If you have worked in large corporations, bureaucracies, and similar workplaces, or currently work at one, you may have heard a few commonly used words and phrases that have slightly (or completely) altered their original meanings when utilized in a corporate setting. Those are the so-called corporate buzzwords, also known as workplace jargon, business jargon, or corporate lingo. If not at your current workplace, it’s very likely that you have seen corporate jargon phrases, such as “work hard, play hard,” “fast-paced environment,” and “rockstar” being used in job listings to attract new talents to the team.
Interestingly, those company buzzwords seem to work as, according to a recent survey, 7 in 10 applicants said trendy language influenced their decision to apply for a job listing. After all, who wouldn’t want to be referred to as a rockstar or get rewarded for all the hard work they’ve put in? It sounds appealing; hence no wonder many take the bait. However, very few companies actually seem to fulfill their promises. Thus, the many trendy office buzzwords have eventually gained negative connotations and started being seen as “red flags” in job listings.
However, while certain buzzwords for business indeed refer to false or ultimately unfulfilled claims, some merely gain the status of annoying corporate buzzwords due to their constant overuse and often misinterpretation. In fact, 1 in 5 employees dislikes corporate jargon. Regardless, many still agree that using corporate lingo phrases makes someone look more professional, hence their prevalent use in the workplace.
Below, we’ve compiled a list of buzzwords commonly used in the corporate world. Whether you want to upgrade your office lingo and impress your coworkers or learn the covert “red flags” used in job listings, the list below might just do the trick. What’s your relationship with popular buzzwords? Do you agree with their meanings? Have you ever refused to apply for a job that used a specific corporate buzzword in its listing? What was it? Let us know!
#1
Downsizing
Meaning: Making the company smaller by firing the staff.
#2
“We’re sticking to our core competency”
Meaning: We tried something different, but it didn’t work out.
#3
“At the end of the day…”
Meaning: Whatever follows that sentence is all I’m interested in.
#4
Outsourcing
Meaning: We are looking for someone else to do your job.
#5
“We’ll discuss it after the New Year”
Meaning: We won’t come back to this topic.
#6
“My niece is looking for a job, can you help her?”
Meaning: If I hire her, it will not look very good, and people will start gossiping. Can you do it instead?
#7
“We need to be lean and mean”
Meaning: You better not take a vacation or decide to quit anytime soon.
#8
Plate’s full
Meaning: We are short-staffed and not planning to hire anyone, so you might have to do extra work.
#9
“Hope you’re well-rested from your vacation!”
Meaning: Be prepared for all the work you ignored while on holiday. Here is your “To Do” list. The due date is today.
#10
Rightsizing
Meaning: We are firing people, but it’s all a part of a strategy, whatever the strategy is.
#11
“If you really think it’s a good idea…”
Meaning: I don’t think it’s a good idea. Or, if you plan to go ahead with this idea and it goes wrong, you will be the only one to blame.
#12
Risk-averse
Meaning: When management, who are the only ones permitted to be chicken, refer to you as being “too chicken.”
#13
“I thought you were handling this”
Meaning: Basically, your boss messed up and forgot something they were supposed to do.
#14
Buy-In
Meaning: Trying to see if everyone agrees on a concept they had no involvement in.
#15
Double-check
Meaning: Although I haven’t checked on this yet, I want to “double check” because this check is more important than usual.
#16
Multi-tasking
Meaning: You better work hard and fast on multiple things at once. Also, could you bring me a coffee?
#17
Negative growth
Meaning: We are losing money, so don’t expect a raise anytime soon.
#18
“I saw your e-mail sent out to…”
Meaning: You forgot to include me in an email.
#19
“Business is slow this year”
Meaning: You’re not getting a promotion or a raise anytime soon.
#20
Revisit
Meaning: Let’s leave this project for… never.
#21
“I think my idea solves the problem”
Meaning: It’s your boss’s idea; thus, it’s the only right idea.
#22
Empower
Meaning: Higher-ups frequently deploy it to ask the employee to work harder, although the employee may find it condescending.
#23
Drinking the Kool-Aid
Meaning: Blindly pursuing the cause.
#24
“You’ll be able to focus on a critical area for us”
Meaning: You’re getting demoted.
#25
Mission critical
Meaning: You better only focus on this and nothing else.
#26
“Who’s budget is this coming out of?”
Meaning: You’ve already lost the debate.
#27
New Normal
Meaning: It’s not normal, just an unpleasant new reality.
#28
Competitive salary
Meaning: Salary that is not competitive at all. Just a vague estimate of an employee’s anticipated pay.
#29
Giving 110%
Meaning: You work hard, but must work even harder.
#30
“Work hard, play hard”
Meaning: You only get to experience the first part of the phrase.
#31
Ecosystem
Meaning: A fancy term for “working together.”
#32
“Start building consensus”
Meaning: One of your coworkers complained that you didn’t include them in your ideas.
#33
“Put out some feelers”
Meaning: We are not prepared to take any kind of action yet are curious to learn more.
#34
Human capital
Meaning: Term used to refer to the company’s employees.
#35
Killing it
Meaning: Doing great work. Or, literally, harming one’s mental and physical health by giving your all into a job.
#36
Leverage synergies
Meaning: Following the merger, there will be downsizing.
#37
Rockstar
Meaning: The term frequently employed in job postings that call for repetitive, meticulous work.
#38
The enterprise
Meaning: A risky project or undertaking that will require you to grow some balls.
#39
“Make it disruptive!”
Meaning: This better be big and make us money ASAP.
#40
“Give you a heads up”
Meaning: Your coworker will tip you about something big and nasty.
#41
Matrix structure
Meaning: You work for multiple bosses, and they can all command you.
#42
“It’s just business”
Meaning: The phrase to employ if you want to feel less bad about your behavior.
#43
Family
Meaning: Your organization trying to sell its culture as family-like can be annoying.
#44
One-off
Meaning: This is the only time you may get encouragement from your boss.
#45
Deep dive
Meaning: A total immersion in the nuances.
#46
Move the goalposts
Meaning: Changing the conditions at the halfway point of the project.
#47
Pivot
Meaning: A change in the direction or strategy of a business.
#48
“They’re early adopters”
Meaning: You better not speak highly of early adopters.
#49
Thought leader
Meaning: Good compliment to give your boss if you want to ask for a raise (raise not guaranteed).
#50
Strategic fit
Meaning: We hope the new corporate partner will prevent the company from going bankrupt.
#51
“Think outside the box”
Meaning: If you wanted to “think outside the box,” you would have to refrain from saying that.
#52
Synergy
Meaning: Collaboration between two or more teams, initiatives, or businesses.
#53
Win-Win
Meaning: When there is no apparent downside, it’s a win all around!
#54
Sweet spot
Meaning: An exclusive target market for the business that cannot be reached.
#55
Insourcing
Meaning: You have a better than 50 percent chance of getting promoted.
#56
“Move the needle!”
Meaning: I don’t want to do this, so you do it instead.
#57
Growth Hacking
Meaning: It’s unnecessary to make any “hacking” reference while setting new goals.
#58
Freemium
Meaning: A tactic that involves providing a product’s “basic” version for free.
#59
Bandwidth
Meaning: There isn’t enough time, space, or funds.
#60
Ideate
Meaning: Act of creating a concept or coming up with an idea.
#61
Boots on the ground
Meaning: Military slang for allocating work to staff that will for sure make some people cringe.
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