Corporate jargon starting with C

42 terms of corporate jargon starting with C, from C-suite to CYA. Circle back means talk later, or never, and constructive feedback means criticism.

Every term under C

C

C-suite: top bosses; The executives whose titles start with chief.
CAC: cost to win a customer; Customer acquisition cost: what it costs to win one new customer.
cadence: how often; cadence meaning in business
capex: big spending; Capital expenditure: money spent on things that last, like buildings or kit.
career cushioning: a backup plan; Quietly lining up a next job while still in this one.
career ladder: promotion steps; The ranks you climb in a job, one title at a time.
cash cow: steady earner; A product that makes money reliably with little new investment.
casual Friday: jeans day; The one day a week the dress code relaxes.
CC: copied in; cc meaning
change agent: hired to change things; The person brought in to change how things are done.
check in: quick update; A short call or message to ask how something is going.
cheers: thanks, bye; cheers meaning
churn: customers leaving; The share of customers or staff who leave in a period.
circle back: talk later, or never; circle back meaning
close of play: end of the working day; A British deadline: done before the working day ends. Borrowed from sport, where play stops for the day.
close the loop: report back; Tell everyone involved how something ended.
COB: when the office closes; cob meaning
coffee badging: showing up briefly; coffee badging meaning
cold call: unasked-for sales call; Calling someone who has never heard of you, to sell.
company man: loyal to the firm; Someone who puts the company first, always.
competitive salary: we won't say; competitive salary meaning
conscious unbossing: no thanks to management; Choosing not to become a manager, usually because the job looks miserable.; Recruiter Robert Walters named it in 2024, when 52% of UK Gen Z professionals said they didn't want to be middle managers.
constructive feedback: criticism; Criticism, phrased to sound helpful.
core competency: what we're good at; The thing a company does better than rivals.
core hours: must-be-on hours; The hours everyone must be available, flex time or not.
core values: official principles; The principles a company says guide it, often on a wall.
corner office: the boss's office; The big office with two windows, a sign of rank.
corporate America: big business; corporate america meaning
corporate baddie: polished office look; A social media label for a confident, polished office style.
corporate culture: how things are done here; A company's habits and unwritten rules.
corporate ladder: company ranks; The ranks of a company, climbed by promotion.
counteroffer: offer to stay; Your employer's bid to keep you after you resign.
CRM: customer database; Customer relationship management: software that tracks every customer and deal.
cross-functional: across teams; cross functional meaning
cross-sell: sell something else too; Sell a customer a related product alongside the first.
cross-training: learning a colleague's job; Teaching staff each other's tasks so someone can cover.
CSAT: customer happiness score; Customer satisfaction score: how pleased customers say they are.
CTA: call to action; Call to action: the line or button telling the reader what to do.
cubicle: desk in a box; cubicle meaning
culture: how it's done here; The unwritten rules of how things are done here.
culture rot: decaying workplace; A workplace's habits slowly getting worse.
CYA: cover yourself; Cover your ass: keep a paper trail in case it goes wrong.

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Sources

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The Guardian: Conscious unbossing: why gen Z are refusing to become managers