works-for-hire. Or, busineeses’ feeble attempt to weasel out paying fair market value for an employee’s great ideas.
At Borgco, they’re called “drones.”
Around my workplace, they call me “Corporal”. I’m too lazy to seek promotion since it would involve a shitload more responsibility and a trivial amount of extra money. Title, shmitle.
One of my favorite lesser-known running Simpsons jokes is what Smithers calls Homer to Mr. Burns. As in:
CMB: Who is that man, Smithers?
WS: That’s Homer Simpson sir, one of your fork-and-spoon operators from Sector 7G.
He’s also said “organ banks”, “chair moisteners”, and some other but that’s all I can think of right now.
[hijack] The Borders I used to work at has recently made nametags for all the café workers, proclaiming them to be baristas. Unfortunately, due to a certain lack of comprehension on the part of the label-making guy, one of the café workers is apparently a barrister instead. [/hijack]
Yeah, I’ll agree with you there. The Mouse comes across (to me) as having the name more in keeping with the performance/theater theme than simply the euphemism-of-the-month from B-school.
At Disneyland, non-public areas are referred to as “backstage”. At all portals from backstage into the public areas I saw, there was actually a mirror so that “cast members” could check their appearance before being seen by the great unwashed. There were also signs exhorting them to “Smile!”, but I digress.
In the UK there’s a chain of Department stores called John Lewis that refers to all employees as ‘Partners’… oooh great, so I get stock options if i join as a sales assisstant…not!
I like the dilbert cartoon where secretaries are told they will be referred to from now on as ‘SCC’s’… they are happy because they are fed up with being looked on as Second Class Citizens…
Ahhhh, but what has your experience been with rediculous synonyms for getting fired?
At my firm, one gets “counselled out”
Doesn’t that make your skin crawl?
It’s not made up. It’s Italian. And while the coffee drones at Starbucks may not be bona-fide professional baristas in the true Italian sense, I stand by my original clarification: The word “barista” is used to describe a person who makes espresso drinks, whatever their level of expertise. The word is not and was never intended as a synonym for “employee.”
well, I have been referred to as ‘associate’, team member’ and ‘proactive contributor’ but I think the ones I really liked was from my MacTemp days which included ‘managed talent’ ( at first I heard ‘massaged talent’ and was ready to sign up). Personally, I have always referred to myself as ‘coin operated artist’.
“Resource” makes me feel all warm and squishy inside, compared with an alarming term I learned from reading portions of GATT (The Global Agreement of Trades and Tariffs)
Most Ridiculous Synonym for “employees”:
HUMAN CAPITAL
:eek:
well, I have been referred to as ‘associate’, team member’ and ‘proactive contributor’ but I think the ones I really liked was from my MacTemp days which included ‘managed talent’ ( at first I heard ‘massaged talent’ and was ready to sign up). Personally, I have always referred to myself as ‘coin operated artist’.
Before Long Island Lighting Corp (LILCO) transmogrified into Long Island Power Autority (LIPA), they referred to employees as “individual contributors”, and mangers as “group contributors”.
God knows if this survived the reorg.
My all-time favorite title on a business card (which I still have, even though I have no need to contact these people) was “Creator of Stuff.” I want that title.
[Not directed at Scarlett67]
I’d like to see evidence that the word “barista” meant ANYTHING in English before Starbucks coined the word.
I don’t mind a new word coming into English … let’s just not pretend Western Civilization has always had “baristas”, shall we, Starbucks?
It’s like tiramisu – an unknown dessert 15 years ago (save in Italy and maybe New York/Chicago/Boston) … and now, even podunk barbecue places sell them.
Reminds me of author Peter David’s habit of describing himself as a “writer of stuff.”