WTF is BAU?
Correct Answer = Business As Usual
Business-types generally use the term BAU to indicate that a standard process should be followed versus doing something novel or additive.
WTF is swag?
Correct Answer x2 = Stuff We All Get AND Scientific Wild Ass Guess
Swag actually has two correct answers — so if you picked either one, you’re golden. Everyone loves getting “swag” – free giveaways from companies and brands. Less commonly known is the data meaning, Scientific Wild Ass Guess. You’ll see this used when someone throws together a quick chart or graph with ballpark numbers versus exact data.
WTF is EOD?
Correct Answer = End of Day
My guess is texting is what made us so collectively lazy that we can no longer spell out a deadline as straightforward as “end of the day.” Geez. Or should I say LOL?
WTF is FTE?
Correct Answer = Full-Time Employee
If you’ve spent any time in a management role, you totally know this one. Especially every year at budget time, there’s bound to be some heated jockeying for full-time employees and who needs them most.
WTF is SME?
Correct Answer = Subject Matter Experts
I personally have a total thing for Subject Matter Experts. They’re infinite pools of knowledge, and super fascinating. As a journalist-editor-writer-turned-content-strategist, I’ve had the pleasure of talking to so many of these thoughtful, smart people across many industries. From architecture to fleet management and mathematics educators to financial advisors and cheesemongers, there’s so much to learn.
Score Yourself
How’d you do? Here’s a very un-scientific look at what your score says about you.
Perfect 5/5. Jargon Virtuoso
I am not sure whether to say, “Good for you!” or “You’ve been in marketing for far too long.” Either way, congrats? You’ve mastered workplace jargon, and you can totally talk the talk all day long. But maybe do us all a favor and… don’t. Or if you must, just make sure to define your jargon.
4/5. Acronym Adept
That’s a real respectable score, buddy! Plus missing one gives you plausible deniability on being a propagator of unintelligible workspeak.
3/5. Lingo Proficient
You know enough to get by, and hopefully you’re one of the good guys who calls co-workers to the carpet and asks them to explain their acronyms, pretty please.
2/5. Balderdash Dabbler
My guess is you’re newish to this whole marketing/business landscape. Maybe this is your first profesh gig, and you think all this alphabet soup is just the norm. It doesn’t have to be that way. Be the change you seek!
1/5. Neophyte
Either you’re just opting out of this whole acronym apocalypse or you’re still a complete neophyte. Don’t worry, it’s never too late to learn. What I’ve discovered is, it’s always the right thing to ask the jargon-spewing co-worker what their acronyms actually mean. There’s ALWAYS someone else who is wondering the exact same thing and is too afraid to ask.
Goose Egg. Complete Novice
If you’re zero-for-five in this quiz, I’m borderline impressed, honestly. Hopefully you learned something – and you can decide for yourself whether this specific jargon is right for you to adopt.
