The A-Z of business buzzwords: 2025 roundup

Some old, some new. But which jargon do you want to leave in 2025, and which will make it to 2026?

Anti-perks: Employee benefits that can have a negative impact (think mandatory team-building events outside working hours)

Bare minimum Mondays: Doing as little as possible at the beginning of the week to avoid burnout

Career catfishing: Accepting a job and then not turning up (a third of Gen Z employees have confessed to doing this)

Duck shuffler: Everything’s organised, the ducks are in a row, and then someone disrupts proceedings with a new idea or change of plans

EOD: End of day, e.g. “please send it by EOD”. If you use this, don’t forget people who work different shifts or in a different time zone

Faulty tasker: A person who takes on too many tasks simultaneously, so none of them gets done properly

Ghost growth: When an employee is given more responsibilities without the pay, promotion, or authority

Hushed hybrid: A hybrid worker who avoids coming into the office

In the weeds: When the point or aim of a project is lost in the detail

Job hugger: Someone who stays in their role, whether it’s because they are comfortable or afraid to move on

Kick into touch: Just say ‘postpone’ instead

Low hanging fruit: Easy tasks, also known as quick wins

Microshifting: Working in smaller blocks to match energy levels, tasks and productivity

New collar jobs: Jobs that focus on skills over qualifications

Office frog: Someone who hops quickly from job to job

Performance theatre: Workers who work to be seen rather than to be productive

Quiet quitting: Where motivation and productivity decrease until an employee is doing the bare minimum

Revenge quitting: Resigning without formal notice or refusing to work notice

Sunday scaries: Anxiety or dread felt before starting the work week

Task masking: Appearing to be productive while not doing anything

Unbossing/conscious unbossing: Choosing not to pursue a management career path in favour of work that is collaborative or values-based

Value add: Additional features or value that makes a product better

Well-washing: Developing wellbeing initiatives that aren't meaningful or sustainable

EX: Employee experience, or thinking about employees (and clients) as human beings having an experience

You don’t have to boil the ocean: Don’t be overambitious and waste time or resources

Zoom out: Look at the big picture, take a step back, look at the forest not the trees…

If you’re struggling with quiet quitters, career catfish, or faulty taskers, take a look at the BrightHR resource centre. We provide award-winning digital tools and expert HR advice that will give you peace of mind in dealing with performance management and productivity challenges.