June 30, 2025
Trendy Buzzwords Are Misleading HR Leaders, New Report Reveals
First, it was “quiet quitting.” Then came “grumpy staying.” Now, we’re in a “lazy girl job” era.
The workplace lexicon keeps expanding — and so does the confusion. Buzzwords are trending on TikTok, echoed in boardrooms, and baked into company culture decks. But according to new research from McLean & Company, HR leaders chasing these phrases risk missing the bigger picture.
In a report titled Buzzwords: Helpful or Harmful?, the HR advisory firm unpacks how viral terminology gains traction and why blindly responding to it can lead to missteps. While some phrases reflect genuine employee sentiment, others reduce complex problems into soundbites, creating more noise than insight.
“Quiet quitting,” for example, took off online as a fresh phenomenon. But the behaviour behind it — disengaged employees doing the bare minimum — is nothing new. McLean & Company argues that rebranding long-standing issues with catchy labels often leads companies to overcorrect, rather than address root causes like burnout or lack of recognition.
Old Problems Framed Anew
The report highlights that many of today’s buzziest phrases simply repackage old problems. Terms like “quick quitting” aren’t far removed from traditional job hopping, while expressions such as “lazy girl jobs” often tap into long-standing debates over job expectations and workplace flexibility. Social media platforms like LinkedIn and TikTok add fuel to the fire by propelling these phrases into the mainstream, often distorting their meaning along the way.
Despite the buzz, HR professionals aren’t rushing to adopt every new term. In a LinkedIn poll by McLean & Company, only 6% of HR respondents said they feel excited when they encounter a new buzzword, while the majority expressed caution or indifference, a sign of widespread scepticism.
The firm warns that reacting impulsively to trending terms without understanding their context can lead to misguided programmes, wasted resources, or eroded employee trust, particularly when buzzwords oversimplify serious challenges.
When definitions are vague or interpretations vary, buzzwords can also sow confusion and division. Misunderstandings can reinforce stereotypes or deepen generational rifts, with leaders mistakenly assuming certain terms speak only to younger workers, and missing broader issues affecting the entire organisation.
McLean & Company suggests HR leaders use these buzzwords as prompts to dig deeper into what employees are experiencing. After all, the language might be new, but the problems rarely are.