FYI, these are the baffling acronyms to learn ASAP if you want to get on with the younger generation at work

TL;DR: If your work emails have become an alphabet soup of puzzling acronyms, you’re not alone.

FWIW, if WOM hasn’t made you an SME in jargon, then ask WIIFM and maybe WFH to BID.

Or, in plain English, for what it’s worth, if word of mouth hasn’t made you an expert on jargon, ask “what’s in it for me” and maybe work from home to solve it.

And TL;DR means ‘too long, didn’t read’, but also indicates a summary of the text for those who can’t commit to reading it all.

But don’t worry if you’re fooled by all the abbreviations, because a new survey of 2,000 office workers has found that one in five didn’t recognize any of the acronyms presented to them.

FYI: These are the mind-boggling acronyms you need to learn ASAP if you want to move forward with the younger generation at work

Perhaps as expected, the older baby boom generation was the most confused by the short forms. Probably even more surprising is the fact that younger Gen Z workers were just as in the dark as those over 55.

About a quarter of 18-24 year olds could not understand the jargon, as did the 55 to 64 age group. Meanwhile, only 15 percent of 35-44 year olds were baffled, but 41 percent of those over 65 were.

The most recognizable acronym was W/C, which means “week begins,” while the least understood were WIIFM and NRN, which only three percent of people could decipher.

The research was conducted by flexible office provider Landmark.

Chief Customer Officer Sam Mardon said: “We often hear and see abbreviations used in the workplace, but the use of acronyms and their primary meanings can differ between offices, workspaces, industries and even departments. For the word nerds among us, acronyms can streamline and speed up conversations and communications with colleagues.

‘Others are sometimes surrounded by unfamiliar jargon, which can unintentionally cause confusion or miscommunication.’

More than half of respondents felt that acronyms can sometimes cause confusion, while almost a quarter felt they were a waste of time and ten percent felt they left some people feeling left out. Only one in ten felt that the shared language improved team spirit.

How well do you know your acronyms? Take the Mail on Sunday quiz and discover…