Quiet quitting
The practice of doing the minimum required work without going above and beyond, like professional coasting.
Corporate Buzzword Dictionary
Decode business jargon with satirical definitions and related terms. Browse 1,157 entries — page 22 of 29.
Quite frankly
A phrase that means "I'm about to be honest" but actually means "I'm about to be rude" or "I'm about to say something you won't like."
ROI
Return on investment.
RTO (return to office)
RTO means return to office: a change in work arrangements that brings employees back to a physical workplace after a period of remote or less frequent on-site work.
Radical candor
A management approach that combines caring personally with challenging directly, like tough love for the workplace.
Radio silent
A phrase that means "not responding" but sounds more dramatic and mysterious, usually used when someone just isn't answering their phone.
Raise the bar
To increase standards or expectations, which in corporate terms usually means making everyone work harder for the same pay while management takes credit for the 'improvement.'
Rationalization
A euphemism for getting fired that makes job loss sound like a logical business decision rather than what it actually is.
Re-baseline
To reset expectations, which usually means admitting you were wrong about everything.
Reach out
A corporate way of saying 'contact' or 'talk to' that makes simple communication sound like a profound act of human connection. Usually used in emails that are anything but personal.
Red team it
To have someone try to break your idea, which is great until they actually break it.
Reinvent the wheel
To create something that already exists, usually because you don't know it exists or because you think your version will be better (it won't).
Reputation capital
The value derived from a company's reputation and brand recognition, like goodwill but more measurable.
Resilient leadership
Leadership that can adapt and thrive in uncertain, changing environments, like being a good captain in a storm.
Resilient supply chain
A supply chain designed to withstand disruptions and quickly recover from shocks, like having backup plans for your backup plans.
Reskilling
The process of learning new skills to adapt to changing job requirements, like professional evolution.
Resonate
A word used to describe ideas that supposedly connect with people emotionally, usually said by people whose ideas don't actually connect with anyone.
Responsible AI
AI-related corporate buzzword that sounds futuristic but usually means "we're not sure how this works yet."
Retail media
Content-related buzzword that makes simple communication sound like a complex strategy.
Retention curve
A graph showing how customer retention changes over time, like a popularity contest for products.
Retrieval augmented generation (RAG)
An AI technique that combines information retrieval with text generation to produce more accurate and contextual responses.
Return on experience
A metric that measures the value generated from customer experience investments, like ROI but for feelings.
RevOps
Short for revenue operations, the alignment of sales, marketing, and customer success to optimize revenue generation.
Revenue operations
The strategic alignment of people, processes, and technology to optimize revenue generation across the customer lifecycle.
Right-sizing
Adjusting the size of something, which usually means making it smaller and cheaper.
Rightsize
To fire people while pretending it's about efficiency, not cost-cutting.
Rinse and repeat
To do the same thing over and over, which is great until you realize it's not working.
Roadmap
A corporate euphemism for "wishful thinking" that makes unrealistic plans sound like sophisticated strategy, usually created by people who have never actually completed a project on time.
Robust
A word used to describe systems or processes that are supposedly strong and reliable, usually said about things that are neither strong nor reliable.
Robust solution
A solution that's supposed to be strong and reliable, which usually means it's overcomplicated and fragile.
Rock star
A self-proclaimed expert who thinks they're amazing at their job, usually said by people who are mediocre at best and have never actually been rock stars.
Rocket science
A corporate euphemism for "not that hard" that makes simple tasks sound like they require advanced degrees, usually used by people who can't actually do the simple task.
Roll up your sleeves
To get ready to work hard, which is great until you realize you're not actually going to work hard.
Run it up the flagpole
To ask for permission from someone who doesn't understand the project but has the authority to say no. The corporate version of 'let me ask my mom.'
Run it up the flagpole
To ask for permission from someone who doesn't understand the project but has the authority to say no.
Run the numbers
A corporate euphemism for "do math" that makes simple calculations sound like sophisticated financial analysis, usually followed by discovering the numbers don't add up.
Runway
How much time/resources remain before running out.
SWAT team
A tactical project group assigned to implement solutions.
Sales enablement
The process of providing sales teams with the tools, content, and training needed to sell more effectively.
Sandbox it
To test something in a safe environment, which in corporate terms means 'let's waste time on this until we forget about it.'