The worst business jargon and phrases of 2024

Since we’re coming to the end of another calendar year, it’s often time to look back at our successes, failures, and things that absolutely irritated the hell out of us. Tom Valcanis shares the jargon and corporate speak that’s pushed his buttons over the last 12 months.

Business – especially the university-corporate sausage factory pipeline – loves to sound smarter than they actually are, by using esoteric jargon. Repeated over and over, it grates the ears like nails over chalkboard.

In 2024, there was no shortage of innovative and disruptive game-changing jargon – with almost none of it being useful or helpful. Here’s some of the worst that I’ve encountered and most likely, some of you have too.

Circling back

Perhaps popularised by politicians and their press secretaries (former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was notorious for this) “circling back” is a non-answer meant to convey one will attend to a query or request at a later time without betraying the fact you will likely never, ever get what you asked for. Because saying “I don’t know” inflicts a pain worse than death on all who utter it.

Quiet firing/quitting/etc.

In the retail world, what is your reward for getting your list of tasks done? Is it a pat on the back? A nice little bonus at the end of shift? No! It’s more work. More likely than not, it’s tedious busywork that you’ve already done. Mopped the floor? Do it again! Enter the concepts of “quiet firing”, a company making one’s working life so miserable they eventually quit; and “quiet quitting” an employee doing the bare minimum to avoid further responsibilities and/or getting the sack. If something is “quiet” it also means that its “covert” which means you are likely working with toddlers. Use your words if you’re not satisfied with something, yeah?

AI

Did you know my phone has AI in it? So does my copy of deathmatch video game Unreal Tournament, released in 1999. The term “AI” or artificial intelligence has become so overused and such a high abstract term it has come to mean pretty much anything to anyone. When we say “AI” do we mean large language models that generate images or text such as OpenAI or Midjourney, or machine learning algorithms that Meta use to “optimise” its content to have people doom scroll for as long as possible? I think marketers believe saying “AI” casts a spell on the listener to have them nod and clap in approval, no matter the context.

Word salad

This one was popularised during the 2024 U.S. Presidential Campaign, aimed at both candidates after the Biden bow out/coup. A “word salad” is a jumble of words and phrases that the speaker intends to sound meaningful and profound but end ups communicating nothing – or worse yet, confusing the listener. It’s doublespeak on incoherence pills, basically.

RTO

The dreaded “return to office” scrunched into an acronym to conceal the fact that no one who works from home wants to go back to the office. (Some people do. They’re weird.) Just like Kentucky Fried Chicken was shortened to KFC to sever the tie between their product and the word “Fried” (well, what else is it?) so people would overlook it being fattening. If reducing uncomfortable phrases to mere letters can bypass the disappointment of realising that one’s morning commute will take hours instead of seconds, perhaps we should try it with everything. RCO (Root Canal Operation) anyone?

Reach Out

This is my most hated of hated buzzwords – reaching out has become so tired and cliché, its original empathetic veneer has tarnished away to reveal the cold corporate steel underneath. You’re not reaching out. You’re contacting someone. The same way humans have done since we grunted our way into civilisation. Also, I just think of that Elton John song for some reason.

Leverage

Just use “use.” Don’t use leverage. Don’t use “utilise.” It’s just use. It’s not techy. It’s not smart. Please, for the love of Webster-Merriam; Just. Use. Use.

What are your most hated phrases and words from this year?

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