So I used the term 'main character energy' in a work email and my boss asked for a meeting

I saw it everywhere online and thought it was just a fun way to say someone was confident. I wrote 'loving the main character energy on this project' to a coworker on Friday. On Monday, my boss called me in and asked if I was calling the coworker self-centered or difficult. I had to explain it was meant as a compliment, which was super awkward. Has anyone else had a buzzword totally backfire in a professional setting?

3 comments

3 Comments

skylerp3110d ago

Honestly this is why I just use normal words at work. Tbh that main character energy thing was always gonna get lost on someone older. Like @kevin_harris78 said, it's a total minefield. Ngl I think bosses should cut us some slack, we're just trying to talk like normal people. If the work gets done, who cares about a few slang words. The whole thing feels like an overreaction.

kevin_harris7812d ago

My old manager once pulled me aside because I used "low-key" in a report. He thought it meant I was being secretive about a problem. It took ten minutes to explain it just meant "sort of." These generational slang gaps at work are a real minefield. How did your boss finally take the explanation?

king.wyatt12d ago

Man, that reminds me of my cousin trying to explain "based" to our grandma. She still thinks it's about drugs. Once these new meanings get stuck in someone's head, it's a lost cause.