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30 Examples of Gen Z jargon at work

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For Gen Z, blending physical and digital identities is now the norm. This merging of in-person and online communication has given rise to a new workplace vocabulary, transforming the way professionals communicate. Gen Z is reshaping workplace communication by incorporating elements of Internet culture, social media trends, and slang into professional environments.

While Gen Z employees are infiltrating the workplace, they're bringing their lingo with them. Let's decode some of their jargon to help other generations avoid misunderstandings at work.

Decoding Gen Z jargon at work

  1. No cap: indicates that the person is saying the truth, used at the beginning or at the end of the statement.
  2. Slay: used to acknowledge someone, expresses happiness with the situation.
  3. Lit: describes something exciting.
  4. Rizz: describes someone's level of charisma.
  5. Vibing: expresses a state of mind where a person is having a good and peaceful time.
  6. Poggers: this word is popular in a younger gaming community and describes something both exciting and surprising.
  7. Understood the assignment: describes someone who did exceptionally well in something.
  8. Cringe: describes a strong feeling of embarrassment, discomfort, or awkwardness in response to someone's behavior.
  9. Bet: similar to saying "okay" or "sure", expresses agreement or acceptance. It can be used to confirm understanding of instructions or a task.
  10. That slaps: means that something is very good.
  11. Fire: indicates that something is awesome, impressive, or cool.
  12. Sus: at the workplace reflects feelings about trust and transparency, suspicion.
  13. Ick: conveys a sense of discomfort or dissatisfaction with a specific aspect of the work.
  14. Flex: means self-promotion.
  15. Brat: denotes a confident attitude.
  16. Red flag: indicates a negative sign about something or someone.
  17. Green flag: indicates a positive sign about someone or something.
  18. Main character: means someone who's confident and in control of their life.
  19. Hits different: Experiencing something new compared to what it was before.
  20. Highkey: Means very, definitely, really.
  21. Ghosting: refers to the situation when you suddenly don't hear back from someone with no explanation.
  22. Cancel: stop supporting someone because of their unethical behavior.
  23. Bad take: means a bad opinion about something.
  24. Woke: means politically aware.
  25. Trash: something bad or of a low quality.
  26. Soft launch: slowly hints at an idea to garner feedback and test the waters.
  27. Hard launch: Refers to a major announcement made through social or live media to promote or raise awareness of a brand or target audience.
  28. L and W: stands for "loss" and "win".
  29. Amped: describes someone eager and full of energy about an idea or event.
  30. GOAT: stands for "greatest of all time." Used to describe a person who is the best at what they do.

The educational Platform Preply surveyed 2000 English speakers to find out their opinion about popular slang terms. According to the survey, 46% of Americans think it's appropriate to use slang in a professional setting, and 42% would use it in front of their boss. Still, 50% of Americans use slang terms without knowing what they mean. Thus, it's important to get with Gen Z jargon to avoid misunderstandings at the workplace and better collaborate with your team.