![]() The curious strain of kiddy-talk in bureaucratese perhaps stems from a hope that infantilised workers are more docile. Now it means "replacement" or "replace", eg: "We are recruiting for Tom's backfill" or "We will have to backfill Richard." Meanwhile, a job vacancy that exists to replace an ex-employee, as opposed to a newly created role, is called a backfill position, even if that sounds more like something an adventurous type might adopt at an S&M club. Originally, backfill was an engineering term, meaning to fill a hole or trench with excavated earth, gravel, sand or other material. ![]() What do you do with a hole, especially a person-shaped one that reminds you a bit of a hastily dug grave? You fill it in – in other words, you backfill (verb), or address the backfill (noun). ![]() After someone has been sacked – sorry, "transitioned" – they tend to leave a person-shaped hole in the landscape. ![]()
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