Adopting and Retiring Corporate Buzzwords for 2024

Great employers and managers have a seamless way of communicating with their teams. Establishing this requires using the same vocabulary to communicate effectively. 2022 gave rise to many new corporate buzzwords. Understanding these buzzwords is key for employers to keep in sync with their teams and promote a culture that aligns with your employees values.

1. Pain Points.

Focusing on the user experience has helped many businesses improve their customer service. Pain points refer to any issues a company anticipates will arise during the length of their interaction with a customer. By keeping this in mind, companies dedicate more efforts to improving these pain points with each customer. 

2. Quiet Quitting.

“Decline in performance” has been a commonly used phrase by employers during the termination process. The inverse of this is the term “Quiet Quitting,” when an employee intentionally completes only the minimum amount of work required for their role. They have no concern for losing their job, however they are not committed enough to formally quitting yet. 

3. Return to Office.

This is underway in most office environments across the country. Companies have come up with a Return to Office plan to bring employees back to work on site. Some chose staggered on-site schedules to make the transition easier. 

4. The Great Resignation

Described more as a movement, the Great Resignation refers to a coordinated effort between employees to resign over conflict with the company. Employees focused on conflicts like wage stagnation, limited career advancement and hostile work environments. 

5. Strawman

Documents with multiple uses save time for your team and allow you to perfect something once without reinventing the wheel. Using a Strawman or blueprint for a deck or a document allows each user to customize it for their purposes while maintaining the core of the content that aligns with company branding. 

Retiring This Year:

At the same time, we wanted to explore buzzwords that should see less use in 2023. Some are outdated through overuse while some have come to take on new meanings through misuse. Communication is so important, don’t let a poorly chosen phrase derail the point you are trying to get across. 

1. Bandwidth.

While this term is absolutely useful and necessary in the context of IT, in any other situation it just sounds odd. Adopting technological phrases to apply to human beings may make the listeners feel unappreciated or less-than. Instead, show that the question of bandwidth comes from a place of concern for their workload. Maybe ask,  “Does our team have the capacity for this?”

2. Pivot.

Through overuse, pivot has much less urgency than in its initial use. Now, a quick pivot sounds like an uneducated move, something without much forethought. Business should be making more mindful decisions about direction. Leave the pivoting to the basketball players.

3. New normal.

This phrase has splashed into the almost daily vernacular of people coping in a post-COVID world. Now that we are 3 years into this, it’s less accurate to use the word “new” to describe this normal. 

4. Think outside the box.

The overuse of this phrase stems from the fact that we have heard it since we were young. It’s hard to inspire people to get creative when you can’t even get creative with your word choice. In contrast, “brainstorming” has enjoyed lasting popularity because it so accurately describes the process of piecing together new ideas.

5. Let’s take it offline.

The recent popularity of digital meetings has given rise to new phrases that might have been useful at first but have become overused and even taken on other meanings. At first, asking to “take a conversation offline” was a way to save a digital meeting from going down a tangential conversation. Through overuse, or even misuse, it has become a last resort when 2 parties are having trouble agreeing. Taking it offline has become the equivalent of taking it outside. It’s easy to use less assertive language such as “I’d like to find time to dedicate to this topic so we don’t derail this meeting.”

6. Give it a 110%.

As a phrase, this one feels more appropriate on a football field rather than in an office setting. Telling adults to give 110% sounds silly when adults know they only have 100% to give. Employees are putting a greater emphasis on work-life balance, and the stereotype of the dedicated employee burning the candle at both ends is getting rightfully outdated. When an employer puts unrealistic expectations on employees, like giving an impossible amount of their personal effort, they will not feel their goals are aligned with their employers’.

7. To be honest.

Try to avoid this phrase in both work and personal settings. Starting a sentence by stating you are going to be honest gives the listener reason to question if you have been dishonest previously. No self-declaration necessary, just speak honestly.

While navigating the new business vernacular of 2023, Y Scouts Leadership can help you in your recruitment efforts to secure stellar employees. Learn more about our Hiring on Purpose and how we connect aligned leaders with meaningful, impactful work. Reach out to us today!