I’m Anna Stevenson, the Word Watcher.
For good or for bad, work takes up a huge chunk of most people’s lives, so it’s no surprise that the workplace has a language of its own. Let’s look at some of the latest words and expressions to catch my eye, all relating to doing an honest day’s work and earning a crust.
Remember last time we looked at new words for irritating people? Anyone who has ever worked in an office knows that colleagues can be the most irritating people of all. Take, for example, the pinger. Every office has one. The pinger insists on sending you a message or an email rather than talking directly to you. Even if their desk is right beside yours. It’s a great way to turn what could have been a two-minute chat into a neverending stream of DMs.
You’re in the office, then someone sitting two desks away sends you a Slack message. There’s now a name for them: “pingers”. I am very guilty of being one!
[Tally Workspace, via linkedin.com/pulse, 7 October 2026]
Staying with colleagues who drive us slightly mad, one of the latest office trends is loud working. Pretty much the opposite of quiet quitting, those who embrace loud working are very keen to make sure their hard-working attitude gets noticed and that everyone knows how busy they are. Some employers actively encourage this self-promotion, encouraging staff to take to social media to celebrate their achievements and make sure the wider world is also aware of their brilliance.
More than one in four UK workers have considered leaving a job because of a “loud working” culture or because colleagues are particularly vocal about their own work and achievements.
[metro.co.uk, 2 November 2026]
What if you like your colleagues but it’s the job itself that causes you stress? Once upon a time, success meant chasing promotions and building a career where the salary was high but so was the pressure. Increasingly, people are rejecting that mindset in favour of job-dropping – turning down opportunities for better-paid jobs in order to prioritize their health and wellbeing. The salary may not be so generous but the work–life balance is far better. Do we have Gen Z to thank for this cultural shift? I think we might.
Would you turn down a promotion for less stress? Inside the new “job dropping” career trend
[stylist.co.uk, 26 May 2026]
Ditching the cut-throat corporate world in favour of a nicer, friendlier working environment often comes as a welcome change. But what if you take this new attitude too far? Maybe you’re guilty of bubble-wrapping, which means apologizing constantly, always keeping your opinions to yourself in case someone disagrees, and being far too eager to please. Bubble‑wrapping is the latest term for this over‑cautious style of working where no one ever actually says what they mean.
“Bubble wrapping” at work could be limiting career development – being too considerate is not always the nicest approach.
[theweek.com, 14 July 2026]
After all these workplace anxieties and irritations, perhaps what we all need is a soft off day. This is a day when technically you’re working from home, but in reality you’re doing as little work as possible while fitting in a few personal chores, having a long lunch break, perhaps even a short afternoon nap – you get the idea. It’s like having most of the benefits of a day off – but still getting paid for it.
The soft off day is a remote work habit that’s everywhere right now. Is it time theft or just surviving burnout culture?
[fastcompany.com, 28 May 2026]
Before I go and finish up my own working day, all that remains for me to do is to remind you to join me next time when we will be looking at big words and small words. See you then!