So it makes sense that there’s a whole new glossary of terms to describe this new world of work in which we find ourselves.
Below are the top 10 workplace phrases to know heading into 2023.
Proximity Bias
For remote workers, out of sight can also mean out of mind and if you feel like your boss often forgets about you when assigning tasks or you’re losing out on career progression, you could be suffering from proximity bias, where those in-office workers get preferential treatment.
Productivity Theatre
Productivity Theater is engaging in behaviours that aren't terribly productive but give the appearance of working hard. Management might have been forced to work with remote teams but this doesn’t mean they trust their workforce to measure up. Putting on a show of productivity is a direct response to the micromanagement of remote workers.
Quiet Quitting
The term quiet quitting emerged via TikTok, and has nothing to do with quitting your job. In fact, it alludes to the concept of doing your work within business hours and not doing anything else. No checking work emails at weekends, no taking on extra work for no extra pay, and not letting your job define you.
Career Cushioning
Borrowed from the dating world, the term ‘career cushioning’ refers to starting the process of looking for the next job and preparing to move on (just in case) before leaving a current role. A way to soften the blow of a potential layoff.
Returnships
Whether you’ve taken some time out of the workforce to raise your family or want to pivot to a new area or field, returnships are essentially the grownup version of an internship and allow people to try out a job for a set period of time, usually three months, so they can sharpen their skills and open themselves up to further opportunities. What makes them different from an internship is that they are designed for experienced workers.
Boomerangs
Not to be mistaken for Returnships, Boomerangs are those workers who changed direction during the Great Resignation of 2020 and discovered the grass isn’t always greener, only to return to their original workplace. Boomerangs are seen as valuable employees as they have likely gained additional experience and skills which can enhance the company they’re going back to and have had the chance to recognise how good the company is other employers, which creates a deeper sense of loyalty.
Tiara Syndrome
Originally coined by Carol Frohlinger and Deborah Kolb, the founders of Negotiating Women, Inc. and authors of Her Place at the Table: A Woman’s Guide to Negotiating Five Key Challenges to Leadership to describe how many women approach pay rises, Tiara Syndrome is when you feel like you’re constantly striving to do your best and expecting your boss to notice and reward you. The key message being that you need to remind management of the value you add if you want proper recognition.
Workation
The advent of remote working has meant more and more companies are now offering workations as part of an employee’s benefits package. A workation essentially involves travelling to a holiday destination and working from there.
Reverse Mentoring
A multi-generational workforce can benefit the workplace in many ways, including more junior members of staff helping older members of staff understand things from their perspective or experience.
Midweek Mountain
This phrase refers to the days most hybrid workers do their in-office days: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. While it can vary depending on location, most hybrid workers work from home on Mondays and Fridays.
Slack-splaining
If you’re partial to an emoji at the end of a work email so your colleagues know you’re not being too serious or you often spend longer than necessary trying to craft the perfect instant message, you could be Slack-splaining aka the new way of communicating we’ve all adopted in the post-pandemic world of remote work.
If these workplace trends have inspired you to start reconsidering your current role, look no further than the Maddyness Job Board. Below, you’ll find a taster of the opportunities that await.
Applied Machine Learning Engineer, Content Intelligence, Spotify, London
This exciting Applied Machine Learning Engineer, Content Intelligence role involves designing, building, evaluating, shipping, and improving production machine learning (ML) services and methods through hands-on ML development in TensorFlow, Python, SQL, and Java. You’ll also perform data analysis to establish baselines and inform product decisions, and collaborate with a cross-functional agile team spanning research, data science, product management, and engineering to build new product features that improve the detection of content that violates Spotify’s terms of service. Apply now.
Ecommerce Governance - Product Risk Management Strategy Operation, TikTok, London
Part of the global e-commerce team, the Ecommerce Governance - Product Risk Management Strategy role involves executing strategy, driving and enforcing global product compliance processes, seeking automation opportunities and leveraging technologies. You’ll also work to ensure regulatory requirements are met for products and support other functions such as retail and legal. See the full job spec here.
Senior Manager, Specialist Financial Reporting, WPP, London
Working at WPP means being part of a global network of more than 100,000 talented people in 112 countries and the organisation is on a global transformation of its accounting and finance departments. The Senior Manager, Specialist Financial Reporting vacancy presents an opportunity to join a dynamic team with a great learning environment and the successful candidate will be a key player in supporting the various specialist financial reporting areas that are under the team's responsibility, as well as work on the accounting for ad hoc transactions and projects involving the tax, treasury and real estate departments as well as the operating companies of WPP. Find out more here.
