New words – 28 September 2020

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boreout noun [U]
/ˈbɔːr.aʊt/
extreme tiredness and depression caused by being bored at work over a long period of time

Unlike burnout, boreout can be caused by there being no work or too little of it (rather than being overloaded with it), which can have an adverse impact on an employee’s psychological well-being. Although there are different boredom thresholds, the onset of boreout is directly related to work tasks being too few and far between, off-putting, or meaningless.
[welcometothejungle.com, 4 April 2019]

workation noun [C]
UK /wɜː.ˈkeɪ.ʃᵊn/ US /wɝː.ˈkeɪ.ʃᵊn/
a holiday where you stay in a hotel or other accommodation and work from there

For many years I’ve been on “workation”, doing my job in hotels across the country. Covid-19 put a stop to all that and gave me time to reflect. The hospitality industry will need our help more than ever over the coming months if it is to survive. Given that I can now work from any location in the UK, I’ve decided to take mini-breaks during the off-season, and continue working as I go.
[Sunday Times, 23 August 2020]

adaptability quotient noun [C]
UK /əˌdæp.təˈbɪl.ə.ti.ˈkwəʊ.ʃᵊnt/ US /əˌdæp.təˈbɪl.ə.t̬i.ˈkwoʊ.ʃᵊnt/
the ability of someone or the company they work for to adapt to change and stay successful

If you want a competitive advantage right now (and admit it, who isn’t feeling insecure about work?), what you need is not a high IQ, or EQ, but AQ – “adaptability quotient”. How to improve adaptability is one of the most common questions business coaches are being asked. You can start, says the executive coach Dr Sally Ann Law, by “observing how others do things and being open-minded about their way being better than yours”.
[Sunday Times, 21 June 2020]

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8 thoughts on “New words – 28 September 2020

  1. Joe Genovese

    Hi Team,

    Today’s word is: boreout noun [U]

    What does “[U]” mean?

    Is there a list of such abbreviations available on this site one may refer to?

    Regards,

    Joe.

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