Text chat language in the workplace

There is no doubt about it.  Text chat language, the abbreviated language of the text message, is here to stay.  Teenagers were the first to latch onto the new communication tools at their disposal.  But now everyone’s into it.

Just take a look around and you will see people with thumbs frantically stabbing away at a mobile phone.  With lightening speed their short (but very important) message is dispatched.  The thumbs are given a brief reprieve until moments later a beep and vibration from the phone alerts the user to another incoming message.  And so the process repeats itself.

Text chat language or the shortening of words around phonetic breaks is part of the culture as well as the goal for speedy communication.  Cul8r, xlnt, thx 4 a gr8 nite and ru ok is the new language of youth.

Many secondary school teachers complain about declining standards in spelling and grammar.  The language of texting has become second nature.  The phonetic spelling is taking over and young people are becoming oblivious to the laws of grammar.  Why waste time with punctuation?

The language of youthful texters is infiltrating business communication as well.  Emails are hammered out with great speed and with obvious short cuts in language and punctuation. Even the boss is affected and addresses emails to staff with the opening salutation ‘Hey’.

The changes in business communication have major implications for national literacy skills.  Communication is changing even before the text junkies have really hit the workplace.

As standards slip, productivity gains lose out to laziness.  The line of least resistance becomes the accepted norm.  Business etiquette and formality is slowly eroded.  The persuasive power of well constructed language may well be lost forever.

So what can today’s managers do to safeguard the written word?

Clear demarcation lines must be drawn.  Managers must lead by example to demonstrate acceptable and unacceptable formats for text-speak.  A notice in the tearoom instructing staff to wash their dishes and signed off with “Thx and brgds, Mngmt” does not send the right message to young staff. 

The fact that email communication is already losing the battle to text lingo means that time is of the essence.  Management must take the view of a gatekeeper. 

Standards must be maintained for certain forms of written communication.  Reports, briefing documents and presentations must conform to the standards set by management.  If the gatekeeper doesn’t like what he sees, then don’t let it pass.

The idiosyncrasies of the written word help weave the rich fabric of our cultural make up.  Our language shapes the tone of our workplaces and educational institutions.  Succinct communication is vital.

Text-chat is an evolutionary phase of our communication.  It should be recognised as a useful tool for short-message communication.  However a loss of national literacy standards would have wide reaching consequences. 

Management must fight against the disintegration of the written word.  Clarity, meaning and understanding must be protected from the gobbledygook of text-speak.