If there is one epidemic that has permeated the world of business more than any other, it would be that notorious infection, the buzzword – those made-up nonsense words that seem to only have any meaning to managers.
Like all viruses, buzzwords are constantly evolving. Megan Aemmer, writing for MSN, has some of the latest in his Top 10 Business Buzzwords.
While some of these aren't new, he's uncovered a few gems that will soon start to infect a workplace near you.
So we have a new verb, "incent" – the abbreviated offspring of "incentivize" (as in, "he tried to incent the team to perform, better"). More hideous still is "delayering", a term used in place of "rightsizing" which was, in turn, a replacement for "downsizing" - or just another euphemism for laying people off.
"Al desko" means "eating lunch at your desk." This word is often used in conjunction with "microwaiting" which, as you might guess, means waiting at the microwave to heat up lunch.
Please feel free to add these silly, nonsensical words to your daily work life. It can only bring you more respect and make you seem more "in the know," right?