lip service

Definition

Verbal support for an idea or policy with zero intention of actually implementing it or following through. Corporate theater where agreement is performative rather than actionable.

Example Usage

Leadership pays lip service to work-life balance but still expects us to answer emails at midnight.

Origin

English idiom dating to the 1640s, originally religious in context

Fun Fact

Employee surveys consistently show 'lip service' as a top frustration, with 67% of workers reporting management says one thing but does another.

Source: Common corporate and organizational terminology

Related Terms

Beginner

transcription

The soul-crushing process of converting audio into text, where you discover that people say "um" approximately 47 times per minute and rarely finish their sentences. This painstaking task involves rewinding the same three seconds repeatedly because someone mumbled their crucial point while eating a sandwich. Now partially automated by AI that still can't figure out the difference between "their" and "there."

💼 Corporate / Business

Intermediate

evaluative

The judgmental cousin of 'analytical,' used to describe anything involving assessment or assigning value. Typically deployed by consultants who need to sound more sophisticated than saying 'judgy.' It's the academic way of admitting you're about to reduce something complex into a simple thumbs-up or thumbs-down.

💼 Corporate / Business

Intermediate

visioning

Corporate-speak for 'daydreaming with a PowerPoint deck,' where executives gather to imagine future success without worrying about pesky details like budgets or reality. It's the art of creating aspirational statements that sound profound in all-hands meetings but mean absolutely nothing by Tuesday. When someone schedules a 'visioning session,' bring your buzzword bingo card.

💼 Corporate / Business

Beginner

Double-click

To examine something in greater detail, as if you're opening a folder on your desktop. Usually said right before someone asks you questions you can't answer.

💼 Corporate / Business

Intermediate

Core Competency

The one thing your company claims to be really good at, which is usually just the thing you've been doing the longest. Like a restaurant saying their core competency is food -- technically true but not exactly inspiring.

💼 Corporate / Business

Intermediate

cost center

A department that spends money but doesn't directly generate revenue, making it perpetually vulnerable during budget cuts despite often being essential. Where accountants go to find sacrificial lambs.

💼 Corporate / Business

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Beginner

uabys

Sybau spelled backwards....