We pick up various habits and mannerisms from the office taking them home with us and making them our own. Among the various things that influence us at the workplace we are also likely to pick up a jargon or two from the office.

Amit Gurbani, a client-relationship manager with a multinational bank in Hyderabad says, “Coming from a business school we step into our workplaces armed with technical words like “actionable”, “bandwidth” or “core competencies”. Sometimes when I am explaining my work to a friend or a relative, I often shift into an official mode and use these technical jargons. I’m so involved with what I am saying that I don’t notice the blank face of the person I am dealing with.” In industries, like aviation, where signs and gestures are a acceptable means of communication, utilisation of these communication tools can lead to hilarious consequences. Akriti K., an airhostess says, “Inside the aircraft, among the airhostesses, water is communicated by showing the letter ‘w’, which is symbolised by rising the fore, middle and ring finger. In everyday life this sign is usually understood as standing for the number three. There have been so many instances when I have showed the sign in a restaurant and the staff was befuddled by what I wanted.”

Professionals like Akriti cannot be blamed for the blurring of line between office and home life. Thirty-two-year-old Deepa Kumar, a stockbroker, smiles as he explains, “I deal with numbers all day long and we have code names for certain figures. Often when I’m teaching my son mathematics, I tend to use these code names too.”