5 intriguing career buzzwords that reveal employee truths
Buzzword bingo, or the language of truth?
As communicators, we strive for clarity and precision. No jargon, no woolliness, no tedious buzzwords.
But sometimes career buzzwords (which are usually phrases rather than individual words) become popular because they hold some truths about the employee engagement that we need to pay attention to.
We’re talking about trends such as Bare Minimum Monday, conscious quitting and labour hoarding. Unlike jargon, which can alienate and exclude those who don’t know the latest lingo, these buzzwords tell us about the workplace zeitgeist. They reveal the ebbs and flows of how people feel about work, and how much they’re prepared to sacrifice for their jobs.
And some of them uncover a dissatisfaction, even a sadness, that employers ought to explore. That’s where internal comms and employee engagement experts can set the ball rolling by opening up dialogue.
Let’s start with a buzzword (or three) that’s all about self-care – Bare Minimum Monday.
Bare Minimum Monday – a stress-free start to the week
For those whose jobs allow it, Bare Minimum Monday helps combat stress and avoid burnout.
That’s the idea, anyway, according to proponents of the benefits of a slower start to the week. As well as a kinder way to launch into Monday, it also gives space to focus on the tasks and challenges that lie ahead – to think things through instead of hurtling head-first into them.
We can sense eyes rolling at this one. A Monday of mindfulness? With a to-do list like mine? All those deadlines and launches, calls and meetings, catching up with whatever the weekend threw at us…
Okay, so maybe this career buzzword is more of an aspiration than a realistic trend. It’s something to think about, though. Do we need to pack lots of meetings into Monday? Should we build in time to prepare for the week ahead?
At H&H we have our Monday Morning Huddle, when the whole agency, spread far and wide across the UK and our European office, gets together online for an hour or so to share thoughts, plaudits and plans. It’s a way to pause, think and connect with each other, ready for another busy week.
Bare Minimum Monday is a buzzword loaded with more than a hint of privilege, and it’s certainly not for everyone. But the intention behind it, encouraging people to take time to plan and settle into the week, is worth pondering. Is it something your employees would welcome, or even need? It could also be a savvy commercial decision, since it’s proven that promoting wellbeing enhances business performance.
Anything that helps prevent a stress overload is a good thing – and it may even combat the trend of quiet quitting.
One in three employees right now is ‘quiet quitting’.
The quiet quitter makes a statement about having given up on their current job – without being in a position to actually resign.
One in three has decided to do only the minimum required for the job. Unlike working to rule – which is usually a form of collective protest or industrial action – quiet quitting is individual and personal.
These employees are disengaged. They don’t feel valued. They’re no longer driven or ambitious. They don’t buy into what the company is striving for – and are not interested in going above and beyond to help achieve those goals.
As TikTok-er Hunter Ka’imi puts it: ‘I’m not going to put in a sixty-hour workweek and pull myself up by my bootstraps for a job that does not care about me as a person.’
It’s a sad state of affairs that often comes about as a result of poor leadership and workplace culture. And it’s something that needs to be tackled, through better employee engagement efforts, relevant two-way internal communications, and listening to what is turning people off.
After all, a dynamic workplace depends on team players – versatile, flexible, ready to step out of their comfort zone and try something new. It’s about making sure no one’s left with more than their fair share of work – everyone pulling together to crack a project and push for brilliance.
That might mean putting in some extra hours and feeling the burn of deadline pressure. But it might also mean having the freedom to nip to the gym in the afternoon, shift your hours, take a walk when the sun’s out – if you work for a company that knows how to give and take.
So if your colleagues are doing some quiet quitting, find out why – and how the organisation can turn things around. The one thing not to do is pile up more buzzwords and pretend that all it takes is a positive attitude…
Toxic positivity – or papering over the cracks
Chin up! Positive thinking has a lot going for it – in general, it’s an approach we swear by.
But toxic positivity can drive people into quiet quitting. Or real quitting. It’s the rejection of any negative thoughts, emotions or concerns. The suppression of anything other than whooping, cheering, high-kicking optimism. The casting of anyone with doubts as a Negative Nelly.
It’s not healthy and it’s not productive.
The culture behind this buzzword puts people under pressure to pretend everything’s just great, when they’re actually having a rough time. On a personal level, it can stop someone tackling an important and difficult issue. In the workplace, it can mean failing to address issues or prepare for problems that lie ahead – because it’s all about our mindset, right?
It’s also not very human. And humanity has to be at the heart of what we do as internal communicators and employee engagement specialists. For example, if we disregard pessimism, how do we win over employees who are harder to convince – or who protect themselves because they have seen too many failures in the past? And if we don’t listen to negative opinions, how do we put in place contingencies or plan for a less-than-ideal outcome?
A positive attitude is wonderful when it’s far more than a buzzword – and supported by the things we need to create, well, positivity. A healthy work environment, company culture and work-life balance, for example. But just as a positive mindset is not ‘a panacea for all of life’s challenges’ in our personal lives, it’s also no cure for a workplace that’s miserable, inefficient, uncomfortable and unsupportive.
If employees refuse to fly the ‘good vibes only!’ flag, find out why. Suggest their feelings are not the correct ones, and you’ll alienate them. But if you take time to learn about what’s irking them, you have more chance of engaging with them on a realistic level that makes them feel heard and valued.
After all, to turn that frown upside down, you need to acknowledge the frown in the first place.
Conscious quitting – when people seek an ethical employer
What if your employees are disgruntled because the organisation’s values are out of kilter with their own? Then it’s possible you’ll witness some conscious quitting.
People increasingly want to work for ethical companies, ones that are committed to improving society and the world around us. If they feel their employer is not using its corporate power for good, they may well vote with their feet and find a company that is.
Jeremy Campbell, a business consultant, reckons the upheaval of the pandemic made people see their work in a new way. Employees expect more humanity and higher ethical standards from the businesses they work for. So how can an organisation prevent the ethical flight of conscious quitters? According to Campbell, ‘They have to be seen to be leading in the charge to net zero; they have to be flexible in their approach to how people work; and they have to have leaders who lead with empathy.’
All makes sense. Internal communicators can’t necessarily pivot the corporate direction of their organisation, or put together a new environment, social and governance policy. But we can start the conversations that will improve the way employees see the company.
We can find out what people want from an employer, and develop a communications strategy that will set out leaders’ plans to address employees’ concerns. It may be that there is plenty of good stuff in the pipeline – but people simply don’t yet know about it.
Being open about what’s coming next could keep hold of those who’ve made a conscious decision to renew their ambitious vigour. They’re the employees inspiring our next buzzword: ‘career committing’.
Career committing – either at your place or elsewhere
Buzzwords today cover the full gamut of employee engagements. So someone who is quiet quitting may also be career committing – just not necessarily with their current employer.
Employees are attuned to the risks of economic uncertainty and rising costs, and they’re prepping for the future. They want to give themselves the best possible chance of not just keeping their jobs – but also upping their income.
Instead of quitting, they’re investing in their own career brand, determined to earn what they believe they’re worth. This means throwing themselves into networking and making more effort with colleagues, taking on new projects, and developing new skills.
This sounds ideal for employers, with freshly motivated people ready to push the boat out. However, Alice Stapleton, a career coach, advises would-be career committers to ask whether their current role will let them fulfil their ambitions. And if the answer is no, to look for a new position that offers the ‘spark and motivation’ they need.
If you’ve an ambitious, highly skilled bunch in your workforce, find out how engaged they are. Do the company values align with theirs – and do you communicate them well enough? Are there plenty of opportunities to grow and flourish? Does the organisation protect employees’ wellbeing? And listen to their concerns instead of demanding positivity?
Buzzwords can be a source of humour. Some are little more than a quirky topic for a blog post. But sometimes, they’re a plea for a meaningful conversation between organisations and their employees. So together, we can figure out how to avoid resentful quitting, and instead inspire career committing.
Insights and Resources
Want to keep your finger on the pulse of the hottest topics in IC and EE? Check out some of our blogs and industry insights.
How to use internal comms to align employee and organisational values
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