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- Young people are mocking the "corporate accent" on TikTok and racking up millions of views.
- The corporate accent is a passive aggressive, professional tone of voice used to convey confidence.
- But, young people say it's a remnant of corporate hustle culture and triggering their worst memories.
Young people have found a new workplace fixation on TikTok and it's the viral "corporate accent" — a jarring, passive aggressive, professional voice that is triggering their worst memories at work.
The term "corporate accent" was coined by TikToker Lisa Beasley who plays a character called "Corporate Erin" in her videos and is racking up millions of views on the platform.
"Corporate Erin" is the "manager for the manager of logistics from Management McManagement," she begins in each of her videos and speaks in a fast, nasally tone, enunciating every word.
In one video, with 9.4 million views, Corporate Erin, explains that she's taking over social media for Lisa Beasley at her company and goes on a long winded speech using corporate jargon like "deliverables," "pick up the slack" and "bandwidth."
Beasley's video aims to satirize the corporate accent which is used to create the appearance of confidence at work but ultimately means nothing and is a waste of time.
In another video, Corporate Erin orders an employee who is about to take maternity leave that she needs to log her "two to three days off" to give birth and then "buckle down" and prioritize the company.
One TikToker, inspired by Corporate Erin, explained what the corporate accent actually is.
"Think of it as your nine-to-five voice," she said. "By changing the speed, rhythm, and inflection points of my speech I can convey a level of confidence where otherwise none exists."
The corporate accent is also a commentary on the hustle culture embedded in corporate environments where your role is expected to become your identity.
Erin Kenney, a former marketing professional, claimed to be "a corporate Erin in recovery" because she suffered through the "2015 to 2019 girlboss pre-pandemic culture."
Kenney said Corporate Erin reminded her of when she had to jump "through 58 hoops," just to take two days off to go to the beach a month in advance even though she had unlimited PTO.
"And then when you lose your job, it feels like your whole existence has been this job, that your identity is pretty much gone after that and it's like a death, it's an ego death," she said.
The corporate accent is taking off on TikTok because young people are mystified by the rules around conversing at work from having to use corporate jargon and masking your true opinions.
48% of Gen Z and millennials felt left out at work because they couldn't keep up with workplace jargon and even changed how they spoke to fit in, a LinkedIn and Duolingo survey found in 2023.
They're particularly weirded out by phrases like "blue-sky thinking," "boil the ocean" and "a quick flag."
Hannah Shirley, a Gen Zer who previously worked at Udemy, said in a viral TikTok that her corporate job felt like a "full-time acting gig."
She told BI that she was putting on a character for work and encouraged others to be more genuine from the way they dressed to how they speak.