wrongdoing

Definition

Corporate speak for 'oopsie, we did something illegal' that sounds vague enough for press releases. The catch-all term HR uses when someone definitely broke rules but lawyers advise keeping it ambiguous.範ges from expense fraud to ethical violations that mysteriously result in paid administrative leave.

Example Usage

Following an investigation into alleged wrongdoing, the executive resigned to 'spend more time with family.'

Source: HR and legal compliance terminology

Related Terms

Intermediate

victimization

The process of being made into a victim through exploitation, oppression, or discrimination, often systematically and repeatedly. In HR and legal contexts, it refers to someone being treated unfairly or punished for asserting their rights, like reporting harassment and then mysteriously being excluded from meetings. It's the term that acknowledges harm has been done and someone needs to answer for it.

👥 Human Resources

Intermediate

ombudsperson

The gender-neutral superhero appointed to investigate complaints and fight institutional injustice—without the cape but with significantly more paperwork. This official mediator stands between aggrieved individuals and the organizations that wronged them, theoretically wielding the power to actually fix things. It's basically a customer service manager with actual authority and fewer people yelling at them.

👥 Human Resources

Beginner

return to office mandate

A corporate policy proving that middle managers need to physically see you working to justify their existence. Often disguised as promoting 'collaboration' while actually just protecting expensive real estate investments.

👥 Human Resources

Advanced

adverse impact

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.'

👥 Human Resources

Beginner

complaint

The formal grievance that transforms casual workplace whining into official documentation. In HR contexts, it's the trigger for investigations that make everyone uncomfortable; in legal contexts, it's the opening salvo in litigation. Filing one means you've crossed the Rubicon from 'dealing with it' to 'making it everyone's problem.'

👥 Human Resources

Beginner

Flexible Work

An arrangement that means you can work from anywhere at any time, which actually means you'll work from everywhere at all times. The flexibility is that the company is flexible about how much of your personal life it absorbs.

👥 Human Resources

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cyl,a

see ya later, alligator...