If you are saying these phrases at work, you may be labelled 'passive-aggressive'
Who knew that 'Noted' could be code for...
We heard a little birdie at the office one day who revealed that when you hit the reply button to an email and go on to say, 'Noted', that there is a deeper meaning there.
Now unbeknownst to us, we thought that replying with 'Noted' was just a way of acknowledging an email in the most efficient way.
But it actually is a slap in the face to the person receiving it, basically saying "@#%& you"...
The fact that sometimes, since we communicate so often via email, our words can come across in a manner that is a bit unbecoming.
This was revealed after a study was done "from WordFinder by Your Dictionary, an online word search tool, collected data from Ahrefs and Google Adwords to find the most-used passive-aggressive work phrases, most of which seem pretty harmless at first glance." (CNBC)
Of course we all know that sometimes written communication can be taken the wrong way. But little did we know that it could come across in a passive-aggressive manner each time a certain phrase is used.
Interestingly enough, the study distinguished ten phrases that came up as being passive-aggressive.
"According to the findings, here are the top 10 most passive-aggressive phrases in the workplace:
1. Please advise
2. Noted
3. Friendly Reminder
4. Will do
5. Thanks in advance
6. Per our last conversation
7. Circling back
8. As per my last email
9. As promised
10. As discussed" (CNBC)
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According to a representative at WordFinder, Joe Mercurio, things such as timing and attitude play a big part in the way these phrases are received.
"To communicate effectively, employees should remember not to respond to messages or emails when in a state of frustration. They should also assume good intent, show empathy and encouragement, and avoid digital ghosting. As a rule of thumb: if you feel uncomfortable reading it directed toward you, try rethinking your approach,” Mercurio told CNBC.
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