Fortune | FORTUNE 07月10日 22:33
The Gen Z glossary for Gen X managers: Here’s what your workers mean by ‘menty B’ and ‘cozzie livs’
index_new5.html
../../../zaker_core/zaker_tpl_static/wap/tpl_guoji1.html

 

随着数百万员工重返办公室,职场迎来了在疫情期间成长起来的Gen Z一代,他们带来了自己的流行语。文章探讨了这些新词汇对职场沟通的影响,例如“slay”、“menty B”和“cozzie livs”等。这些词汇的出现,可能会对不同年龄段的员工之间的交流带来挑战,甚至可能导致误解和代沟。文章还提到了Gen Z在沟通中对表情符号和缩略词的新偏好,如使用“IJBOL”代替“LOL”和避免使用传统的点赞和笑脸表情。理解这些新趋势对于建立有效的跨代际职场沟通至关重要。

🎉 **“Slay”**:源自黑人社区和LGBTQ+群体,意为“做得好”,现在通过TikTok进入年轻人的词汇。

🤯 **“Menty B”**:轻描淡写的说法,指轻微的压力情况,源于“mental breakdown”,即精神崩溃。

💰 **“Cozzie livs”**:英国年轻人对生活成本危机的戏称,源于“cost of living”,指生活成本。

💯 **“That slaps / Hits different”**:前者表示“非常好”,后者表示比预期好。

✅ **“Understood the assignment”**:表示理解并出色地完成了任务。

💬 **“Say less”**:相当于“别说了”,表示“我明白了”。

As millions of workers have returned to the office, workplaces have welcomed a sizable cohort of Gen Z workers who came of age during the pandemic—and they’re bringing their own slang with them.

In a remote setting, language barriers were fairly easy to navigate with the safety net of Google (or rather, Urban Dictionary). But as conversations move from online to in person, it’s going to be impossible to subtly search the definition of “cozzie livs” when talking to younger staff members.

Just as research has shown that corporate jargon is isolating young workers because they don’t know the meaning of phrases like “deep dive,” it won’t be long until Gen X managers feel left out of watercooler chats with their twentysomething workers. 

“Lack of familiarity with Gen Z slang could potentially lead to misunderstandings or misinterpretations, hampering effective communication,” Jessica Kelly, CEO of the corporate well-being company Meet Your Mind, tells Fortune. “It could also create a generational divide, making it harder for different age groups to collaborate effectively.”

So here’s the list of some terms Gen Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) told Fortune they’re currently using that older generations ought to know—if they don’t already.

Slay

Like many of the words on this list that Gen Z are bringing to the workplace, “slay” isn’t exactly new. The compliment can loosely translate to “killing it” and has been used widely by Black people and the LGBTQ+ community for decades. But it has now entered the vocabulary of young people via TikTok.  

Menty B

If you have had a stressful day, sent the wrong email to your boss, or missed your train to the office, you might have a “menty B”—or rather a mental breakdown. The new lighthearted term is being used more for minor stressful situations than the very serious get-signed-off-work type. 

Cozzie livs

As in many parts of the world, the cost-of-living crisis is affecting every household in the U.K., with energy bills, food, rent, and interest rates spiraling. Youngsters in the country are affectionately referring to the current economic backdrop as the “cozzie livs.”

That slaps / Hits different

If something slaps, it’s very good. The term originally came from the hip-hop scene to describe a hit, but today people are using it to describe everything from their food to their work. For example, “The video you edited slaps. I’ve watched it three times already.” Similarly, if something hits different it means it’s better than expected. 

Ate that

This essentially refers to someone doing a great job. If a peer smashed a presentation at work, you might say, “They ate that.” Or for a job extra well done you could say, “They ate and left no crumbs.” Impressive items can also eat too, for example: “Those jeans eat.” 

Understood the assignment

This phrase pretty much means what it says on the can: Someone who understood the assignment got the task at hand and is excelling. For example, “Chris’s pitch won the clients over. He understood the assignment.” It can also be used when someone’s outfit is perfect for the occasion, like Princess Diana’s infamous revenge dress: She understood the assignment. 

Say less

Again, “say less” has been used for some time as an alternative to “say no more” by Black people, but Gen Z has recently popularized the term. You’d use this to confirm to your coworkers, “I’ve got it, you don’t have to say any more,” when they’re breaking down a task, for example. 

Sending me

This is the Gen Z equivalent of LOL (laugh out loud, for those who still think the acronym means lots of love). If you watched a video you found hilarious, you could say, “That sent me.” You can even spice it up by elaborating, for example: “That sent me into orbit” (it sent you so far, you ended up in space).

It’s giving

The term “it’s giving” (usually followed by a description, like “innocent intern” or “boss vibes”) refers to when something or someone is emitting a particular vibe. Be warned: This can be used in both a positive or negative sense.

_core

“Core” is a suffix that is being used to categorize a type of aesthetic. For example, #cottagecore is extremely popular on TikTok. It highlights everything from what someone who lives in the countryside might wear and the types of hobbies they’d have to how they’d decorate their home. Meanwhile, “Barbiecore” has been used to describe everything pink—from fashion to sofas for sale—that may have seemingly been inspired by the new movie.

Cheugy

Used to classify a product or trend as old, out-of-date, or cringeworthy, “cheugy” is predominantly negative and often used in reference to products or trends associated with millennials. So if young peer is describing your outfit as cheugy, it’s definitely not a compliment—although apparently even the word cheugy is becoming cheugy.

A note on acronyms and emojis 

Although you won’t feel the sting of embarrassment from misusing an emoji, as you would if you thought “cheugy” was a compliment, it’s still worth knowing the new rules of messaging for those days when you’re working from home.

To begin with, Gen Z apparently prefers to send a stream of small messages instead of one big note. Meanwhile, it’s out with LOL and in with IJBOL—“I just burst out laughing.”

Other acronyms worth noting include IYKYK (if you know you know) and W or L (for “win or loss,” like “take the L”).

Also, when it comes to emojis, gone is the use of thumbs-up and smiley faces. “That’s so basic,” sums up one Gen Zer at Fortune’s office. Instead, younger workers prefer to agree to their manager’s commands using the saluting face or handshake emoji. 

Meanwhile, the melting face is apparently the virtual equivalent of melting on the spot from embarrassment.

 A version of this story originally published on Fortune.com on September 12, 2023.

Fish AI Reader

Fish AI Reader

AI辅助创作,多种专业模板,深度分析,高质量内容生成。从观点提取到深度思考,FishAI为您提供全方位的创作支持。新版本引入自定义参数,让您的创作更加个性化和精准。

FishAI

FishAI

鱼阅,AI 时代的下一个智能信息助手,助你摆脱信息焦虑

联系邮箱 441953276@qq.com

相关标签

Gen Z 流行语 职场 沟通
相关文章
阿笑呀小阿笑:想起高一的时候谈了一个对象,有次我给他…
大厂人啊,其实个顶个的优秀,都是考出来的学霸。学霸最大的特征是擅长考试,习惯同辈竞争,肌肉记忆了。但是做生意,是交朋友不是打败谁。 我从职场出来最大的...
吵架,真不是两个人在吵,实则是六个人在吵。 真正的你,你眼里的你,ta眼里的你。 真正的ta,ta眼里的ta,你眼里的ta。
?? 一个好的领导者知道如何战略性地“拍马屁”: ? 来自Tim ferriss推荐 《克林顿战情室的12条胜选秘诀》 「如果你认为某些人是傻瓜,而你唯一的应对方...
#不是毕业后就不学习了,要主动定期升级自己的各种配置 “有些人的中央处理器(头脑)更强大一些,有些人的内存容量(记忆力)更大一些,有些人的硬盘空间(笔记...
北方华创回应“股价更便宜了”:长期来看公司市值与经营业绩是匹配的
克利夫兰联储行长:美联储应更好地向公众解释经济形势将如何影响决策
做了电商以后,更看到了人的多元和复杂性。 有高校的数学老师p顺丰面单来退运费(一条内裤运费32元,顺丰内部查询其使用10元优惠券实际支付2元)。 有穿了2年破...
我的孩子说我在一次争吵中抓伤了她的腿,但我没有。我想她会告诉她的心理医生是我干的。我该怎么办?
千禧一代的感叹--有些词语与千禧一代擦肩而过;他不知道自己是否搞砸了,没有在有机会的时候说出 "phat "或 "dope "这样的词语。