The department that turned firing into a growth opportunity.
The number of days between when a candidate enters your pipeline and when they accept an offer, measuring recruitment efficiency. Different from 'time to fill' which starts when the requisition opens—HR loves having multiple confusing metrics.
A performance evaluation technique where managers document specific examples of effective and ineffective employee behaviors throughout the review period. Basically keeping receipts, but for HR purposes.
The HR euphemism for firing someone that sounds vaguely threatening, like something Arnold Schwarzenegger would say before shooting a robot. Companies use this word because apparently 'fired' sounds too honest and 'let go' makes it sound like you're releasing a butterfly into the wild. When your employment is terminated, you're technically ended, ceased, and discontinued—which is exactly how your career feels in that moment.
A role, job title, or status within an organization; also, your strategic stance on a market, competitor, or issue (as in 'what's our position on price increases?').
An affinity group for employees sharing demographics or interests, which provides community while corporations get free diversity initiatives without actually changing anything.
A formal document outlining an employee's deficiencies and expectations for improvement—basically a 30-90 day grace period before termination.
A proposed work movement where employees do only the bare minimum on Mondays—simultaneously more honest and more threatened by management.
An HR professional integrated into specific business units to provide strategic support. It's HR trying to be cool and business-like at the same time.
The time it takes a new employee to reach full productivity. It's the polite way of saying 'you're useless for the first three months.'
The process of identifying and assessing the skills and competencies required for specific roles—essentially, a detailed way to prove someone isn't qualified for a promotion.
A provision requiring employees to return compensation if certain conditions aren't met—basically, we might take back your bonus if you leave soon.
When your current employer suddenly matches or exceeds a job offer you've accepted elsewhere. It's the corporate equivalent of 'wait, don't leave, I do love you.'
An approach to career advancement where women actively pursue leadership despite systemic obstacles. Made famous by Sheryl Sandberg and also somewhat controversial.
The state of sticking together or working as one unit—what HR desperately hopes team-building exercises will achieve.
A framework defining the skills, knowledge, and behaviors required for success in a role or organization. Usually a 47-page document that nobody reads but HR references during performance reviews.
A vesting schedule where retirement or equity benefits become fully available all at once after a specific period, rather than gradually. You get nothing, nothing, nothing, then suddenly everything.
An initial employment phase, typically 30-90 days, during which both employer and employee evaluate fit with reduced job security. Corporate dating before commitment, except you're already living together.
A payment incentive designed to keep critical employees from leaving during uncertain periods, paid upon reaching a specific future date. Bribery with a vesting schedule.
The corporate ritual of exchanging money for human labor, dressed up with multiple interview rounds and culture-fit assessments. In HR and recruitment, hiring is the art of finding someone qualified who'll accept your salary range and tolerate your company culture. It's what happens after weeks of ghosting candidates and making them complete unpaid 'projects' to prove their worth.
A vague promise in job postings that usually means below-market salary plus benefits everyone else offers anyway. It's competitive only if you're comparing against companies actively trying to underpay people.
The corporate euphemism for firing someone, borrowed from the Terminator franchise to make HR sound more badass than they actually are. Can mean to end anything incompletely, but let's be honest—in business contexts, it's the word your manager uses right before security escorts you out. Also works for killing things, which really doesn't help its workplace PR.
The official HR term for "things employees are pissed about," ranging from legitimate workplace violations to deeply felt parking spot disputes. These formal complaints trigger processes, investigations, and enough paperwork to deforest a small nation. In unionized environments, grievances are practically an art form with their own procedures and timelines.
The application of skills and knowledge gained in training to actual job performance, measuring whether that expensive workshop actually changed behavior. It's the difference between completing the course and actually using what you learned back at your desk.
A permanently open job posting for high-turnover or high-volume positions, because why bother closing and reopening the same role every two weeks? It's the HR equivalent of leaving your porch light on indefinitely.