Ten HR Buzzwords you might have heard but not understand
17 Nov 2022
There is nothing HR likes more than a new buzzword. Sometimes it seems as if there is a new one invented almost every day – leaving those in business utterly confused about what they mean.
So here is your HR Solutions Shropshire guide to the top ten words currently setting tongues wagging in the HR world – and just exactly what they mean.
1. Desk Bombing
The new arrival on the block. Desk bombing is the act of turning up at a colleague’s desk without warning to ask them a question. There is nothing necessarily frightening or aggressive about the colleague’s behaviour, rather the out-of-the-blue nature of the encounter is what causes alarm.
It appears to have become something of an issue since the return to work in the wake of the pandemic, with some staff having been used to having every office interaction scheduled for them over Zoom or by email.
2. The Great Resignation
Like most, this is a term imported from America where the ending of the pandemic saw a rush of people resigning from their jobs. Some statistics suggest as many as 48 million Americans left their jobs in 2021 in what quickly became dubbed the Great Resignation. Latest figures appear to indicate the trend is still continuing.
3. Quiet Quitting
This sounds like something you might do in a library, but in fact it’s the term given to people who just do enough to get the job done – and not an ounce extra. These members of staff are not too worried about impressing the boss – they do what they have to do and head off home with a clear conscience.
4. Right to Disconnect
Across Europe, Governments have taken action to prevent companies contacting their staff outside work hours, so they get chance to have a clean break and recharge their batteries. This Right to Disconnect means firms should not send emails or text messages or try to phone staff once they have clocked off for the day unless there is an overwhelming reason to do so.
5. Hybrid working
If you don’t know what this is by now you must have been living in a cave somewhere. Hybrid working is the post-pandemic blend of working from home and being in the office or workplace which has become common in the last 18 months. Expect it to continue for the foreseeable future.
6. Quiet Firing
The opposite of quiet quitting, this happens when your manager stops giving you feedback and disengages from you. It can be intentional – a way of making staff feel demotivated so they quit on their own account – or might just be the result of poor practice. Either way, it’s something to look out for.
7. Internal mobility
This isn’t something to do with your body’s organs – just a catchy way of describing a more flexible career structure at a workplace. Internal mobility allows employees greater freedom of movement within the organization and also promotes a new way of thinking among managers about the way in which staff are organised.
8. Quick quitting
The old days of working at a company for years before deciding to move on or looking for other options are gone. Quick quitting refers to employees who stay with their company for a matter of weeks or months before heading off elsewhere. The ongoing recruitment crisis has seen a rise in the number of people moving more quickly, hence the new buzzword.
9. Onboarding
The new name for the induction process when you start a new job. When done well, onboarding helps a new member of staff get up to speed in their new job as quickly as possible and understand the company culture and values.
10. Side Hustle
Got another job you do outside of your working hours? That’s a side hustle and as times get tougher, more and more of us are developing them. It could be something like a cake or clothes-making business, a sports role or even a bit of freelance work to top up your income. But you should always check what your main employer’s policy is on you having a second income just to be on the safe side.
