adverse impact

Definition

When an employment practice disproportionately excludes a protected group, violating discrimination laws even if unintentional. The legal term for 'oops, your hiring process is accidentally racist.'

Example Usage

Our requirement for 'culture fit' is showing adverse impact against older candidates—time to rethink that beer pong test.

Origin

Defined by the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures (1978)

Fun Fact

The 'four-fifths rule' states that adverse impact exists if a protected group's selection rate is less than 80% of the highest group's rate.

Source: Employment law and compliance terminology

Related Terms

Beginner

upskill

Corporate HR-speak for teaching employees new abilities they'll need because their current jobs are being automated or eliminated. It's the gentle way of saying "learn this or become obsolete," usually delivered with a cheerful smile and a mandatory training module. Companies love upskilling because it sounds proactive and employee-focused, even when it's just delaying the inevitable restructuring.

👥 Human Resources

Intermediate

bake-off

A competitive presentation process where multiple candidates or vendors pitch their ideas or services to decision-makers simultaneously. Think of it as corporate Hunger Games, but with PowerPoint instead of weapons.

👥 Human Resources

Advanced

zombie requisition

A job opening that remains perpetually posted but is never actually filled due to unrealistic requirements, budget freezes, or lack of genuine intent to hire. The corporate equivalent of Schrödinger's job—simultaneously open and closed.

👥 Human Resources

Intermediate

seagull manager

A manager who swoops in unexpectedly, makes a lot of noise, dumps on everything, and flies away leaving others to clean up the mess. They're absent until there's a crisis, then arrive to criticize without context or solutions.

👥 Human Resources

Beginner

Inclusion

The practice of making sure everyone feels welcome and valued at work, assuming "everyone" can navigate the 47 unwritten social rules required to survive the office kitchen. True inclusion is when the new person feels comfortable enough to take the last donut.

👥 Human Resources

Beginner

monitoring

The systematic observation and tracking of employees' activities, performance, or communications, ostensibly for productivity and security purposes. Modern monitoring ranges from benign time-tracking to dystopian keystroke logging and AI-powered webcam analysis. It's either "accountability" or "Big Brother" depending on which side of the surveillance you're on.

👥 Human Resources

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Optics

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