HR Glossary
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360-degree feedback
A comprehensive assessment process in which employees receive confidential, anonymous feedback from various individuals in
A
Absenteeism
Absenteeism refers to a pattern of consistent and unexplained absence from work or assigned responsibilities.
Ageism
Ageism, or age discrimination, arises when employers treat applicants or employees unfairly based on their
Applicant
An individual who has expressed interest in a job opportunity by formally applying to it.
Apprenticeship
A structured work arrangement where individuals gain practical skills through hands-on training under a mentor.
Applicant Tracking System (ATS)
A component of a human resource information system (HRIS) designed to facilitate and streamline the
B
Balanced scorecard
A comprehensive management system that evaluates an organization’s performance across key areas, including internal processes,
Background check or screening
A review of an individual’s educational, criminal, and employment history. Employers use it to assess
Balanced scorecard
A comprehensive management system that evaluates an organization’s performance across key areas, including internal processes,
Behavioral competency
An assessment that evaluates an employee’s behavior and character traits, which includes their interpersonal and
Behavioral-based interviews
An interview technique used to assess candidates’ suitability for a job by analyzing their prior
Base or basic salary
A salaried employee’s regular pay without additional deductions or contributions, often stated in job listings
C
Candidate
A person who is evaluated during the application process and selected as a potential fit
Career development
The journey that individuals undertake to make career decisions, refine their skills, and follow a
Career pathing
This process involves employees charting their career growth and development. Organizations use this process to
Certificate of employment
A certificate of employment confirms an individual’s job history with their employer. It notes employment
Casual employment
A type of employment which involves hiring individuals as needed to address specific requirements, like
Career plateaus
This situation arises when employees encounter a lack of upward career progression, leading to feelings
D
D&I (Diversity and inclusion) / DEI (Diversity, equity and inclusion)
These terms denote fostering an inclusive workplace culture where individuals from diverse backgrounds (e.g., race,
Delayering
The process of trimming hierarchy levels to enhance efficiency and cut costs. This often involves
Developmental counseling
This refers to a collaborative counseling between managers and their reports to pinpoint strengths, weaknesses,
Disciplinary action
This involves addressing employee misconduct, rule breaches, or subpar performance. It encompasses measures such as
Discrimination
Discrimination is unjust treatment of employees due to factors like age, gender, religion, or nationality.
Direct report
d a “subordinate,” this individual operates under a manager or superior’s authority. They receive assignments
E
Earned wage access (EWA)
EWA allows employees to access a portion of their net pay before the scheduled payday.
Emotional intelligence (EI)
Emotional intelligence (EI) is the capacity to be self-aware, manage emotions, and handle interpersonal relationships
Employee engagement
Focuses on enhancing employees’ sentiments towards their workplace, colleagues, and the company’s culture. Elevating engagement
Employee benefits
Any form of financial compensation that employees receive along with their salaries. In the Philippines,
Employee assessment
These evaluations aid employers in selecting the most suitable candidates for job vacancies. These tests
Employee handbook
A resource that informs employees of their organization’s mission, vision, values, policies, procedures, and code
F
Factor comparison
A systematic method that ranks jobs by evaluating various factors like mental effort, skills needed,
Final pay
In the Philippines, final pay for resigned or terminated employees includes unpaid salary, unused leave,
Financial wellness or well-being
A term that relates to an individuals’ financial management. It signifies feeling financially secure and
Full-time employment
A type of employment that mandates a minimum of 32 to 40 hours of work
Flexible work arrangements
This work set-up breaks the mold of traditional 9-to-5 jobs. They encompass various forms like
Functional job analysis
A job assessment that identifies the responsibilities and functions of a specific job. The benefits
G
Generation Z or Gen Z
Generation Z, or Gen Z, refers to those born from the late 1990s to the
Generation X or Gen X
Generation X comprises those born from the mid-1960s to around 1980. This generation witnessed significant
Gender pay gap
Income disparities between men and women in comparable roles. This imbalance arises from various interconnected
H
Hard skills
Specific, quantifiable abilities tied to job roles. For instance, digital marketers may excel in conversion
Harassment
Unwelcome conduct based on on one’s race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, disability,
Halo or horn effect
A type of rater bias affecting employee evaluations and hiring processes. It involves supervisors or
Hierarchy of needs
Abraham Maslow’s theory outlines a five-tier hierarchy of human needs, often depicted as a pyramid.
Hawthorne effect
The Hawthorne effect, derived from Elton Mayo’s experiments, reveals that employees improve productivity when they
Holiday pay
Holiday pay encompasses various forms of compensation given to employees during holidays, including paid time
I
Incentives
Programs or rewards designed to inspire employees and enhance productivity. These may include tangible rewards
Implicit bias
An individual’s unconscious negative attitude towards a social group, shaped by their experiences and learned
Industrial psychology
A branch of applied psychology, studies workplace human behavior and effective workforce management strategies.
J
Job analysis
This process involves gathering job-related data to identify key functions, required skills, and its relative
Job board
An online platform that provides up-to-date job listings across diverse industries.
Job description
A written outline of a role’s main responsibilities, duties, required skills, and qualifications.
Job demands-resources model
An occupational stress model that identifies stress-related factors in specific occupations. It distinguishes between job
Job description
A written outline of a role’s main responsibilities, duties, required skills, and qualifications.
Job dissatisfaction
Job dissatisfaction refers to employee discontentment with their work, typically caused by factors like low
K
Key performance indicators (KPIs)
Crucial, measurable metrics that gauge progress toward specific goals. KPIs enhance strategic development, inform data-driven
Knowledge management
Knowledge management is an integrated strategy that captures, evaluates, retrieves, and shares a company’s information
KSAs (Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities)
Encompasses the behaviors and attributes necessary for job performance. They serve as benchmarks to gauge
L
Leadership development or training
Structured programs and activities designed to cultivate and enhance leadership skills and qualities. These initiatives
Learning management system (LMS):
A comprehensive platform that manages a company’s training programs and facilitates the creation of digital
Labor market
Encompasses the interplay between job supply and demand. It comprises individuals seeking employment (the supply)
Leave accrual
The gradual accumulation of paid time off, such as vacation or sick leave, by an
M
Managed care
Involves a provider overseeing an individual’s medical care for a predetermined fee. Unlike fee-for-service models
Management by objective (MBO)
A goal-setting approach where individuals define specific objectives aligned with their organization’s broader goals and
Managed service provider (MSP)
An external agency that manages an organization’s temporary staffing needs. MSPs work collaboratively with a
Matrix organization
A company structure where teams report to multiple leaders, promoting cross-functional collaboration and innovation. This
Mediation
A dispute resolution process where a neutral third party helps companies and complainants reach a
Metrics
Quantitative indicators employed by companies to assess, compare, and monitor performance or production. Executives rely
N
Needs analysis
An essential step for organizations to assess their teams or employees, identifying skill levels and
Negotiation
A process through which disputing parties reach a resolution by finding common ground and mutually
O
Occupational health and safety
A public health field that focuses on workplace health conditions. Professionals in this field create
Observation interview
A pre-hiring or promotion interview where the employer or recruiter closely observes the candidate’s work.
Occupational health and safety
A public health field that focuses on workplace health conditions. Professionals in this field create
Offboarding
The formal process of parting ways with an employee who has resigned, retired, or been
P
Part-time employment
A flexible work arrangement wherein an employee renders fewer hours than the standard 40 hours
Pay equity
Pay equity ensures fair compensation regardless of gender, race, or age. It considers education, experience,
Pay grade
A grouping of jobs that a company views as relatively valuable to its operations and
Pay period
A regularly scheduled period for the payment of employees, including when their hours are tracked
Payroll software
Payroll software is a digital tool designed for swift and precise payroll processing. It automates
Payroll deduction
Wages withheld from an employee’s paycheck for paying taxes, benefits, or garnishments. A payroll deduction
Q
Quiet quitting
The act of merely performing work duties and responsibilities rather than going beyond them. Many
R
Recruitment
The process of finding and hiring the right individuals for vacant roles. Recruitment encompasses all
Random testing
Random drug and alcohol testing is a method to monitor substance abuse. Employers must outline
Rage applying
An employee’s way of combating burnout, boredom, or frustration at their current role. Rage applying
Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO)
In RPO, organizations delegate all or several parts of their recruitment process to a third
Redundancy
Redundancy occurs when employers must terminate one or more employees for reasons beyond their performance
Regular employment
An employment arrangement lasting for a definite and longer period, but often described as continuing
S
Salary
The consistent compensation an employee receives from their employer for the work and services attached
Salary benchmarking
In salary benchmarking, an organization compares its current job descriptions and pay ranges to similar
Salary range
Refers to an individual’s desired payment between a set of low to high numbers. A
Situational leadership
In situational leadership, individuals lead while considering the needs of their team or its members.
Sensitivity training
A training program that helps employees recognize and address potentially derogatory attitudes and actions towards
Service incentive leave (SIL)
An employee benefit consisting of five paid leaves given yearly. Employees with 12 months of
T
Talent management
An employer’s way to ensure the best talent fills the right roles to help it
Talent acquisition
Talent acquisition, encompassing short-term hiring and long-term talent strategy, involves analyzing workforce needs, forecasting organizational
Tax Identification Number (TIN)
A system-generated reference index number that the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to every individual
Tangible rewards
The rewards given to employees to acknowledge their contributions to an organization and thank them
Team building
A process wherein companies form a cooperative, united group of individuals through daily interactions, activities,
Total rewards strategy
A system used by businesses that reward high-performing employees. It combines compensation and benefits with
U
Union
A group of employees who use their strength to make themselves heard in their workplace.
Unfair labor practice
The Department of Labor and Employment defines an unfair labor practice as an offense committed
Unjustifiable dismissal
An unjustifiable dismissal may occur when an employer terminates an individual’s employment without a legal
Upskilling
Upskilling happens whenever employees learn to add new skills to their skillset, which helps these
V
Vertical organization
Refers to a company with multiple levels of management. A vertical organization has a pyramid-like,
Values statement
A mission statement articulates an organization’s values and beliefs to the public. It often delineates
Video interview
This type of job interview is conducted through video, either live or on-demand, depending on
Vision statement
A written statement explaining a company’s meaning and purpose to its stakeholders, including employees. A
Virtual HR
Virtual HR involves connecting employees to multiple technologies and HR services whenever they need to.
W
Wellness programs
Wellness programs aim to improve and promote health and fitness within an organization. Through these
Wage
Wage is the primary form of monetary compensation for employees, calculated based on hours worked.
Work from home (WFH)
A work setup allowing employees to work at home or in another location. An example
Work-life integration
Work-life integration encourages employees to intertwine work with personal life, fostering a sense of fulfillment.
Work shifts
The schedules an employer sets and expects employees to work during their employment. Most organizations
Work-life balance
The fine balance between an employee’s work and personal life. Maintaining a work-life balance can