Terms and phrases like theseare among the most overused in the office, according to a recent Accountemps survey, and do not offer a "value proposition".

The survey was developed by staffing firm Accountemps and is based on phone interviews with 100 senior executives across Canada.

Executives were asked, "What is the most annoying or overused phrase or buzzword in the workplace today?" Their responses included:

- Reach out: As in, "Remember to reach out to customers impacted by the change."

- It is what it is: As in, "The server is down today, and clients are irate. It is what it is."

- Silo: As in, "To maximize productivity we are deconstructing departmental silos."

- Sense of urgency: As in, "Our corporate culture demands a sense of urgency from all employees."

- Value proposition: As in, "What is the value proposition of this initiative?"

- Align: As in, "We need to align our company values with that of the consumer."

- Synergy: As in, "Our synergy as a team gives us a competitive advantage."

Some phrases cited in the most recent survey suggest executives are suffering from recession fatigue, including:

- Recession

- Depression

- Economy

- Do more with less

- Restructuring

- Bailout

- Uncertainty

- Downturn