(Image Source: Kolo Newsroom 8 ABC)
The job market is experiencing a major shift in the where, why, and how people work post-Covid. You may have noticed these buzzwords popping up as news headlines or in Reddit debates and wondered what the fuss is about.
Word choice matters, so we’re here to shed some light on what these phrases are really saying.
1. Quiet Quitting.
“We want to shame employees for having healthy boundaries because corporations largely benefit from worker exploitation and by idolizing hustle culture.”
2. Working two jobs is theft.
“The CEO is under the impression that your employment contract is equivalent to you signing over your soul to this company.
“Higher-ups sit on multiple boards and are celebrated for starting additional businesses. But we label a lowly employee as a selfish crook for working two full-time jobs because we think that we own you (and please don’t read this link and find out how capitalism functions, thanks to your willing exploitation).
“Why can’t poor people just, like, live within their means by giving up coffee or whatever?”
3. Prices are up because of inflation.
“We’re blaming inflation so we can get away with blatant price-gouging. We’re secretly leveraging this economic crisis to cover up the largest profit margins in over 70 years.”
4. No one wants to work anymore!
“I’m mad that I can’t continue paying slave wages. I’ve benefited for years by there being more workers than jobs available and gotten away with abusing employees because they needed this sucky job to survive.
“Now that there’s a labor shortage and workers have better options such as higher pay, benefits, or doing work they actually enjoy, I’ve lost that control. It’s really difficult to retain employees now.
“Rather than self-reflecting and realizing that I/my business model is the real problem, I just put up this passive-aggressive sign instead. This sign informs annoyed customers that the reason they’re receiving terrible service isn’t that I’m a bad employer, but because all you employees are inherently lazy.”
5. Enjoy this (branded) gift as a token of our appreciation.
“Corporate branded merchandise is considered a promotional and advertising expense. This loophole means that the water cooler with the company’s logo on it is entirely tax-deductible, effectively getting around the IRS gift limit.
“This makes your gift essentially cost-neutral for the company, plus the added benefit of you becoming a walking advertisement every time you wear our business swag to your kid’s soccer game.”
Final Thoughts
These phrases are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to deciphering corporate doublespeak. The next time you’re reading the news or hear your boss complaining, see if you can spot any more examples of this type of language in action.
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