New buzzwords have arrived, if you were wondering where they’d got to. But Adam McCulloch suspects they won’t have legs. Or in the case of one of them, frog’s legs.
HR has been awash with buzzwords ever since “quiet quitting” garnered national attention during the tail end of the Covid days. But there’s a sense that a law of diminishing returns is operating – who can remember “frolleagues” or “career cushioning”?
Still, rather like any other one-hit wonder, recruiters and CV agencies keep churning them out in the hope that something will stick. But it seems that rather than emulating ABBA or Take That with their multitude of hits they are following in the footsteps of The Knack (My Sharona) or Nena (99 Luftballoons).
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At Personnel Today we don’t give the latest offerings – “job hugging” and “office frogs” – much of a chance when it comes to chart success.
Ronni Zehavi, CEO and co-Founder of HiBob is all in on job-hugging. Rather like an A&R man excited by a new Nena recording he says: “With vacancies slowing and the cost of employment rising, it’s no surprise people are more cautious about moving jobs. However, job-hugging isn’t always a sign of fear; it can be a sign of a company getting things right. When employees choose to stay because they see real opportunities to grow, develop and progress, it’s a reflection of good leadership and strong workplace culture.”
This is indisputable, as is Zehavi’s statement that it’s dangerous to assume that low turnover means high engagement. He says: “That’s a dangerous misconception as if employees feel stuck – without development, recognition or clear career pathways – even the most loyal can become jaded and reduce output.”
So job-hugging has a meaningful context, but we can’t see it having quiet-quitting hit status. Rather like Pharrell Williams and Trey Parker’s Hug Me (from the movie Despicable Me 3), it probably won’t be in the public conscious for long. Indeed, Hug Me only became a hit in Saudi Arabia, where it made it into the Spotify chart in 2022.
Now then, “office frogs”. This may have novelty value – rather like the Bayside Boys’ hit Macarena or Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini by Bombalurina.
Office frogs are essentially Gen Z workers who have embraced a “hop-on, hop-off” approach to their careers, moving from one job to the next for new opportunities.
Peter Duris, CEO and co-Founder of career app Kickresume is concerned that valued employees do not hop away. He says: “Office frogs may just be doing what’s best for themselves and their careers. Often, employees may find they aren’t learning anymore, or are growing bored with their current roles. Sometimes workers may need a chance to learn new skills and boost their salary – something that may only be possible with a new opportunity.
“Rather than staying with one company, job hoppers may find that moving between multiple jobs is the best and easiest way to improve their skills and their salary.”
Crazy frog indeed. Will it be a hit? Well, Crazy Frog’s Axel F song did make it to number one in many countries. But we think it’ll be more like The Doors’ Peace Frog – a slow burner for the HR cognescenti.
What other buzzwords will be spawned in the coming months? We will endeavour to bring them to you, but we can’t promise you’ll remember any of them.
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