Top business jargon of 2023

This was a big year when it came to new trends and turning points at work. While a growing number of people worked from home and started their own ventures; many people returned to the office, even if it wasn’t their preference. Still, if that routine felt duller than working at home with half your brain—using the other half, of course, to watch Succession—what was never dull was the way we talked about ever-evolving business culture.

This year, business jargon expanded in new and exciting ways. The internet has a way of changing not just the way we speak, but the way we think about the world—and that was particularly true as we saw many trends start or spread on social media platforms, especially TikTok and Instagram. Some of it was fun and silly. Some of it was majorly helpful. A few words and phrases helped us to better define our boundaries, and some helped teach others how to be more productive in less time.

But when it comes to business, language definitely matters. Here are 10 phrases, some newly coined, some just plain clever—that defined our year at work.

Vibecession

The vibes weren’t great when it came to the economy this year. Enter, the term “vibecession.” It was coined by TikTok sensation and economics educator Kyla Scanlon, who announced on Substack that the U.S. was in a “vibecession”—meaning that the recession was being more or less shaped by how people were feeling about the economy. It’s an astute observation about the power of vibes.

Zombie brand

Some companies can be killed, but some manage to live on through various—and sometimes unlikely—means, even if the business itself is barely being held together. While to customers, the brand may look alive and well, behind the scenes, they’re essentially just walking corpses—aka “zombie brands.” We definitely saw a lot of companies demonstrate this in 2023—Allbirds and Blue Apron are just two examples—hence, the on-the-nose phrase.

Bare minimum Mondays

This year, social media taught us that it’s okay to ease into the week, rather than jet to the office with a to-do list as long as your arm. If Monday is stressing you out (and let’s be real, who doesn’t get the Sunday Scaries once in a while), “bare minimum Mondays” probably feels like an excellent solution. The idea is to check some things off your to-do list, but not to panic about having to absolutely crush goals. The lower-key expectation can help workers adjust from the weekend and ease anxiety about the week ahead.

Lazy girl jobs

While the term implies that there’s not a lot getting done, “lazy girl job” doesn’t actually mean that anyone is slacking off. It’s rather the opposite, in fact—meaning working smarter, not harder. The phrase started trending on social media this year as a response to burnout. “Lazy girls” argue that “you don’t have to work 9 to 5 to earn a living,” and they’re proving it. There are tons of work-from-home jobs that pay well and offer flexibility. And in 2023, those both felt like essentials.

Loud quitting

First, there was quiet quitting, which is essentially just disengagement setting in. Then came the noise. “Loud quitting” was about not quietly putting your energy elsewhere. Loud quitters are actively seeking other jobs and are adamantly against the organization they’re working for. And while loud quitting probably wasn’t as common as quiet quitting, about one in five workers said they were engaged in loud quitting this year. The behavior might have even included doing things to harm their current company—and definitely meant they were taking another job as soon as one popped up, even if the pay wasn’t great.

Grumpy staying

Not all workers have the leverage to up and leave their jobs, but that doesn’t mean they’re thrilled about staying put. Which meant there were a lot of grumpily employed people out there, just going through the motions. And if you haven’t figured it out yet, with all these terms for pent-up feels about work this year, you’d better believe disengagement was big for 2023.

Quiet hiring

Some jargon was in our faces this year. “Quiet hiring,” on the other hand, did seem to be happening, well, rather quietly—even sneakily. Sometimes, it referred to employers bringing in short-term contractors or freelancers. But more often, it meant giving workers a bunch of responsibilities they hadn’t signed on for: you know, like having to fill in for laid-off colleagues or cover for ones who recently quit. Typically, these additional responsibilities would spur a pay bump, but in the age of “quiet hiring,” they instead end up becoming expected an part of your job . . . without any discussion about it at all.

Monk mode

Distractions, in this day and age, are endless. Between checking your phone, Slack, and Instagram alerts alone, you could basically sit in your desk chair and manage to fill an entire day without ever actually working. Going into “monk mode” is meant to combat all those distractions by giving yourself permission to ignore everything—yes, everything—until the tasks before you are completed. It sounds a little avoidant, but also very liberating—and, clearly, necessary.

Nepo baby

Given the rough state of the economy this year, many people seemed more annoyed than ever about the lives of the privileged—in particular, adult children of celebrities who come by incredible jobs with little to no effort on their part . . . otherwise known as “nepo babies.” Those few “chosen ones” were blasted for their seemingly rigged achievements by everyone from social media users on X to magazines, including New York, which ran a whole cover story on the world of Hollywood nepotism.

Anxiety

This word, of course, wasn’t newly coined in 2023. But it seemed to play a crucial role in business this year. Glassdoor dubbed it the word of the year, based on conversations both in and out of offices, identifying use of the word was up 338% on the company insights platform. “Anxiety” was often thrown out there together with: RTO (return to office), mental health, burnout, and layoff. That last one should maybe have been a runner-up to the list, as the end of the year brought news of more job cuts, this time at companies that included Hasbro and Spotify.