Human Resources Vocabulary for English Learners

When HR managers talk about core competencies, they are referring to the knowledge, skills, and abilities that are absolutely critical to the job. So, while it’s nice to have an accountant with good interpersonal skills, all accountants must first have the ability to work with numbers. This is a way for an organization to retain institutional knowledge and experienced workers. Benchmarking is a process of measuring the performance of an organization or team through a variety of metrics—for example, customer satisfaction rate, sales and retention—for future comparison. Benchmarking can be used to compare internal performance and the external performance of competitors to measure if improvement has occurred.

This may include health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, and other non-monetary benefits. An ATS is a software application used to manage and automate the recruitment process. It assists HR professionals in posting job openings, screening resumes, and tracking candidates throughout the hiring process. ADP is hiring a Bilingual Benefits Relationship Life Cycle Consultant in the San Francisco/San Jose area/surrounding area to manage a book of business.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in areas such as employment, transportation, and public accommodations. Discover the 9 major industries with an ever-growing need for bilingual employees in this article by Preply Business. This phrase came about with the rise of remote work and the need to address biases in performance evaluations.

A flexible work arrangement that allows employees to choose their working hours within predefined limits. This can help improve work-life balance and increase employee satisfaction. That something wrong can include poor performance as well as something more terrible, such as stealing. Another common term for firing an employee is “employment termination” or “terminating the employment relationship.” As a general rule, these terms all mean that a company is going to lay off a number of employees. It’s possible to reorganize and restructure and keep all of the employees, but in reality, if you hear discussions about company-wide reorganizations or downsizing, freshen up your resume, because you might need it.

TTH: Time To Hire

Offshoring refers to the process of setting up the operations of a business in a different country to minimize costs. Inbound recruitment is a technique used to attract job seekers to apply to your company through engaging content and blog posts. This refers to the hiring of people freshly graduated college students or people with no working experience. An employee is sent to a foreign country for a long-term work assignment by their employers. Employee engagement refers to the level of dedication and commitment the employees have towards their job. Employee assessments refer to the evaluation or performance appraisal of an employee.

We “onboard” new people at Workable (part of the process involves sending them a copy of Donald Norman’s brilliant book, ‘Things That Make Us Smart’) so it would be odd not to include it here. It’s one of those ‘why use two words when you can make one’ examples but sometimes they just work. One of the classic mistakes made in recruiting is to stop trying as soon as an offer has been accepted.

OHR develops the regulatory human resources framework; strategies; policies; and, directives, to ensure the Secretariat is better equipped to carry out its functions both at Headquarters and in field offices. Sometimes talent-management programs don’t include everyone in the organization, but only the high-potential employees and current leaders. Both management and HR departments are involved in developing and implementing a talent-management system. Although business jargon can be confusing, reviewing these popular human resource acronyms and abbreviations will help you in the long run.

Rasmussen University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is authorized to operate as a postsecondary educational institution by the Illinois Board of Higher Education. For additional information about Licensing and State Authorization, and State Contact Information for Student Complaints, please see those sections of our catalog. A grievance is a complaint brought forward by an employee about an alleged violation of law or dissatisfaction with work conditions. Generally speaking, due diligence refers to the steps taken to ensure compliance with laws and regulations.

HR values it for adaptability, but skeptics might dismiss it as a lack of structure. This phrase emerged during the pandemic as a response to reevaluating work-life balance and job satisfaction. While HR saw it as a challenge to retention strategies, some outside may interpret it as a collective act of rebellion or impulsivity. According to a recent poll by Gallup, 44% of employees worldwide report feeling stress at work.

Training and development programs delivered through online platforms or virtual classrooms. A work arrangement that allows employees to perform their duties from outside the traditional office setting, usually from home. The percentage of employees who voluntarily leave the organization during a specific period. The process of integrating a new employee into the organization, including orientation, training, and mentorship. The process of examining and documenting the specific duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required for a particular job position.

C&B: Compensation and Benefits

A formal document used by department managers to request the hiring of new employees. Job posting refers to advertising the open job position in your company to potential candidates. An employee who fits smoothly within the company’s organizational culture, the value systems, leadership structure, and practices of an organization. An HR Business Partner is a (senior) HR professional who helps align the organization’s people strategy with its business strategy. Discretionary Time Off (DTO) is a leave policy that gives eligible employees more flexibility to take personal time off. AIHR is an e-learning company on a mission to future-proof HR by offering world-class online training programs for HR practitioners worldwide.

Everything that you, your colleagues and your company do in public (on or offline) are part of this brand and will impact on people’s desire to work with you. Sometimes the person you need to hire is looking for a job, sometimes they’re not. When it’s not the case and you’re looking for someone who already works somewhere else the language gets feudal and bloody. And as for poaching (which used to mean shooting the landowner’s livestock without permission) it implies that employees are their employers’ deer to be shot. We like “sourcing” which is simple, descriptive and doesn’t imply that one set are owned by another.

Skills imply something concrete, such as, “must know how to do financial modeling,” while competencies can also include soft skills, such as problem-solving abilities. Explore the top 6 business Spanish classes and online courses, designed to boost your team’s language proficiency and elevate workplace communication. Human resources abbreviations and acronyms are useful for condensing lengthy documents and quickly conveying information to others. However, trying to understand and remember such a large quantity of HR terms can be quite difficult.

DTO: Discretionary Time Off

The concept started as a way to boost engagement and motivation in the workplace. HR values it for enhancing the employee experience, but outsiders may view it as a gimmick. It was coined to describe a subtle form of employee dissatisfaction and highlights the importance of monitoring morale. While it’s a good practice to watch to get HR insight, outside observers might misconstrue this term as a label for laziness.

A leadership style in which a leader adapts their style of leading to suit the current work environment and requirements of a team. A full-time paid internship for individuals who have been out of the workforce for a while. The process of searching and selecting the best candidate for a job opening. Psychometric tests are used to assess and understand the personality traits and attributes of a candidate. Probation refers to a time period under which the employees are exempted from certain contracts.

This person will work from a home office and travel within the field to educate and consult on benefits. One form of inclusive language — universal signage — is particularly important when working with refugees, the senior director of a nonprofit told attendees at the SHRM inclusion conference. This form of worksite communication helps ensure health and safety, especially in manufacturing environments, she said. Cultures can develop naturally without any effort, but often the HR department will attempt to build a specific culture. You’ll see mission statements and team-building activities and a number of other activities that are designed to create a specific culture within the organization.

These differences will impact how you try to hire, retain, and promote people, and navigate employee relations. That’s why developing recruiting skills like relationship building, negotiation, and collaboration is vital for HR professionals. Work-life balance can be defined as the balance between one’s personal life and professional life. Team building refers to the process of using different management techniques and activities to create strong bonds amongst the team members.

This is an agreement between an employer and employee in which the employee may not disclose branded, patented or confidential information. Many companies have protected information that, if leaked, could be devastating for the brand or welfare of the organization—a confidentiality agreement serves as legal protection from this. In response to this we’ve made our own shortlist of HR terms worth understanding.

One of the key HR skills is being a credible and trustworthy advisor to different stakeholders. You need to be able to effectively advise employees, line managers, and senior managers on personnel issues. Furthermore, to be proactive as an HR professional, you must stay informed about current and emerging trends across not only HR but also technology https://chat.openai.com/ and work culture. Additionally, Human Resources skills training should be a continuous part of your career development. These duties include handling employee leave, absence, absence files, the in and outflow of employees, payroll, benefits, and more. Therefore, being an administrative expert can be a huge benefit for any ambitious HR professional.

You can learn a language faster and maximize your study time by following research-backed techniques. We’ll explore seven of the scientifically proven best ways to learn a language. Discover the best executive English courses with Preply Business & which training options will provide executives with the business English skills they need. “As our HR department is in charge of TM, they are responsible for identifying high-potential workers and developing initiatives and training for them so they remain engaged, motivated, and loyal. “The startup’s BOD comprises a diverse array of former CEOs and executives who are collectively responsible for providing guidance, establishing a strategic plan, and overseeing daily operations and management.”.

Our HR glossary is a dictionary of the terminology most commonly used by human resource professionals. Voluntary Time Off (VTO) is a leave category that gives employees the option to take unpaid time off work. Certain companies use this, for example, when more employees are available to work than needed. Time Off In Lieu (TOIL) means an employee receives paid time off as compensation for working overtime instead of receiving overtime pay. You can foun additiona information about ai customer service and artificial intelligence and NLP. Pay for Performance (P4P) is a compensation strategy that ties employee earnings directly to their performance, rewarding high achievers with bonuses or higher pay.

Human resources terms you need to know

They sit in the company’s executive team and are often also referred to as Chief People Officer. Discover how the new Bill 96 French language law impacts your international hiring practices and what you can do as an employer to attract and retain valuable talent. Discover the 6 levels of language proficiency used for determining fluency in a language, and try out our free English-level test to accurately assess your employees’ level of business English. Explore the top 6 business French classes and online courses designed to boost your team’s business language proficiency and elevate workplace communication.

A headhunter refers to an individual or a company that provides recruitment services to employers and sources the perfect candidates. A lump sum is provided to an employee when they leave the organization for the services provided by them during the period of employment by their employer. A bonus wage and other direct or indirect benefits are provided by a company to its employees. Attrition can be defined as a reduction in the workforce when the employees leave the company and are not replaced. Volunteer Time Off (VTO) is a relatively new employee benefit where employees get paid time off to volunteer and give back to their community.

Commercial awareness is the ability to understand how the business makes money. Only when you understand your organization’s commercial priorities can you properly support these with tailored HR strategies and tactics, ensuring that HR adds demonstrable value to the organization. HR professionals with strong HR reporting skills are not only able to understand and interpret data, they are able to turn it into compelling messages using storytelling and demonstrate business impact. Skills related to data-driven working and analytics have emerged rapidly in the last five years. 92% of HR professionals are planning to use people analytics to drive their HR strategy.

But outsiders may see it as a problem with remote work arrangements in general. While HR may use it for strategic transitions, outsiders might view it as underhanded and lacking transparency. As the workplace continues to evolve, so will the language we use to navigate its complexities.

This is especially true considering most HR terms are directly connected to your health, long-term savings, and professional development. Retention strategy refers to the processes and policies used to ensure employees stay. In order to retain employees and reduce turnover, managers must help employees meet their goals without losing sight of the organization’s goals. Behavioral competency is essentially an evaluation of the behavior qualities and character traits of an employee.

A floor manager is a person who is responsible for all actions and operations of a specific floor or floor in a large store or office. Nepotism is preferential hiring of relatives and friends, even though others might be more qualified for those positions. The favoritism is generally showed by individuals in a position of authority such as CEOs, managers or supervisors. As the HR industry rapidly evolves in line with technology, staying on top of future trends and ensuring you develop the core skills needed in a more digital landscape will be essential to your success.

• A training designed to help employees in an organization accept and respond to attitudes and behaviors that may unintentionally cause offense to others.
• Working in the human resources department often involves an interesting combination of people skills and strategies.
• So, whether you’re a seasoned HR professional, a brand-new HR specialist, or just researching the human resources industry and looking for the words you need to know, you’ll find them here.
• Understanding these terms is like second nature for seasoned HR practitioners, but the vast amount of HR acronyms can be overwhelming (and confusing!) for those just starting out.
• An HR Business Partner is a (senior) HR professional who helps align the organization’s people strategy with its business strategy.

Skills in analytics are also increasingly sought after, enabling HR professionals to make data-driven decisions that improve recruitment, retention, and overall organizational performance. Human Resource (HR) professionals play a crucial role in managing an organization’s most valuable asset—its people. The HR field is replete with specialized terminology and jargon that can be daunting to those unfamiliar with the industry.

HR departments are usually the ones who develop and implement such family-friendly policies. Good HR departments make weeding out bad managers (or training bad managers to become good managers) a priority when creating a good corporate culture. Bad HR departments focus on mission statements and then wonder why the culture is still toxic. These are generally the skills needed to do a particular job, but the reference is often a little fuzzier.

Fill out the form to get further information from our team about the Preply language training for companies. If you’re interested in taking a step further to learn business English, consider registering your work team for corporate English training with Preply Business or take a business English course. Gained prominence as organizations focused on creating healthier cultures. While HR addresses it for employee well-being, some outsiders may view it as a subjective term prone to misuse.

There’s nothing wrong with measuring this but it should be talked about openly and better belongs under our sixth term below. HR professionals need a range of HR specific and soft skills in addition to business acumen and digital literacy. This includes skills such as communication, admin, HR strategy, coaching, being data-driven, and having a command of technology. When you are able to effectively report on key metrics, you are better able to advise managers and employees, create improved people policies, and make more evidence-based decisions. Communicating with stakeholders, the CEO, managers, and employees, at different levels of authority and influence, requires different language and tone. This is why the ability to connect well with all kinds of people and leave a professional and positive impression is an essential skill for HR professionals.

Company Announcements

Unstructured interview refers to an interview type where the interviewer doesn’t have a fixed set of questions. An interview where the candidate is asked several pre-recorded questions and the response by them gets recorded. Job board refers to websites that are used to advertise the job openings within the company. HR analytics refers to the process of analyzing the HR functions at your company.

In another example, the guidance calls out referring to someone as “wheelchair bound.” Inclusive language would instead note that they are a “person who uses a wheelchair to assist with mobility,” it suggested. The use of abbreviations and acronyms in business is customary,  but the practice is even more widespread in the world of HR. Transferring someone means moving something or someone to another place, organization, or team.

This term refers to the voluntary and involuntary terminations, deaths and employee retirements that result in a reduction to the employer’s physical workforce. If you work in a human resources department at a large organization, keeping track of attrition trends can be a job in and of itself. HR professionals with employee experience expertise are able to use human-centric design thinking to put the employee at the center of the workplace design process.

For example, the Vehicles for Change program uses augmented reality to train new mechanics, virtual tours are given to new hires at Deloitte, and virtual job fairs are growing in popularity. But it’s not just what you advise your stakeholders; it’s how you advise them. To establish yourself as a trustworthy advisor, you need to continuously communicate and interact in a way that builds trust and strengthens your reputation as a credible practitioner. Our “State of HR Upskilling” report reveals that despite an increasing number of HR job postings requiring data and digital skills, communication and administrative skills are still overrepresented in these job ads. An interview where a panel of experienced tech recruiters tests the interviewee’s technical and coding knowledge and skills.

Additionally, the term refers to a seat with the executive leadership in the executive conference room. This is where HR really wants inclusion, making sure its input is heard when decisions are made that affect the company’s strategic direction, particularly when deploying people is involved. HR wants that seat to participate as one of the company’s strategic decision-makers. Discover why you & your team should learn business French, strategies to improve your fluency fast, & key French business vocabulary for day-to-day work situations. Your company needs to invest time in learning these 10 languages for business relations.

Applied to HR, the concept is that employee motivation can be influenced by how aware they are of being observed and judged on their work—a basis for regular evaluation and metrics to meet. This is a considered approach for transitioning individuals or organizations from one state to another in order to manage and monitor change. Companies can stay ahead of the game when they think ahead about how they can manage the introduction, implementation and consequences of major organizational changes.

• Employee engagement measures the emotional commitment and dedication employees have towards their organization.
• The formal evaluation of an employee’s job performance, often used to provide feedback, set goals, and determine rewards.
• The human resource space is full of acronyms and jargon, and Xobipedia is here to help.
• What used to be known as telecommuting has also appeared as distributed work and teams.
• To avoid dropping the right term at the wrong time, you need to understand both what the term means and how people outside of the HR community perceive it.

As companies grew, so did the need for a specialized language to discuss the ever-changing dynamics of the workplace. A strict policy that enforces severe consequences for specific behaviors, such as harassment or discrimination, to maintain a safe and respectful work environment. A comprehensive assessment of an employee’s performance and accomplishments at the end of the fiscal year.

Source Of Hire (SOH) is a recruiting metric that shows the percentage of candidates hired through a particular channel, method, or source. The GRPI model is a simple and comprehensive framework that describes the most important elements that teams need to function more effectively. Employee Experience (EX) is how employees feel about their interactions and encounters with the organization throughout their employee journey.

Preply even offers a Business English for human resources course, which is specifically built for HR professionals. If you’re looking to head back to school for a Business degree, then understanding some of the typical HR lingo may put you further ahead in the game. We put together a list of common human resources terms and concepts that will give you a solid foundation of knowledge. We’re in the grip of an epidemic of plummeting employee engagement, we’re breathlessly told. In fact it’s always been difficult to hire the right team and keep them motivated.

Traditional HR skills, such as expertise in HRM, strategic planning and implementation, collaboration, reporting abilities, and understanding of the business landscape, remain crucial. However, to stay relevant and effective, HR practitioners must proactively enhance their skill sets for the future. Without strong active listening skills, navigating potentially sensitive matters relating to DEI&B will be more challenging, and it will be harder to effectively coach employees Chat GPT and fellow HR professionals. The competencies of an HR practitioner include the ability to understand key HR metrics, such as employee turnover, absenteeism, engagement and retention. This can involve the use of complex predictive analytics on HR data, or the much simpler use of data, for example, by an Excel analysis. Over 80% of employers believe that positive employee experience drives employee engagement, wellbeing, productivity, and talent attraction and retention.

A PEO is a service provider that allows (small) businesses to outsource their key HR functions such as payroll, benefits, tax administration, and more through a co-employment relationship. Overtime (OT) refers to the time an employee works in excess of their regular working hours. The term is also used to refer to the pay an employee receives from their employer for this time. Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) are a collaborative goal-setting methodology for individuals, teams, and organizations.

In mergers and acquisitions, due diligence is the process of thoroughly examining the details of an investment or purchase to ensure all paperwork and documentation is up to date and compliant. Workable helps you build and promote your brand where your next candidates are. Any group of people who hr language gather every day to talk about similar or related topics start using shortcuts to get to the point more quickly. Slowly this transforms from useful shorthand into a verbal wall that excludes newcomers. Get clear explanations of the most common HR terms, fast, with our plain-speaking HR glossary.

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Some of them began life as jargon, others are simple terms that were replaced by more complex jargon and are overdue a revival. We’ve been arguing for a while now that language matters in recruitment (and HR in general). To a casual observer it’s pretty obvious that we should have reached “peak jargon” by now. Sadly jargon is not a resource that taps out quickly and there’s no reason to think we’re at the top of the bell curve on this.

From recruitment and performance management to training and labor relations, HR jargons are used to describe various processes, functions, and concepts within the realm of human resources. In this article, we present an A-Z list of key HR jargons to help demystify the HR language. English teachers are often not equipped to go into depth in the terminology required in specific trade sectors. For this reason, supplementary core vocabulary sheets go a long way in helping teachers provide adequate materials for students needing an intensive study of vocabulary in very targeted areas. This core vocabulary reference sheet provides keywords and phrases used by a business’ human resources department.