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Original poster

What phrase do you hear ALL THE TIME during your working day, that makes you want to scream?!

468 replies

Ilovemychocolate · 24/04/2026 13:33

So I’m a childminder.
Whilst out with the kids (presently four 2 year olds) I hear “you’ve got your hands full” multiple times a day!
Over and over again, and it’s SO hard to react with a smile sometimes! (But I do obviously)
When I worked in shops it was “printed it this morning!” if someone handed me a fresh note.
So what do you hear constantly whilst working, that makes you scream inside?!

OP posts:
Lovingapeacefulgarden · 24/04/2026 18:50

Not during my working day so much but the term "my anxiety" being used to describe normal human emotions or excuse appalling behaviour.

asdbaybeeee · 24/04/2026 18:49

I got “are they all yours?!” When I was childminder🙄

Now’s it-
we are fire fighting (we are not)
We are in the trenches today(no)
we are on our hands and knees (really not)

it’s so not a stress ful job

WimbyAce · 24/04/2026 18:39

Not to do with work but I read it on here all the time and it drives me insane "Am I missing something?" It comes across very faux naive. Irrational perhaps but I instantly hate every poster that writes this phrase.
I also hate the overuse of "absolutely" that has crept in recently, it is the new "perfect". 😡

Lulu1919 · 24/04/2026 18:38

We are a family - NOOOO

JimJamming · 24/04/2026 18:37

cantthinkofagoodusername1 · 24/04/2026 18:26

If my name is next to a meeting agenda topic, I’m asked to ‘speak to that.’
No I cannot speak to an abstract concept but I could speak about it. I can speak to people though.

THANK YOU!!! This phrase has never made sense to me, and I genuinely struggle to understand how it’s become so prevalent.

”Quick question…” gives me the rage. Had a staff member constantly say it before asking the most ridiculous questions that they already knew the answer to. Every. Single. Time. The effort it took me not to throat-punch her really shouldn’t have gone unrewarded!

PrincessHoneysuckle · 24/04/2026 18:31

Vallmo47 · 24/04/2026 14:54

“I’ve just come to collect a prescription…”

In a pharmacy, this is a bit like telling an Asda worker you’ve come to buy groceries.

Not really though.It could be for medication that is sold from behind the counter or a query.

verabarbleen · 24/04/2026 18:29

I’m on maternity leave now but used to work in a pharmacy for years the worst one is

”it’s right there I can see it just get it off the shelf and give it to me “ 😂

AndresyFiorella · 24/04/2026 18:26

Shypinkpiggypants · 24/04/2026 18:25

i just howled with laughter!!!!!!!

Show quote history

Me too!

cantthinkofagoodusername1 · 24/04/2026 18:26

If my name is next to a meeting agenda topic, I’m asked to ‘speak to that.’
No I cannot speak to an abstract concept but I could speak about it. I can speak to people though.

Justhereforhealthtopic · 24/04/2026 18:25

“I’m excited” about the most mundane business news. Every day in my workplace someone is excited about something. Mostly this is said in emails, but sometimes directly. It always makes me want to roll my eyes.

Shypinkpiggypants · 24/04/2026 18:25

PillsBox · 24/04/2026 13:47

Due to being in the middle of a merger, "Lifting and shifting" is currently being said 20 times a day by those whose trouser hems have never met the tops of their loafers.

I want to buy them some warm socks and then kill them.

i just howled with laughter!!!!!!!

Shypinkpiggypants · 24/04/2026 18:24

CarrotChow · 24/04/2026 13:42

Any email involving the word ‘gentle’.

I swear in my head and lose all respect for the sender.

A gentle reminder that all private appointments must not be taken during the work day.
🤣

RappelChoan · 24/04/2026 18:23

For those declaring there’s no i in team. There is, if you look in the middle of the A hole.

Bestfootforward11 · 24/04/2026 18:21

Most things these days! 😂

AndresyFiorella · 24/04/2026 18:20

'Gentle reminder' and 'polite notice' give me the absolute rage. The reminder ceases to be gentle and the notice ceases to be polite the minute you the passive aggressive adjective was added.

I used to have a colleague (junior) who said 'correct!' like he was congratulating me every time he agreed with me. It drove me bananas.

UpperLowerMiddleClass · 24/04/2026 18:14

We seem to have a spate of very important senior people constantly declaring in meetings that they ‘have a hard stop at 12’ or whenever.

thewonderfulmrswatson · 24/04/2026 18:14

"Sending gentle hugs" - fuck all the way off. This is from group chats when I was long haul cabin crew.

honeylulu · 24/04/2026 18:13

Growth Mindset. If i hear it once more I will scream.

Also the woman who sends round the menu list for the canteen who seems to be in a permanent state of excitement i.e. "I'm so excited to tell you about the fish pie this week". OMG, just get a life.

Dawnintheageofaquariams · 24/04/2026 18:09

SwedishEdith · 24/04/2026 17:56

Or "There's no I in team". "No, but there is me".

Show quote history

There is a 'u' in fuck off.

WonderingWanda · 24/04/2026 18:09

"Our whole school priority this term is...."

No surprises what it is this term in my secondary school!

Dawnintheageofaquariams · 24/04/2026 18:08

igelkott2026 · 24/04/2026 17:07

"Reach out" and "impact" used as a verb.

'Action' as in 'who is going to action this?'.

Everintroverte · 24/04/2026 18:07

Lean in.

I have been leaning in to
Can you lean in to
I would suggest that we all lean in to
Let's lean in
Imagine if they were to lean in to

What's with all the leaning?

Dawnintheageofaquariams · 24/04/2026 18:06

'Business critical'.
If the company is going to fold, maybe.
If you just want some numbers for a spreadsheet, maybe not. Catherine.

RappelChoan · 24/04/2026 18:04

People asking what’s the narrative. In the wrong context.

It makes no sense whatsoever to me and I was always the narrator at school. But all day long people say this in meetings.

SwedishEdith · 24/04/2026 17:58

WhatterySquash · 24/04/2026 17:42

"I'm happy/delighted to now be able to share with you that..."

I don't know where this has come from, it's started popping up in a lot of my work emails and the weird thing it's mostly the men, who are a minority in my field. I'm freelance and WFH and there's a lot of emails to and fro. Here are the proofs for X, can you do this thing for next monday, this project has got the go-ahead so I'll send you a contract. We've been managing fine in this straightforward manner for decades. Now I keep getting wanky blokes being delighted to share with me that the project is going ahead or whatever.

I'm too old, cynical and Yorkshire for this. To me it just says "I've been on some kind of wanky course about communication "skills" for sucking up to freelancers who I'm about to offer a shit deal to"

Are they using AI? It's sounds like the wanky stuff copilot suggests.