Set out below is a selection of common HR terms explained in brief for your general information.
Casual employee
An employment arrangement with no firm advance commitment that work will continue indefinitely and with an agreed pattern.
Employee engagement
A common HR metric used to measure the extent of emotional connection that an employee(s) experiences with their employer.
Extrinsic job rewards
Rewards external to one’s job role such as fixed remuneration and variable compensation (bonus payments).
Fixed term contract
An employment arrangement that terminates at the conclusion of a defined period (with a set end date).
Formal counselling
An HR intervention that raises a performance or conduct issue with an employee and which is administered formally (though without a disciplinary outcome).
Grievance
Any problem about work or the work environment.
Hiring manager
The convenor of a recruitment and selection process and typically the chair of an interview panel.
Industrial instrument
A term referring to a document that sets out terms and conditions of employment such as those which apply to an industry or sector (contained in a Modern Award) or an organisation (in an Enterprise Agreement).
Intrinsic job rewards
Job rewards that a person gains or feels from performing their job role such as pride and satisfaction.
KPIs
Key performance indicators relate to outcomes that measure the level of achievement of a given performance objective.
Maximum Term Contract
A contract within a defined period that also contains a notice of termination clause. This allows the parties to bring the contract to an end prior to a nominal end date with notice.
Performance management
An umbrella term that may cover the setting of performance objectives and measures as well as HR interventions to address performance related issues.
Performance Improvement Plan (PIP)
A supportive HR activity designed to address an identified performance shortfall or gap.
Probation
A period upon commencement of employment that offers both parties the opportunity to assess the suitability of the employment relationship.
Quiet Quitting
A phenomenon that has emerged (particularly post pandemic) characterised by a lack of employee engagement. Quiet Quitting may be described as the situation where you observe employees turning up to work and simply go through the motions working strictly to their role description.
Recruitment
Sourcing a pool of prospective candidates from which to make a hiring decision.
Redundancy
When an employer no longer requires an employee’s job to be done by anyone.
Right to disconnect
A newly established workplace right whereby an employee can refuse contact outside of regular working hours (such as via phone/email/teams) provided that the refusal is reasonable. We have published an article on this topic which you can read here.
Secondment
An HR process administered internally to place a staff member in an alternative role for a temporary period usually with different conditions (such as remuneration) whilst backfilling their substantive position. At the conclusion of the secondment period, the secondee returns to their substantive position within the business.
Termination
An umbrella term pertaining to employee exit. Termination may be involuntary (in the case of redundancy or dismissal) or voluntary by way of the employee tendering their resignation.