The era of conventional work structures has transitioned into something new. Changes in how, when, and where work is conducted have been notable over the past few years and continue to evolve. Consequently, numerous new terms have entered everyday workplace discussions.
Here are some of the key terms, with recent additions in bold. This list is frequently updated. For more explanations of these terms, visit our WTF explainer series.
**A**
– **Alonement spaces**: Areas designated in workplaces for employees to find solitude and reflection, aiding in recharge and focus.
– **Anti-perks**: Job benefits that seem appealing but aren’t particularly beneficial.
– **Applicant tracking system**: AI used to sort, prioritize, and manage job applications.
– **Applied improvisation**: A technique from the performing arts used in corporate settings to enhance communication and leadership skills.
– **Asynchronous working**: Working collaboratively on projects without needing simultaneous or fixed working hours.
**B**
– **Bare minimum Mondays**: Encouraging minimal work output on Mondays.
– **Bedmin**: Doing administrative tasks from bed, due to either illness or personal choice.
– **Biophilic design**: Merging natural elements like greenery and lighting with indoor office environments.
– **Body doubling**: Remote workers recording themselves to improve productivity and focus.
– **Boomerangs**: Employees who return to a company after leaving.
– **Breadcrumbing**: Employers making vague promises about career advancements that never materialize.
**C**
– **Career catfishing**: Accepting a job offer with no intention of showing up for work.
– **Career cushioning**: Preparing for a new job before leaving the current role.
– **Chaos monkeys**: Tools or strategies to test the resilience or incite cultural change within organizations.
– **Coffee badging**: Brief compliance with RTO mandates by appearing in the office shortly.
– **Core hours**: Defined working hours for teams, allowing flexibility around personal schedules.
**For more AI-related workplace terms, see WorkLife’s AI glossary and explore our editorial package on AI’s future impact on work. The latest special edition explores Gen Z’s use of generative AI in careers.**
**Core weeks**: A monthly model where the company gathers in-office for collaboration for one week and works remotely otherwise.
– **Culture carrier**: An employee who strongly embodies and promotes company values and culture.
**D**
– **Digital nomads**: Individuals traveling while working remotely.
– **Doom loop**: A psychological state of compounding negative thoughts affecting well-being and productivity.
**E**
– **Emotional proximity**: The level of emotional connection felt between individuals, regardless of physical distance.
– **Employee engagement manager/director**: Roles focused on ensuring positive experiences for office-returning and remote-working employees.
– **EX (Employee Experience)**: The complete journey and interactions of an employee within an organization.
**F**
– **Faulty tasker**: Overcommitting to multiple tasks without completing any efficiently.
– **Fauxductivity**: Pretending to be productive.
**G**
– **Gap career**: Periods between jobs often marked by travel and personal growth.
– **Gaslighting**: Manipulating someone to doubt their perceptions and reality, often seen in workplace abuse.
– **Ghost jobs**: Non-existent job postings to gauge interest or fulfill quotas.
– **Great Reengagement**: Post-Resignation efforts to retain and satisfy employees.
– **Great Resignation**: Mass resignations starting in 2021 due to various pandemic-related realizations.
– **Great Reshuffle**: Career shifts following the Great Resignation for better pay or flexibility.
– **Greenhushing**: Companies failing to meet sustainability goals, derived from greenwashing.
**H**
– **HENRY**: High Earners, Not Rich Yet; describes high earners without significant wealth.
– **Holacracy**: Decentralized organizational structure empowering individual roles.
– **Hotelling**: Desk-booking software widely adopted for office space management.
– **Hush trips**: Remote working from new locations without informing employers.
– **Hushed hybrid**: Unofficial remote arrangements despite an RTO mandate.
– **Hustle culture**: Prioritizing excessive work over personal well-being.
– **Hybrid meetings**: Meetings with both in-office and remote participants.
– **Hybrid working**: Flexible work models offering a mix of office and remote work.
**I**
– **Imposter Syndrome**: Doubt in one’s abilities and feelings of being a fraud at work.
**J**
– **Jobfishing**: Scams tricking job seekers into working for fake companies under false pretenses.
**K**
– **Keystroke technology**: Monitoring software tracking employees’ computer usage, often controversial.
**L**
– **Lazy girl jobs**: Low-stress jobs with