EAS (Excessive Acronym Syndrome)

[FlightlessDuck]

My company was bought several years ago by a competitor. Something I noticed about this new company, especially as it continues to grow, is its excessive use of acronyms (or, if you want to get pedantic, initialisms). It seems like every time there is some new policy or a new workgroup or something formed, that thing has to be turned into an acronym. It's gotten to the point where we have created a glossary of terms.

I'm not talking about industry-related terms. I'm talking about stuff that our company does by itself. We don't have offices, we have "centers of excellence" (COEs). Our executives are the Executive Leadership Team (ELT). We don't have just have training, we have "Instructor Led Training" (ILT).

It drives me up a freaking wall! Tell me it's just not my company.

 

[cabanafrau]

It's simply the JEEC philosophy in action.

Justify Excessive Executive Compensation. It's designed to attract and retain the necessary highly qualified executive level talent and shutdown any criticism of cutting staff levels and compensation among the worker bees.

 

[fla4fun]

It’s not just your company. I work in a regional office of a global company based far away. I need a cheat sheet to translate the Covid emails some days. The acronyms probably make sense to the corporate employees, but not to us. We have our own set, that no one else would understand. It can drive you over the edge sometimes.

 

[Starport Seven-Five]

Not just your company. We have an internal database of them that is searchable.

I do think it's funny to bring this up on disboards though considering: https://www.wdwinfo.com/abbreviations.htm

 

[Moliphino]

The really annoying thing is when the same acronym is used for different things. We do most of our work with one customer and not all of our acronyms align.

 

[JaxDad]

My company was bought several years ago by a competitor. Something I noticed about this new company, especially as it continues to grow, is its excessive use of acronyms (or, if you want to get pedantic, initialisms). It seems like every time there is some new policy or a new workgroup or something formed, that thing has to be turned into an acronym. It's gotten to the point where we have created a glossary of terms.

I'm not talking about industry-related terms. I'm talking about stuff that our company does by itself. We don't have offices, we have "centers of excellence" (COEs). Our executives are the Executive Leadership Team (ELT). We don't have just have training, we have "Instructor Led Training" (ILT).

It drives me up a freaking wall! Tell me it's just not my company.

LOL! IMHO it’s NBD. BTAIM, and TBBH YOLO, so GWTF, KWIM? GTG! MTFBWY, and TTYL!

 

[olwyngdh]

Try being an Army wife and figuring out what your husband is talking about! We are going on 30 years and I still don't understand a lot of what he says.

 

[valval]

Hey hey! Not to complain, but this forum is also very high in acronym density I remember when I first joined, I was totally lost for the first...few days, trying to figure out all the acronyms for rides, parks and resorts!! I was even quizzing my boyfriend to see if he could guess what you guys were talking about ahahah

 

[JimMIA]

LOL! IMHO it’s NBD. BTAIM, and TBBH YOLO, so GWTF, KWIM? GTG! MTFBWY, and TTYL!

ITA

 

[tvguy]

Changing meanings. BLM is not Bureau of Land Management anymore. Can't wait until the next BLM Wild Horse Adoption press release comes in and see the look on my younger co-workers faces.

 

[china mom]

Decades ago, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) declared that all public safety entities must go to "plain English" so that we can communicate with each other in case of a large emergency.

FEMA has so many appreciations and acronyms that they have published a document, ironically called :

The FAAT list : FEMA acronyms abbreviations & terms

The document is three columns wide and 50 pages long.

I work with local Emergency Management and I never have a clue what anyone is ever saying.

 

[LoveSpringsteen]

I love a good acronym, but I agree when there are so many it gets to be too much. My daughter is starting college this fall and I've never seen so many acronyms used by one organization. It's all so confusing.

 

[mrodgers]

Changing meanings. BLM is not Bureau of Land Management anymore. Can't wait until the next BLM Wild Horse Adoption press release comes in and see the look on my younger co-workers faces.

That's what I was going with when that mess all started. I was like, what the heck does the Bureau of Land Management have to do with fighting racism? I am always late to news because I don't glue myself to the propaganda, so it was BLM by the time I had read anything about it. I think I actually asked someone what the new BLM was about.

 

[Kitty 34]

I'm baffled at how many Acronyms I am constantly figuring out just from the DIS!!!

 

[valval]

I'm baffled at how many Acronyms I am constantly figuring out just from the DIS!!!

That's what I said!! Took me quite some time to figure out all the resorts, attractions and restaurants names!!

 

[disneychrista]

Even worse is using an acronym but still saying what it is. If you are going to say the whole thing what’s the point of saying the acronym?