Definition

To make a choice, usually between options you didn't know existed until your manager made you pick one. The corporate-friendly verb for 'selecting your destiny from a predetermined list.'

Example Usage

Employees could opt into the new healthcare plan or maintain their existing coverage.

Source: Merriam-Webster via Free Dictionary API

Related Terms

Intermediate

skills-based hiring

Evaluating candidates on demonstrable abilities rather than credentials or pedigree, theoretically democratizing access to jobs. It's the 'show, don't tell' approach to recruiting, though execution varies wildly.

👥 Human Resources
Beginner

open-door policy

A theoretical management approach where employees can discuss concerns with leadership anytime without fear of reprisal. In reality, it's a trap—the door may be open, but your career prospects close the moment you walk through it with bad news.

👥 Human Resources
Beginner

FNG

The 'New Guy/Gal' (with a more colorful adjective), referring to the newest team member who doesn't yet understand unspoken rules, inside jokes, or why everyone hates the quarterly all-hands meetings. Every workplace has one, and we've all been one.

👥 Human Resources
Advanced

Talent Marketplace

An internal system where employees can browse and bid on projects, which is essentially a gig economy inside your own company but with even less job security.

👥 Human Resources
Intermediate

Forced Ranking (Stack Ranking)

A performance management system requiring managers to rank employees on a curve, with predetermined percentages for top, middle, and bottom performers, designed to be 'objective' but intensely demoralizing.

👥 Human Resources
Advanced

critical talent

Employees whose skills, knowledge, or roles are essential to business success and difficult to replace. They're the people who get retention bonuses while everyone else gets 'market adjustments' that don't match inflation.

👥 Human Resources

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