Needless jargon in the workplace is baffling employees and widening the divide between management and staff, according to a survey by Investors in People.

It found that around a third of workers polled said they felt inadequate when wordy terms were needlessly used. Others believed bosses were being untrustworthy, or hiding something.

Nicola Clark, a director at Investors in People, says: "Bosses need to lead by example, ditch needless jargon and concentrate on communicating clearly with their employees."

"If used inappropriately, jargon can be an obstacle to understanding, which ultimately can impact on an individual's performance and an organisation's productivity."

A survey of Scottish workers found that more than half were fed up with bosses using management jargon with two-thirds preferring no jargon at all in the workplace.