with many project managers and CIOs, etc. Never have I heard of anyone demanding formal speech. If someone doesn't understand something (typically acronyms or proprietary terminology for a product) they ask what is meant or stay out of it and ask one of the tech people on their team what was meant if the context of the conversation didn't clarify it.

If you are working at a company that has a "speech policy", run. Run now, and run hard. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Seriously, if your company is so anal retentive or hires such completely worthless employees that this is an issue, it shows utter lack of management skill or just utter incompetence at many levels.

If this is some IT policy meant to insulate users from tech jargon, most IT jockey's I've ever dealt with keep that stuff to a minimum around end users.

If it's slang as in curse words, most HR policies have harassment guidelines that tend to give you fair warning if you are abusive in any way.

If it's slang as in just street slang, seriously, who uses that in a meeting or outside of their own group or team or personal friends? If they are, they look stupid. If there's a policy against it, find a new employer because your current one is being run into the ground. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I guess these would be the ultimate in "formal speech", designed for precise communication: <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Lojban: http://www.lojban.org/tiki/tiki-index.php?page=Home+Page&bl

not to be confused with.

Loglan: http://www.loglan.org/

Negative on that my man. We use made up language of EMS people that nobody understands or makes sense and one night when sitting in the bar we were trying to figure out some terms and got just too confused. Somehow in the end we all undertsand each other. With patients we have to speak on baby terms and that's ok becasue if I start using med terminalogy I would just confuse the living hell out of you. Than to the doctors we speak clear, using med terms and in professional manner and have to watch every word since it can make a difference in someones life. So technically we speak 3 different languages... Now I mix my friends from EMS world and preEMS world. Imagine bunch of computer programers and paramedics hanging out trying to talk. Can be pretty funny at times.

My workplace is full of acronyms, proprietary acronyms, business buzzwords that are completely unknown unless you go to a bookstore every month and buy the latest bestsellers. The bosses and managers just fling these buzzwords and acronyms around and we employees just nod even though we have literally no idea what they are talking about. It is a wonder the company I work for is still in business in my humble opinion.

I used to work in the film industry, and we had a language all our own.

I leave it to others to translate this perfectly average exchange between me and the Director of Cinematography ("DP")

DP: Marty, I need a couple of mighty-moles on a hi-hi-boy over here, put some half CTO on them, and bring a couple of scrims in on the bottom"

ME: OK, we're out of mighty-moles, but I have a baby and a baby-baby I can put all on a trombone and it might work the same.

DP: Nah, just put a 5K up and then we can ND it to what I need.

ME: OK, give me a minute to get the western dolly out of the way and we'll put it on a crank-o-vator.

DP: Cool!

Oy. Another meals in a pill egghead on the loose....

Let me guess, you were lighting and/or gaffer? No idea what a mighty mole, hi-hi-boy, half CTO, scrim, baby, baby-baby, or "trombone" are. But they sound to be different styles of lighting gear and various accessories.

I'd say the 5k is a VERY bright light and ND means it can be "notched down" to produce a lower illumination. Western dolly probably refers to one on rails and a crank-o-vator is likely a scissors type extensible tower platform made for rigging gear.

I'm guessing on all of this, but:
Mighty-mole = some little light cans that put off a lot of light for their size
Hi-hi-boy = a crane or scaffolding for equipment
half CTO = color filter of some sort?
Scrims = no idea
baby/baby-baby = larger cans of the same lux as the mighty-moles, but more painful to deal with? Older equipment I mean.
trombone = some rigging that allows the items to move back and forth for focus?

Okay, how did I do? Do I win a shiny new nickel?

So, you used to do lighting, eh?

"Why do sound guys say 'test 1-2-3'?" "Because if they can count to 4, we put them on lights"

[censored], dazzle them with science.
They want you to use formal language at work because the "Shirts" (that's middle management to you) want to "understand" what's going on. So that they can "manage" you. Which generally consists of interfering, contradicting and telling you to do the direct opposite of what you where doing. This allows the manager to demonstrate his/her "grip" on the situation and their man managment skills. Result: FUBAR.
The BC's (that blue collar staff) who do understand whats going on, know exactly what needs doing and have a clue, don't want them to know. What they don't know, they can't "manage."
That sound cynical to you?
It should.
Thats experience speaking.......

10-4...

What a funny thread! But I suspect Leigh has the proper grasp. And Massacre has the best advice.

I work for a Native American casino. All the ideas that come from the top appear to have been copied from a book written by someone on Madison Ave. who hasn't got a clue.

The casino is limited in viable applications for employment due to their hiring criteria: prospective employees must have a high school education (or be working toward a GED), and must be able to acquire a Class II or III gaming license (no criminal activity in background), must approach the interviewer with a smile, and must appear to be breathing. Oh, and the company has a major Bad News rating as an employer in the community.

When they finally get people, they do their very best to turn them into robots. If a customer says 'thank you', all the employees are supposed to say 'my pleasure', and 'can I help you with anything else?' Now, imagine you're a customer, trapped on a N.A. reservation for several hours until your bus leaves for home. Do you have any idea how many times you might hear these two phrases in that time? The customers are getting irritated, but management won't listen.

Most of the employees have gotten the new jargon down pat, and now use it on everyone they meet, including coworkers. Someone is going to go postal, and their victim's last memory will probably be saying 'my pleasure'.

Management like this insists on jargon, but it has to be THEIR jargon.

Sue

That reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Kramer doesn't get a proper greeting at the bank. "You got a greeting that started with an H. How about twenty bucks?" <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Healthcare: Is there anything else I can do for you today?

"Get bent" was probably the politest reply I've received for that one.