Most Confusing Workplace Terms and Abbreviations

There’s nothing more frustrating than not knowing the meaning of an acronym or abbreviation, thankfully, there are search engines. These shortened terms are designed to make learning easier or smoother, but if you don’t know what they mean, it can waste a lot of time. WTF? According to a Monster survey, more than two-thirds of people surveyed felt incompetent during their most recent onboarding process. They doubted whether they were qualified for the job they were hired for because of some of the business terms that they were unable to identify.  In response to this statistic, Wix looked at some of the most confusing business abbreviations to learn the most confusing ones. They looked at forty-five different abbreviations and found some interesting results. All of the acronyms combined generated more than eighteen million searches every year. That means we’re stopping whatever we’re doing to look up a shortened version of something that is designed to be a time saver. Most Confusing Business Abbreviations The most confusing and searched is CRM or “customer relationship management” which we look up close to two million times a year. It’s a term used for systems, tools, and techniques businesses use to manage their customer relations. CRM systems help businesses improve customer satisfaction and streamline processes by tracking data and activity and automating processes. Another mind-boggling abbreviation is KPI or “key performance indicator.” KPI was searched almost the same amount of times and is a quantitative measurement used in most workplaces to assess performance in many areas including sales, retail, and marketing. VPN or “virtual private network” is searched about one and a half million times annually. A virtual private network is used by companies for online safety. It encrypts data and hides IP or “internet protocol addresses” from cyber-attacks. Honestly, I’ve heard of these, and know what they do, but if asked what they stand for, I may not have been able to identify them. If you work with them every day then you’ll grow accustomed to them, and it shouldn’t be an issue. Others include TBD or “to be determined,” LLC aka “limited liability company,” AFK which means “away from keyboard,” SEO, “search engine optimization,” and FTE or “full-time equivalent,” (I never heard of that one). Wix recommends you avoid using potentially confusing terms to help new employees with their onboarding experience. Then you can educate the new hire on the frequently used terms. Check out the full list of terms, I’ve never seen or heard of most of them.