Corporate jargon starting with T

T

table stakes

the bare minimum

table stakes meaning

table this

postpone it

Chiefly in the US, postpone the item. Elsewhere, put it up for discussion.

tailwinds

lucky conditions

Outside conditions that make results easier.

take this offline

not in front of everyone

Stop discussing it here. The two people who care get their own meeting.

talent acquisition

recruiting

Hiring, with a grander name.

task masking

looking busy

Looking busy without producing anything: fast walking, loud typing, open spreadsheets.

Career site career.io coined it, and Collins shortlisted taskmasking for its 2025 Word of the Year.

TBC

not confirmed

To be confirmed: planned, but not agreed yet.

TBD

not decided

To be decided: nobody has decided yet.

team building

group activity

Activities meant to bond a team, often outside work hours.

team player

does as told

team player meaning

technical debt

shortcuts to fix later

The cost of quick fixes that will need redoing.

TGIF

Friday at last

Thank goodness it's Friday.

thanks in advance

you will do this

Thanks for work you have not agreed to do yet.

the great detachment

staying, checked out

Staying in a job while emotionally checked out of it.

the Great Resignation

everyone quit

The 2021 to 2022 wave of people leaving their jobs.

the great stay

nobody quits

A job market where hardly anyone leaves their job.

thick skin

you'll be shouted at

You will be criticized, possibly loudly.

think outside the box

try something new

think outside the box meaning

thought leader

person with opinions

Someone whose job includes having opinions in public.

thought leadership

opinion pieces

Content meant to make a company look like the expert.

thought partner

someone to think with

Someone you talk ideas through with, as a job title.

thought shower

brainstorm

A UK swap for brainstorm, over an epilepsy worry a survey did not bear out.

In April 2003, UK trainee teachers were told to say thought shower instead of brainstorm.

thrilled to announce

I have news

I have news, usually a new job title.

thrown in the deep end

no training

Given a hard job with no preparation.

TIA

thanks in advance

Thanks in advance, cut to three letters to save time asking.

tiger team

special squad

tiger team meaning

timebox

set a time limit

Give a task a fixed amount of time and stop when it runs out.

top-down

from the bosses

Decided at the top and handed down.

top line

revenue

Total sales, before any costs come off.

top of mind

thinking about it

What someone thinks of first, or is focused on now.

total comp

everything you're paid

Salary plus bonus, stock and benefits, all added up.

total rewards

pay plus perks

HR's name for pay, benefits and perks counted together.

touch base

check in

touch base meaning

town hall

big staff meeting

A company meeting where leaders talk and staff may ask questions.

toxic workplace

bad place to work

A job where bullying, fear or chaos is normal.

traction

signs it's working

Early evidence that customers want the thing.

trim the fat

cut costs

Cut what is called waste, sometimes meaning people.

true-up

settle the difference

Adjusting a payment once the real figures are known.

turnkey

ready to use

Delivered complete and ready to run, with no assembly.

two weeks' notice

I'm leaving

The usual US warning before quitting.

tyre kicker

time-waster

A prospect who asks plenty and buys nothing.

Back to the letters