Decoding 5 Frequently Used Business Abbreviations (Part 2)

The corporate world is filled with expressions, specialized vocab words, and various acronyms.

You probably already know some of the classics like ASAP and FYI, but have you come across the more advanced ones below?

And more importantly, do you know how to use them?

OOO

Stands for… Out of office
Meaning: When someone is out of office, it means they are temporarily not available to work due to being on vacation or another type of leave. Relatedly, out-of-office messages are set as automatic replies to emails/phone calls to let everyone know that one is not currently available.
Example: Employees have been instructed to set up OOO responses.

ROI

Stands for… Return on investment
Meaning: Usually expressed as a percentage, ROI is a numerical measure of the success of a financial investment. If the return is positive, a profit was made. On the other hand, a negative ROI means that a portion of money was lost.
Example: The ROI of my stock portfolio is at a modest 6%.

TBA/TBC

Stands for… To be announced/To be confirmed
Meaning: Sometimes an event or product release is planned but not completely fleshed out in terms of schedule. When this happens, TBA and TBC are used to announce that something is coming but does not have a fixed date or time yet.
Example: The clothing line is set to launch, but the exact date is TBA/TBC.

WFH

Stands for… Work(ing) from home
Meaning: With the rise of remote work, this term has become much more popular over the last few years. Working from home is exactly what it sounds like: Getting tasks done at home rather than commuting to an office each day.
Example: If necessary, would you feel comfortable WFH?

HQ

Stands for… Headquarters
Meaning: Most large firms and corporations have locations in multiple cities, but their headquarters are considered the main office and administrative center of the entire company.
Example: Many tech companies have their HQ in Silicon Valley.