HR Glossary

30-60-90 Day Plan

A 30-60-90 day plan is a structured framework that defines what a new employee should learn, accomplish and demonstrate ...

Performance

360-Degree Feedback

360-degree feedback is a performance development process that collects structured input from multiple sources - the empl…

A

AI Recruiting

AI recruiting is the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning to the talent acquisition process, cove...

Applicant Tracking System (ATS)

An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is a software platform that manages the end-to-end recruitment process - from job pos…

Asynchronous Interview

An asynchronous interview (also called a one-way video interview) is a recruitment screening method where candidates rec...

At-Will Employment

At-will employment is the default employment doctrine in the United States (except Montana) under which either the emplo…

ATS Implementation

ATS implementation is the process of deploying, configuring, and onboarding an applicant tracking system so that your re...

ATS Integration

ATS integration refers to the technical connections between an Applicant Tracking System and other software platforms - …

ATS Pricing

ATS pricing describes the fee structures applicant tracking system vendors use to charge for their software. Understandi...

ATS Resume Parsing

ATS resume parsing is the automated process by which an applicant tracking system extracts structured data from uploaded...

ATS vs Recruitment CRM

An ATS manages candidates who have already applied to open positions. A Recruiting CRM manages relationships with passiv...

Attrition Rate

Attrition rate is the percentage of employees who leave an organisation over a defined period, calculated as the number …

Absence Management

Absence management is the HR process of tracking, analysing and reducing unplanned employee absences. Learn key strategi...

B

Backfill Position

A backfill position is a recruitment request to replace a specific employee who has left an existing role, as distinct f...

Background Check

A background check is a pre-employment screening process that verifies candidate-provided information and examines recor…

Base Salary

Base salary is the fixed cash component of an employee's compensation - the regular, guaranteed amount paid regardless o...

Behavioural Interview

A behavioural interview is an interview technique that asks candidates to describe specific past experiences to demonstr…

Benefits Package

A benefits package is the collection of non-wage compensation provided to employees: health insurance, pension or 401k c...

Bereavement Leave

Bereavement leave - also called compassionate leave - is paid time off provided to employees after the death of a family...

Sourcing

Boolean Search

Boolean search is a structured query method using logical operators (AND, OR, NOT) to construct precise searches across …

Bradford Factor

The Bradford Factor is an HR formula that calculates the disruptive impact of an employee's absence pattern on an organi...

Buddy System Onboarding

An onboarding buddy system pairs a new employee with an experienced colleague who provides informal support, answers the...

C

Candidate Experience

Candidate experience is the overall impression a candidate forms of an organisation as a result of the recruiting proces…

Candidate NPS

Candidate Net Promoter Score (cNPS) measures how likely candidates are to recommend your organisation to others as a pla…

Candidate Pipeline

A candidate pipeline is the sequence of defined stages that candidates move through during the hiring process - from ini…

Career Pathing

Career pathing is the structured process of defining progression routes within an organisation, making visible to employ...

Case Interview

A case interview is an assessment format where candidates are given a business problem and asked to work through a struc...

Cloud-Based ATS

A cloud-based ATS is an applicant tracking system hosted by the vendor and delivered as Software-as-a-Service, accessibl...

Compensation Bands

Compensation bands are defined salary ranges assigned to a job grade or level within an organization. Each band has a mi...

Competency-Based Interview

A competency-based interview is an interview format that uses predetermined questions derived from a competency framewor…

Competency Framework

A competency framework is a structured model that defines the behaviours, skills, and attributes required for effective …

Continuous Feedback

Continuous feedback is the practice of delivering and receiving performance observations, coaching and development input...

Contract-to-Hire

Contract to hire is a work arrangement where an individual is engaged as a contractor for a defined trial period, with t...

Cost Per Hire

Cost per hire is the total expenditure required to fill one position, divided by the number of hires made in a given per…

Counter Offer

A counter-offer in recruitment is either a candidate's request for improved terms after receiving a job offer, or a curr...

Cultural Fit Interview

A cultural fit interview is an interview stage designed to assess whether a candidate's values, working style, and profe...

D

Diversity Recruiting

Diversity recruiting is the intentional application of sourcing strategies, process design, and evaluation practices to ...

E

EEOC

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is the US federal agency responsible for enforcing federal employment…

Employee Experience

Employee experience (EX) is the sum of everything an employee encounters, feels and observes during their time at an org...

Employee Handbook

An employee handbook is the official reference document that communicates a company's policies, procedures, expectations...

Employee Lifecycle

The employee lifecycle is the complete sequence of stages characterising the relationship between an employee and an org...

Employee Recognition

Employee recognition encompasses all formal and informal ways that organizations acknowledge employee contributions, cel...

Employee Satisfaction Survey

An employee satisfaction survey is a systematic process of collecting feedback from employees about their work experienc...

Employee Self-Service Portal

An employee self-service (ESS) portal is a digital interface that gives employees direct access to their HR information ...

Employee Turnover

Employee turnover refers to the rate at which employees leave an organisation and are replaced. Beyond the headcount met…

Employee Value Proposition (EVP)

An Employee Value Proposition (EVP) is the full set of benefits, experiences, and opportunities that an employer offers …

Employer Branding

Employer branding is the deliberate management of your organisation's reputation as an employer - how it appears to curr…

Employer of Choice

The term "employer of choice" describes an organization that top talent proactively seeks out and chooses to work for - ...

Employer of Record

An Employer of Record (EOR) is a third-party organisation that takes on the legal responsibilities of employing workers ...

eNPS

The Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) adapts the customer NPS methodology for internal use, measuring employee loyalty ...

Evergreen Job Posting

An evergreen job posting is a role that stays permanently live because the organisation hires for it continuously, requi...

Exit Interview

An exit interview is a structured conversation or survey with an employee who is leaving an organisation voluntarily. It...

Employee Engagement

Employee engagement defined: what it means, how to measure it, and why Gallup reports only 23% of workers are engaged gl...

Employee Record

What is an employee record? Definition, required fields, GDPR compliance rules, and how HR platforms manage employee dat...

F

FMLA

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is a US federal law requiring covered employers to provide eligible employees up...

Free ATS

A Free ATS is an applicant tracking system offered at no cost, typically through a freemium model that permanently limit...

G

GDPR Recruiting

GDPR recruiting refers to the application of the EU General Data Protection Regulation to the collection, storage, proce…

Group Interview

A group interview refers to two distinct formats in hiring: a panel interview, where one candidate is assessed simultane...

H

HCM

Human Capital Management (HCM) is an enterprise software category that encompasses the full spectrum of HR functions - f…

HCM vs HRIS

HCM (Human Capital Management) and HRIS (Human Resource Information System) are frequently used interchangeably but refe...

Headcount Planning

Headcount planning is the process of determining how many employees an organisation needs - by function, level, and timi…

Headcount Report

A headcount report is a structured count of employees in an organisation at a given point in time, broken down by releva...

Hiring Freeze

A hiring freeze is a temporary company-wide or department-level pause on all new recruitment activity, typically trigger...

Roles

Hiring Manager

A hiring manager is the person who has requested a new hire, owns the role definition, participates in evaluating candid…

Hiring Process

The hiring process is the end-to-end sequence of structured activities through which an organisation identifies a staffi...

HR Audit

An HR audit is a systematic examination of an organisation's HR practices, policies, documentation and compliance status...

Roles

HR Business Partner

An HR Business Partner (HRBP) is a senior HR professional who partners directly with a specific business unit or leaders…

HR Dashboard

An HR dashboard is a visual reporting tool that consolidates the most important workforce metrics into a single view, up...

HR Data Migration

HR data migration is the process of transferring employee records and HR history from an existing system or spreadsheet ...

HR Induction

An HR induction is the structured programme that introduces new employees to the organisation - its values, policies, pr...

HR Software

HR software is the broad category of digital platforms designed to manage and automate human resources functions across ...

HR Workflow Automation

HR workflow automation uses software to replace manual, repetitive steps in HR processes with automatic triggers, routin...

HRIS

A Human Resource Information System (HRIS) is the software platform that manages core HR data and processes - employee r…

HRIS Implementation

HRIS implementation is the end-to-end process of deploying an HR information system - from vendor selection and contract...

I

Internal Mobility

Internal mobility is the strategic practice of filling open positions by transitioning existing employees into new roles...

Interview Scorecard

An interview scorecard is a structured evaluation form that interviewers complete after each candidate interaction. It c…

J

Job Advertisement

A job advertisement is a public-facing marketing piece designed to attract qualified candidates to an open position. Unl...

Job Classification

Job classification is the process of evaluating and grouping positions within an organisation into grades or pay bands b...

Job Description

A job description is a formal document that defines the responsibilities, requirements, and context of a specific role. …

Job Leveling

Job leveling (also called job grading or career leveling) is the process of systematically defining and ranking all role...

Job Posting

A job posting is the public-facing advertisement for an open position, distributed across job boards, career sites, and …

Job Requisition

A job requisition is the internal document or workflow that authorises a company to hire for a specific position. It cap…

K

Knowledge Transfer

Knowledge transfer is the deliberate process of capturing and passing on the expertise, relationships, processes and ins...

L

Learning and Development

Learning and Development (L&D) is the HR function that designs and delivers the programmes through which employees build...

Leave of Absence

A leave of absence is approved time away from work for personal, medical or family reasons. Learn types, legal rights an...

M

Medical Leave

Medical leave is authorised time off work due to a health condition, whether that is a short-term illness, surgery, ongo...

Merit Increase

A merit increase is a permanent salary raise awarded to recognise individual performance that exceeds expectations. Unli...

N

New Hire Orientation

New hire orientation is the structured programme delivered on or around a new employee's first day, introducing them to ...

O

Offboarding

Offboarding is the structured process through which an organisation manages an employee's departure. It covers knowledge...

Offer Letter

An offer letter is a written document from an employer to a selected candidate formally extending an offer of employment…

Offer Letter vs Employment Contract

An offer letter is an informal summary of employment terms sent before the start date; an employment contract is a legal…

OKR

OKR (Objectives and Key Results) is a goal-setting framework that links an inspiring, qualitative objective to a small s...

Onboarding

Onboarding is the structured process through which a new employee transitions from candidate to productive, engaged team…

Onboarding Automation

Onboarding automation uses software to replace manual coordination work in the new hire process - automatically triggeri...

Onboarding Checklist

An onboarding checklist is a structured list of tasks, documents, and activities that must be completed to integrate a n…

Onboarding Software

Onboarding software automates the tasks, documents, and communications required to integrate a new employee from offer a...

Open Requisition

An open requisition is a formally approved job position that has not yet been filled, representing active hiring demand ...

Org Chart

An org chart is a visual map of an organisation's reporting relationships and hierarchy. It shows who reports to whom, h...

Organizational Design

Organizational design is the process of intentionally structuring a company's roles, teams, reporting relationships, dec...

Onboarding Plan

An onboarding plan is a structured roadmap for integrating a new employee. Learn components, best practices, and how Tre...

P

Paid Time Off (PTO)

Paid time off (PTO) is employer-provided leave during which employees continue to receive their normal pay. It encompass...

Panel Interview

A panel interview involves two or more interviewers simultaneously evaluating a single candidate. It improves evaluation…

Parental Leave

Parental leave encompasses all the leave entitlements available to employees who become parents through birth, adoption ...

Sourcing

Passive Candidate

A passive candidate is a professional who is currently employed and not actively seeking a new job, but who may be open …

Pay Equity

Pay equity is the principle that employees performing equal or substantially similar work should receive equal compensat...

Pay Transparency

Pay transparency refers to how openly an organisation shares compensation information - whether that means publishing sa...

People Analytics

People analytics is the practice of using data and statistical analysis to understand workforce patterns and inform HR d...

Performance

Performance Improvement Plan (PIP)

A Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) is a formal document that defines specific performance deficiencies, sets clear imp…

Pre-Employment Testing

Pre-employment testing is the broad category of standardised assessments administered to job candidates before a hiring ...

Preboarding

Preboarding is the structured period between a candidate's acceptance of a job offer and their first official day of wor...

Probationary Period

A probationary period is a defined initial phase of employment - typically 30 to 90 days - during which the new employee…

Pulse Survey

A pulse survey is a short questionnaire - typically 3 to 10 questions - distributed to employees on a regular cadence (w...

Performance Appraisal

A performance appraisal is a formal evaluation of employee work against defined goals and competencies. Learn types, bes...

Performance Management Cycle

The performance management cycle is the continuous HR process of setting goals, coaching, reviewing, and rewarding emplo...

Q

Quality of Hire

Quality of hire measures how well a new employee performs and integrates relative to the expectations established during…

R

Roles

Recruiter

A recruiter is the talent acquisition professional responsible for managing the hiring process - from sourcing and scree…

Recruitment CRM

A Recruitment CRM (Candidate Relationship Management) system enables recruiting teams to build and maintain relationship...

Recruitment Funnel

A recruitment funnel is a framework that tracks candidate volume at each stage of the hiring process, from initial appli...

Recruitment Pipeline

A recruitment pipeline is the collection of candidates currently active in your hiring process for a specific open role,...

Recruitment Software

Recruitment software is the category of digital platforms that automate and manage the hiring process, from the moment a...

Reference Check

A reference check is a pre-employment verification step in which a hiring organisation contacts individuals nominated by...

Retention Rate

Retention rate is the percentage of employees who remain with an organisation over a defined period. It is the inverse o…

Return to Work Interview

A return to work interview is a brief, structured conversation between a manager and an employee on their first day back...

Right to Work

Right to work (RTW) is a US state law that prohibits employers and unions from requiring union membership or payment of …

S

Salary Benchmarking

Salary benchmarking is the process of comparing your organization's pay rates against external market data to ensure com...

Sick Leave Policy

A sick leave policy sets out the rules for when and how employees may take paid or unpaid time off due to illness. It de...

Signing Bonus

A signing bonus is a one-time, lump-sum payment made to a new employee as an incentive to accept a job offer. It is comm...

Situational Interview

A situational interview presents candidates with hypothetical work scenarios and asks what they would do. Rather than dr...

Skills Assessment

A skills assessment is a structured evaluation used in recruiting to measure a candidate's specific job-relevant compete...

Skills-Based Hiring

Skills-based hiring evaluates candidates primarily on demonstrated competencies and practical abilities rather than form...

Skills Gap Analysis

A skills gap analysis identifies the difference between the skills your workforce currently possesses and the skills req…

Sourcing

Sourcing in recruiting is the proactive identification and initial engagement of potential candidates - including both a…

Span of Control

Span of control refers to the number of direct reports that a manager is responsible for supervising. A wide span means ...

Stay Interview

A stay interview is a structured, proactive conversation held with a current employee to understand what motivates them ...

Structured Interview

A structured interview is a formal interview method in which every candidate for the same role is asked the same predete…

Succession Planning

Succession planning is the process of identifying and developing internal candidates who have the potential to step into…

T

Take-Home Assessment

A take-home assessment is a work sample test or skills exercise that candidates complete independently outside of the fo…

Talent Acquisition

Talent acquisition is the strategic function responsible for identifying, attracting, evaluating, and hiring the people …

Talent Development

Talent development is the strategic approach to building and enhancing employee capabilities over time - not just traini...

Talent Mapping

Talent mapping is the proactive practice of researching and profiling potential candidates in the external market before...

Talent Pool

A talent pool is a database of candidates who have been previously identified, screened, or engaged - but not yet hired …

Time to Fill

Time to fill is the number of calendar days between a job requisition being opened and a candidate accepting an offer. I…

Time to Hire

Time to hire is the number of days between a candidate entering the recruiting process (typically the date of applicatio…

Total Compensation

Total compensation is the complete value of everything an employer provides to an employee: base salary, bonuses, equity...

Total Rewards

Total rewards is the full spectrum of value an employer offers employees - not just salary and bonus, but benefits, lear...

V

Variable Pay

Variable pay is compensation that changes in amount based on performance outcomes - whether individual, team or company-...

Video Interview

A video interview is a job interview conducted via video conferencing technology, allowing hiring teams and candidates t...

W