Which phrase was Glassdoor's 'word of the year'?

In looking at millions of reviews published on Glassdoor, which phrase came out on top as “Word of the Year” for the U.S.?

"Return to office," according to the workplace review site, where the number of anonymous reviewers using the phrase, or “RTO” for short, doubled by 122% since 2021.

"'Return-to-office' encapsulates various themes in the labor market and workplace this year. As the world opened back up for business, many companies looked to return to how things were before the pandemic," said Richard Johnson, associate economist and data scientist at Glassdoor.

"The tug-of-war between employees wanting to stay remote and employers wanting them back in the office resulted in the share of employee reviews discussing their company’s RTO policy doubling since 2021."

Reviews 'overwhelmingly negative'

But being the talk of the town isn't all that great for Glassdoor's word of the year, as data from the platform revealed that "reviews discussing employer RTO policies are overwhelmingly negative."

According to Glassdoor, 86% of all RTO mentions were in the cons section.

"Return-to-office plans have been deeply unpopular and the question going forward is whether the balance of power will tilt more towards employers and see employees being back at their desks," Johnson said.

Hybrid, inflation also popular terms

In analysing company reviews on the platform — including pros, cons, and feedback sections — submitted by US employees from January 1 to October 18, Glassdoor also found that the number of employee reviews with the word "hybrid" surged by 388% over the past year, with roughly 73% of them under the pros section.

The words "inflation" and "recession" were also thrown around a lot in employee reviews, according to Glassdoor. The share of reviews discussing inflation went up by 326%, while it increased by 133% for "recession."

"Employees show most concern around how much less money they are bringing in. And although there is greater monetary upside to switching roles rather than waiting for a promotion, job seekers in a cooling labor market are more likely to stay put as their bargaining power tapers, making the effects of inflation on household finances more harmful," Johnson said.

The word "belonging" also saw an increase of 48% over the past year, revealed Glassdoor, which said that it indicates "the collaborative effort among employers and employees to ensure greater inclusivity in the workplace."

"Overall, the rise in employees discussing their sense of belonging in the workplace has been positive, with 64% of all mentions found in the pros section this year, a good sign of the evolving times."

These topics trended among other strong contenders that emerged this year and the previous ones, including The Great Resignation and quiet quitting.

Employers are advised to remain open to what employees are talking about as the coming year closes in.

"It is not clear what 2023 will bring, but keeping one ear to the ground for what employees are saying is an indispensable guide during good times and bad," Johnson said.