| Hack it [v.] | To be successful. "Do you think she can hack it?" |
| Halo effect [exp.] | The idea that past experiences can affect future decisions. |
| Hammer out [v.] | To reach a consensus after a long debate. |
| Hand-holding [v.] | Helping someone perform a task that, because of inexperience or incompetence, they cannot complete on their own. "I am so sick of hand-holding the new guy through all of our billing procedures."
Submitted by David. |
| Hard hat [n.] | A derogatory term for a manual labourer. "This new robot will let us axe three hard hats." |
| Hard stop [n.] | The definite end of a meeting that is often announced beforehand. "The client is visiting this afternoon so we have a hard stop at two." |
| Hard-nosed [adj.] | Stubborn. Often difficult to work with. |
| Hardball [n.] | Aggressive business tactics. |
| Hatchet man [n.] | A low-ranking manager given the task of firing people. |
| Haul [n.] | A large amount of money. |
| Head shunting [v.] | The secret hiring of a head hunter to persuade an ineffectual employee to take a position at another firm. Nicely eliminates the mess of having to fire someone. |
| Head-count freeze [exp.] | A lack of available jobs at a given company. |
| Head-down [adj.] | Describes the process of working completely uninterrupted. "I have a client meeting in two hours so I'm going to be head-down and not taking any calls."
Submitted by Matt. |
| Headlight [v.] | To bring up a topic for discussion before it becomes a greater issue. |
| Heads up [n.] | A notification or early warning. "I just wanted to give you the heads up about the latest contracts." |
| Heavy lifting [n.] | The hard work. |
| Helicopter view [n.] | An overview or summary of an issue. "I've got 30 seconds so give me the helicopter view." |
| Her-assment [v.] | Sexual harassment by a woman. |
| Herding cats [exp.] | A difficult course of action. "Motivating you people is like herding cats!" |
| Heritage [n.] | The markets and business practices that have been a part of an organization since its inception. "If we don't evolve from our heritage, we'll be insolvent within a year." |
| Heyday [n.] | The best of times. |
| High-wire act [n.] | A risky business situation. |
| HiPo [adj.] | High Potential. "Word on the street is that he went to Wharton... I'm thinking HiPo."
Submitted by Michelle. |
| HiPPO [v.] | Highest Paid Person's Opinion. The deciding factor in workplace arguments. "What can we do to get HIPPO buy-in on this layout. |
| Hired guns [n.] | Specialized professionals hired by an organization. |
| Hit the fan [v.] | When a situation gets out of control. |
| Homing from work [v.] | Using technology to keep in touch with personal concerns while at work. |
| Horizontal [n.] | A shortened version of another buzzword, 'horizontal market.' In this context it refers to a product that benefits a wide range of companies/industries. "We have several horizontals with the potential to become serious revenue streams."
Submitted by Geoff M. |
| Hosed [adj.] | 1) Non-functional, usually in reference to technology.
2) In deep trouble.
"If we can't get these reports printed before this afternoon's meeting, we're hosed."
Submitted by Ben S. |
| Hot buttons [exp.] | A management idea that each employee should be responsible for decision-making. |
| Hot under the collar [exp.] | Angry. |
| Hot-desking [v.] | The practice of having a group of employees share a section on unassigned desks. |
| Human capital [n.] | A new way of referring to employees as living assets. |
| Hump day [n.] | The middle of the week (Wednesday). Settle down. |
| Hunker-down [adj.] | To prepare for difficult business challenges ahead. "We need to hunker-down for the next round of plant shut-downs at GM." |
| Hush money [n.] | A bribe to ensure that certain information isn't revealed publicly. |
| Hypertasking [v.] | The practice of combining several unrelated activities into one. This often blurs the lines between personal and professional time. |
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