HED 7530 Issues and Concepts of Personnel Management in Higher Education: HR Terms

Higher Ed HR Glossary

Academic: A faculty member at a college or university. Also referred to as academician.

Academic Administrator: Individual who works in the academic community unit (such as a department or college) in a managerial or professional capacity, often with the credentials of a faculty member.

Academic Freedom: A basic principle of academic life that espouses the unencumbered ability of a faculty member to speak freely and pursue his or her own academic interests so as to foster pursuit of the truth. Academic freedom does have certain limits, subject to rules and regulations of the institution. Reference the 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure available through the American Association of University Professors.

Academic Administrative Titles: Provost, Department Head, Chair, Dean of Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Academic Teaching Titles: The traditional hierarchy of academic teaching titles, sometimes known as regular rank faculty, is, from entry level to senior: Instructor, Lecturer, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and Professor. Adjunct and Clinical faculty are included.

Academic Year: For institutions on the semester system, academic year is generally September through May, with the fall semester from September through January and the spring semester January through May. Institutions on a quarter system generally divide the calendar year into four three-month academic periods. Some variations occur.

Accelerated Benefit Option (ABO): See Living Access Benefit.

Accessibility: The availability of materials, services, tools, places and programs that enable individuals with impairments to function in the workplace. See Rehabilitation Act, Section 504.

Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance: A policy that pays for loss of life, limbs or eyesight as the result of an accident.

Accommodation: A modification of equipment or practice to facilitate workplace contribution by an individual with an impairment. Also see Reasonable Accommodation.

Accreditation: The result of a formal review of programs, practices and facilities by a recognized certifying body using preset standards that leads to formal endorsement. Additionally reference the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

Across-the-Board Increase: A pay increase given to all, or a group of, employees, either as a percentage of base salary or a flat dollar amount. Also known as a general increase.

Active Learning: The process of acquiring knowledge, skills and behaviors through doing. Also known as experiential learning.

Activities of Daily Living (ADL): Personal care activities that are a normal part of everyday life such as eating, dressing, bathing, grooming, transferring and toileting. Sometimes referenced as major life activities.

Adjunct: In higher education, a term used to describe a teacher who is not tenure track, who is hired to teach one or more courses and may or may not have a terminal degree or the credentials of a regular faculty member. Many adjunct faculty are retired professionals or practitioners of a specific occupation.

Administrative Leave: Time off from work, either with or without pay, for reasons unrelated to illness or vacation.

Adult Day Care: A service that provides supervision, activities and meals for adults who cannot be left unattended.

Adverse Action: A term often used in conjunction with EEO/AA programs that refers to an act by an employer that results in an individual or group of individuals being deprived of equal employment opportunities.

Adverse Impact: The result of employer actions in hiring, promotion or other employment decision that work to the disadvantage of a protected class of individuals.

Adverse Selection: Regarding discrimination: employer hiring practices that result in unlawful discrimination. Regarding insurance plans: when an employee or group of employees selects coverage with a greater than likely loss at the expense to the insurer (also known as anti-selection).

Advisory Committee: A group of individuals charged with deliberating and rendering advice rather than making decisions.                               

Affirmative Action (AA): The action of an employer to proactively address and prevent discrimination as well as to promote access to employment and education for historically socio-politically nondominant groups.

Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) of 1967:  Federal legislation that prohibits discrimination against workers age 40 and over in any employment or employment-related decision, to include forced retirement. Amendments passed in 1978 revised the minimum mandatory retirement age to 70 years for most employers. Applies to employers with 20 or more employees.

All But Dissertation (ABD): A status given to an individual who is working on a doctorate degree, has completed coursework requirements but has yet to complete the dissertation.

Alternate Plan of Care: A provision in many long-term care insurance policies that allows the covered individual to qualify for benefits not specifically listed in the policy upon agreement between the physician, individual and the insurance company.

Alternation Ranking: A performance evaluation process wherein the rater is asked to select the best and worst employees from a listing of all employees and then alternately slot all others between the best and worst.

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR): An optional process of resolving differences or disputes between two or more entities that customarily utilizes the services of a neutral third party to facilitate discussion and assist the parties in reaching an agreement.

Alternative Worksite: A location other than the employer’s main physical worksite where employees are allowed to perform their jobs.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990: Federal anti-discrimination law that protects the rights of qualified individuals with disabilities in matters of employment, termination, promotion, compensation, training and other terms, conditions and privileges of employment. The ADA requires employers to use reasonable accommodation with regard to physical or procedural barriers. Applies to employers with 15 or more employees.

Anniversary Date: The date on which an individual's employment commenced.

Annualized Salary: An employee's annual salary (pay) divided by the number of months he/she works, then multiplied by 12, to arrive at a 12-month equivalent salary.

Annuity: An insurance-like contract that provides an income stream, primarily after retirement. Annuities can be purchased in lump sum or over time through payroll deduction.

Applicant Flow Data: Information that is generated in the course of the application, interview and hiring process.

Applicant Pool: Variously defined by enforcement agencies and employers, the term customarily refers to the group of individuals who have applied for and meet the minimum qualifications specified for a vacant position.

Applicant Tracking: An electronic or paper-based system that records a job applicant's progression through the recruitment process.

Apprenticeship: An employment status in which a person is formally trained in a trade or craft according to predetermined processes and standards, usually for a specific period of time.

Arbitration: A dispute resolution method that uses a neutral third party (i.e. arbitrator) to facilitate the resolution of individual, group or labor-management conflicts.

Architectural Barriers: The attributes or design of a structure that prevent individuals with physical disabilities from accessing and/or using the structure.

Architectural Barriers Act of 1968:  Federal law that requires any building constructed or leased in whole or in part with federal funds to be made accessible to and usable by the physically disabled.

Assisted Living Facility: A care facility certified or registered by the state that provides care and services necessary for the activities of daily living.

At-Will Employment: See Employment at Will.

Attrition: The outflow of employees due to terminations, deaths and retirements.

Auxiliary Aids:  In the context of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), "a wide range of services and devices (necessary) for ensuring that equally effective communication" takes place with regard to persons with hearing, speech and vision disabilities. Such aids may include the provision of interpreters, assistive listening devices, materials in Braille, closed caption and telecommunication devices for the hearing impaired.

Availability Analysis: In the context of federal EEO/AA laws, the process of determining the number of qualified minorities and women in the relevant available workforce who possess or have the ability to acquire the required skills or qualifications for positions within the organization.

Baby Boomer: The term used to describe those individuals born between 1945 and 1970.

Background Check/Investigation: The process of verifying information supplied by applicants who are being considered for employment, including, but not limited to, contacting former employers, obtaining educational records and requesting criminal or consumer credit reports.

Baldrige National Quality Award: Named for Malcolm Baldrige, this award is presented by the President of the United States to businesses, educational institutions and health care organizations judged to be outstanding in seven areas: strategic planning; leadership; customer/market focus; human resource focus; measurement, analysis and knowledge management; process management; and results.

Balanced Scorecard: A strategic management concept developed in the early 1990s by Drs. David Norton and Robert Kaplan. This management and measurement system helps organizations clarify vision and strategy to develop action plans.  It links business performance to organizational strategy by measuring results in financial performance, knowledge of customers, internal business processes, and learning through growth.

Base Pay: That part of compensation that serves as the foundation upon which other variable pay elements, such as overtime, post differentials or hazardous duty pay, may be added.

Behavioral Based Interview: An interview technique wherein candidates are asked to provide specific personal examples of prior experiences, behaviors, and application of knowledge, skills and abilities in order to provide the interviewer with insight into future behavior and performance.

Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale (BARS): An evaluation process that requires raters to list important dimensions of a particular job in order to collect information regarding the critical behaviors that distinguish between successful and unsuccessful performance. Numerical values are subsequently assigned to the various behaviors thereby establishing the basis for rating performance.

Benchmark Job: A job commonly found that is used as a comparator against which other jobs are assessed.

Benchmarking: The systematic process of comparing an organization’s products, services, practices or jobs against those of competitor organizations or other industry leaders to determine what it is they do that allows them to achieve high levels of performance.

Benchmarks: Standards used as a basis for comparison or measurement.

Beneficiary: The person designated by the plan member who is to receive the benefit upon the death of that member.

Benefit Triggers: Events that invoke benefit coverage or payment.

Bereavement Leave: Time off, paid or unpaid, provided to employees upon the death of a family member or other individual who meets criteria established by the organization.

Blind Ad: A job advertisement that contains no identifying information about the employer placing the ad.

Blue Collar Workers: Typically, workers employed in occupations that require physical or manual labor and who are paid by the hour.

Board of Regents/Trustees: A group of individuals either elected or appointed who serve as the governing body of an institution and to which the President/Chancellor reports. Such individuals are customarily esteemed alumni or accomplished professionals whose duties are primarily strategic in nature.

Bona Fide Occupational Qualification (BFOQ): A specific and valid requirement, such as knowledge or skill, demonstrated to be essential for successful performance of a job. BFOQs serve as benchmarks on which employers base employment decisions.

Bonus: A reward granted for exceptional performance of an individual or team, customarily one-time and monetary in nature. Bonuses are not customarily added to base pay.

Branding: The process of creating a unique identity for which an organization’s products, processes or services are known, thereby differentiating it from another organization, service or product.

Break in Service: A period of time between a person’s last work day and reemployment.

Broadbanding: Combining narrow pay grades into fewer, wider grades, thereby establishing wider and more flexible salary ranges.

Bumping: A practice normally found in union environments that allows more senior level employees, whose positions have been eliminated, to displace a less senior worker in another position within the organization.

Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS): A federal agency that collects, processes, analyzes and disseminates labor statistics, such as wage and unemployment rates. The National Compensation Survey (NCS) and the Occupational Employment Survey (OES) are produced by the BLS.

Burnout: Physical or emotional exhaustion, lack of motivation or decreased morale resulting from an individual being exposed to excessive or prolonged stress and frustration caused by personal problems, work pressures, financial difficulties, etc.

Business Continuity Planning:  The process of identifying potential threats and challenges to an organization and then developing a strategic and operational framework for ensuring organizational function and viability if threats materialize.

Cafeteria Plan: A benefit program that allows employees to choose from a menu of one or more qualified tax-favored benefits. Also known as a flexible benefit plan.

Career Ladder: The progression or ranking of jobs, often in specific occupational fields from highest to lowest based on level of responsibility, pay, skill, authority or other key factors.

Carnegie Classifications: The universally-accepted, standard framework of categories or identifiers developed by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching to assist those conducting research on higher education to identify groups of roughly comparable institutions.

Catastrophic Claims Management: A cost containment program designed to identify alternative, less costly methods and treatment for seriously ill patients without sacrificing quality of care.

Caucus: A labor relations term used to define periodic suspensions of negotiations in order to provide all parties with an opportunity to confer.

Chancellor: The chief executive officer of a college, university or system of institutions and agencies. Some higher education institutions use the term Chancellor to designate the CEO of a system; President for the CEO of a university. Others reverse those titles.

Civil Rights Act of 1964: A federal statute that prohibits discrimination in a number of settings. Title VII is especially relevant to human resources, as it prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, gender, religion, national origin or age.

Civil Rights Act of 1991: A federal statute that amended and strengthened the employment-related provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by, among other things, providing for damages in cases of intentional employment discrimination and clarifying and strengthening provisions regarding disparate impact.

Climate Survey: A tool used to obtain employee opinions, perceptions and expectations about the workplace environment.

Coaching: The process of providing advice, assessment and guidance to an individual facing various personal and professional challenges.

Coinsurance (Cost Sharing): The sharing of the cost of a health expense between the plan and the employee, generally represented as a percentage of total cost.

Collective Bargaining: Used in the context of a unionized organization, the act of conferring, expressing views and resolving differences through a formal process between the union and management. Bargaining customarily involves terms and conditions of employment such as wages, hours of work, working conditions, grievances and employee/management rights.

Compa Ratio: The result of dividing an individual's pay by the midpoint of his/her assigned pay range.

Compensable Factor: A job element that is assigned a value for purposes of calculating the total value and thus rank and pay grade of a job. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 defined compensable factors as skill, effort, responsibility and working conditions.

Compensatory Time Off: Customarily used in the context of FLSA overtime regulations wherein an individual is given paid time off in lieu of being paid time and a half for hours worked in excess of 40 in a work week. The Department of Labor places very strict limitations on the use of compensatory time off. This term also applies to time off for exempt employees from regularly-scheduled work hours for having worked hours in excess of the norm.

Competency Based Pay: A system of compensation that recognizes employees for knowledge, skills, talents and experience that directly relate to one's job. Also known as skill-based or knowledge-based pay.

Compressed Workweek: A "workweek" wherein employees work their standard number of hours over a shorter period of time than is custom.

Condition of Employment: Standards such as work rules, confidentiality, ethics and other work-related matters established by the employer and required as a condition of employment.

Conflict of Interest: Any fact or circumstance unique to an individual that results in a potentially unethical, compromising, competitive, biased, conflicting or similar situation with the employer

Consolidated Omnibus Reconciliation Act (COBRA) of 1985: A federal law that provides for the extension of health insurance for a prescribed period of time to certain individuals who would otherwise lose coverage by virtue of a qualifying event such as reduction of work hours, death, termination or divorce.

Constructive Discharge: Occurs when an employer's action, such as unfair behavior, punitive actions or harassment, causes the employee to resign. To strengthen a constructive discharge claim, the employee must resign soon after the employer's actions.

Consumer Credit Protection Act (CCPA) of 1968: A federal law that prohibits employees from being terminated for wage garnishment.

Content Validity: The degree to which a test or other assessment instrument used during the selection process accurately measures the skills, knowledge, abilities or characteristics required for job performance.

Contingent Worker: Refers to an individual whose employment tenure is generally defined to be uncertain and unpredictable in duration.

Conversion: A process that occurs when an employee transfers from a group policy to an individual policy with the same carrier. Conversion generally occurs when an employee ceases to be eligible for the group policy. The employer customarily pays a fee to the insurance company for the conversion privilege.

Coordination of Benefits (COB): The method by which benefits are determined when a claimant is covered by more than one group insurance policy or benefit plan, including Medicare. This method ensures that health and dental plans work together to pay up to, but no more than, 100 percent of the eligible costs incurred. In the case of disability insurance, coordination of benefits means that other benefits received or that could be received by the claimant will be taken into consideration when determining the total benefit to be paid by the disability insurance plan.

Co-payment: The amount an employee pays for a medical service or prescription drug. The remaining cost is covered by the plan, either in full or in part. Also known as co-pay.

Core Competencies: The skills, knowledge and abilities that employees must possess in order to successfully perform the essential functions of a job.

Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA): An increase in compensation to offset a change in purchasing power, customarily based on the Consumer Price Index.

Cost Per Hire: A measure of the direct and indirect costs associated with filling vacancies. Examples of direct costs include expenses for search firms, advertising, background checks, candidate travel and meals, pre-employment testing, relocation, training and inprocessing. Indirect costs may include: lost productivity, disruption of regular business functions, temporary employment services and/or overtime to compensate for the vacancy.

Covered Expenses: Any reasonable and customary charges for necessary medical or dental care services involved in the treatment of an illness or injury or for certain preventive services, in accordance with the provisions of a health or dental plan. (See Reasonable and Customary.)

Craft Worker: An individual employed in a profession or activity that customarily uses a physical skill, such as electricians, plumbers, metal workers and carpenters.

Crisis Management: The act of aligning and applying guidelines, resources and activities in response to a serious, even catastrophic, situation. Such responses, generally formalized in a written plan, include emergency response, disaster recovery, risk management, communications and business continuity.

Critical Tasks: The activities or functions essential to the proper performance of a particular job.

Cross-functional Teams: Teams of workers composed of individuals drawn from various departments, functions or divisions throughout an organization.

Cross Training:  The process of training individuals to perform various jobs, or to acquire various skills, so that they can be deployed to fill other positions.

Culture: The beliefs, values, standards and practices existing in an organization, forming the work environment.

Curriculum Vitae: A term used more often in higher education that is synonymous with resume. The focus of the vitae is customarily on academic accomplishments such as degrees, teaching, research, publications, papers presented and honors.

Deauthorization: The termination of union representation over a specific bargaining unit following a decertification election.

Decertification: The process of eliminating a workplace union, or bargaining unit through a voting process.

Deductible: The amount of money an individual must pay toward medical, dental or prescription drug expenses before insurance benefits are payable.

Deferred Compensation: Pay processed through an employer-sponsored plan that defers tax deductions until such money is withdrawn at a future date, generally in retirement. Also reference 457 Plans for state and federal employees.

Defined Benefit Plan: A retirement plan in which future benefits are based on a pre-determined formula, elements of which are customarily years of service, age upon retirement and compensation.

Defined Contribution Plan: A retirement plan in which the employee, and traditionally the employer, contribute a percentage of compensation to an account, the retirement income of which is dependent on the earnings and value of the account at the time withdrawals are made.

Demotion: The act of decreasing the pay grade of a position due to lower skill requirements or level of responsibility, or the act of moving an employee to a position assigned a pay grade lower than that assigned to the employee's prior position. Demotions generally result in a reduction in compensation.

Department of Labor (DOL): The federal agency responsible for administering and enforcing labor laws such as the Fair Labor Standards Act and Family Medical Leave Act.

Dependent: Variously defined by the IRS and insurance plans, a person who is a relative (who lives with you) or someone for whom you are responsible and is dependent on you for financial support.

Dependent Care Assistance Plan: A benefit plan that provides employees with assistance in caring for dependents both young and old.

Direct Compensation: Pay to an employee in the form of base pay, monetary bonuses, incentives and overtime.

Disability: Defined as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of an individual’s major life activities (i.e., walking, talking, standing, sitting, etc.)

Disability Management: The process of coordinating services, accommodations and efforts among employees, management, physicians, service providers and insurance carriers to minimize the impact of disabilities, injuries or illnesses and enhance job performance.

Disabled Individual: Under ADA guidelines, an individual with a disability is a person who: has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities; has a record of such impairment; or is regarded as having such impairment. Disability under Social Security rules is defined as an individual who is unable to perform work that he or she was previously able to perform and the individual cannot adjust to other work because of his or her medical condition(s), which is expected to last for at least one year or to result in death. Also see Handicapped Individual.

Disaster Recovery Plan: Directions and procedures developed to guide organizations in the aftermath of a disaster, whether it be due to the forces of nature, technology or the acts of individuals.

Discharge: The willful termination of an employee based on performance, attendance, workplace violence, ethics, or other work rule or policy violation.

Disciplinary Suspension: A punitive measure in which employees are banned from the workplace, generally without pay, for a specified period of time due to violations of company work rules or policy.

Disparate Impact: Under Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) law, a less favorable effect on one group than for another. A disparate impact results when rules applied to all employees have a different and more inhibiting effect on protected classes of employees than on all others.

Disparate Treatment: The result of a situation in which rules, actions or policies intentionally or unintentionally adversely affect one individual or group..

Displaced Workers: Persons who have lost their jobs due to a plant closing, relocation, downsizing or position elimination.

Dissertation: An original written body of work, based on research and study, that culminates an individual's pursuit of a doctorate degree. A faculty member supervises the development of the dissertation and a committee of faculty members is convened to conduct a formal challenge of and inquiry into the work (known as "defending the dissertation.").

Distance Learning: Instructing through satellite or computer technology that is delivered to one or more remote sites.

Diversity: A term broadly defined but customarily referring to a mix of individuals with a multiplicity of characteristics as to race, age, ethnicity, gender, religion, socioeconomics and education.

Domestic Partner Benefits: Employer-provided benefits extended to individuals who are of the same or opposite sex as spousal equivalents.

Downgrading: The act of assigning a lower pay grade or title to a set of duties, generally due to a decrease in responsibilities, lower skill requirements or a market analysis.

Downsizing: The process of reducing the workforce by eliminating positions. Such reductions can result from reorganization, financial exigency, business process redesign, mergers or redirection.

Drug Free Workplace Act of 1988: Requires some federal contractors and all federal grantees to agree that they will provide drug-free workplaces as a precondition of receiving a contract or grant from a federal agency. Although all covered contractors and grantees must maintain a drug-free workplace, the specific components necessary to meet the requirements of the Act vary based on whether the contractor or grantee is an individual or an organization.

Dual Career Ladders/Tracks: A career development plan that identifies two or more progression paths through a series of titles and responsibilities.

E-learning: The process of utilizing electronic media to receive education and training.  

Early Retirement Plan: An alternative retirement plan that provides incentives for employees to retire prior to their planned retirement age. Such plans often involve a reduction in percent effort and/or salary with continuation of full benefits.

Early Return to Work Program: Temporarily redesigning a job or reassigning an individual to a less strenuous or otherwise modified set of duties until they are able to resume their regular duties.

Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act (EGTRRA) of 2001: Federal law that made sweeping changes to tax law. Relevant to human resources are the changes that impact pension plans such as 401(k)s and 403(b)s.

Effective Date of Coverage: The date an employee/retiree or his/her eligible dependents become covered by benefits under a selected plan.

Electromation: Refers to a 1992 NLRB ruling declaring that, in nonunion companies, labor management cooperation (i.e., quality circles, employee involvement programs, etc.) is illegal because the committees through which such cooperation takes place are equal to a labor organization. Also reference Crown Cork and Seal Company ruling 2001.  

Eligibility Date: The date an employee, retiree or dependent meets the requirements for participation in a selected benefit plan.

Elimination Period: The number of days an individual must wait before receiving insurance benefits.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP): An employer-provided program that offers various intervention and counseling services to employees. Such programs address both work-related and personal issues including marital, family and financial counseling, substance abuse and psychological maladies.      

Employee Engagement: The situation in which an employee is involved in and committed to the work and the organization.

Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) of 1974: Federal legislation that established minimum standards for many pension and health plans. Requirements for distribution of plan information, fiduciary responsibility standards (to include grievance processes and rights to sue) and numerous other protections for plan participants were established. Subsequent amendments strengthened protections through the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). In general, ERISA does not cover group health plans maintained by government entities, churches or plans maintained solely to comply with workers' compensation, unemployment compensation or disability plans.

Employee Referral Program: A recruitment strategy wherein current employees are encouraged to refer individuals for employment with their organization.

Employee Relations: A broadly defined term that refers to the general management of activities related to the development, maintenance and enhancement of the employment experience. In some organizations, this function includes complaints and appeals, grievances, union activities, organizational culture and climate issues and award programs.

Employer of Choice: A term referring to employers whose practices, policies, benefits and overall work conditions are judged to be highly desirable

Employment at Will: A legal doctrine that refers to an employment relationship that can be terminated by the employer at any time and for any or no reason, unless unlawful discrimination is involved.

Employment Cost Index: A measure of relative changes in wages, benefits and bonuses for a specific group of occupations conducted annually as part of the Department of Labor’s National Compensation Survey.

Empowerment: The result of enabling an individual to have responsibility, control and decision-making authority over the work he or she performs.    

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO): A term emanating from the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that refers to the extension of employment rights to all individuals regardless of their age, gender, race, color, or national origin.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC): The federal agency that promulgates regulations and ensures compliance with federal statutes and rules relating to discrimination and equal opportunity.

Equal Pay Act of 1963: A federal law prohibiting employers from discriminating between male and female employees in terms of pay when they are performing jobs that are essentially the same or of comparable worth.

Equal Treatment: A legal doctrine referring to the fair, consistent and nondiscriminatory treatment of all employees.

Equity Adjustment: An increase in pay for purposes of correcting a compensation disparity between individuals with comparable qualifications performing comparable jobs.

Equivalent Position: As defined by section 825.215 of the FMLA regulations, an equivalent position is one that is virtually identical to the employee's former position in terms of pay, benefits and working conditions, including privileges, perquisites and status. It must involve the same or substantially similar duties and responsibilities, which must entail substantially equivalent skill, responsibility and authority.

Ergonomics: The study and design of the equipment, furniture, machinery or tools used in the workplace that promotes safety, efficiency and productivity and reduces discomfort and fatigue.

Error of Central Tendency: The propensity of a person rating employee performance to assign average ratings to all individuals being rated.

Error of Contrast: A performance assessment error that occurs when  ratings are based on comparisons between individuals instead of using previously established organizational standards.

Error of Inconsistency: Occurs when no established organizational standards for rating an individual exist, and raters use different standards or strategies for assigning ratings.

Error of Projection: An employee performance rating error that occurs when raters allow their own personal standards or values to affect the ratings they assign to others.

Error of Recency: A performance rating error that occurs when the employee’s most recent job performance is given more weight than performance during the entire rating period.

Errors and Omissions Insurance: An insurance policy that provides organizations and their employees with coverage and protection against potential lawsuits filed by clients or customers who allege negligence, inadequate performance, damage, injury or similar infringements.

Essential Functions: The primary job functions or tasks that an individual must be able to perform with or without a reasonable accommodation.

Ethnic Categories: Emanating from the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and subsequent reporting requirements established by the EEOC, these are descriptors of ethnic groups used for various EEO/AA programs and reporting: American Indian or Alaska Native (not Hispanic or Latino); Asian (not Hispanic or Latino); Black or African American (not Hispanic or Latino); Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (not Hispanic or Latino); White (not Hispanic or Latino) and Two or More Races (not Hispanic or Latino).

Excessive Absenteeism: The habitual failure of an employee to report for work, variously identified in specific terms of cumulative hours or days per fiscal year in many organizations.

Executive Compensation: Remuneration to highly placed individuals that often includes various elements of pay such as base salary, bonuses, perquisites, annuities and other forms of compensation and benefits.

Executive Development: Training and educational programs designed to increase performance and enhance leadership skills for executive and senior-level managerial employees.

Executive Order: An official written directive by the U.S. President that has the same force as a law.  

Executive Order 11246 of 1965: Prohibits federal contractors and federally-assisted construction contractors and subcontractors, with over $10,000 in government business annually, from discriminating in employment decisions on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin or religion. The order is enforced by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP),  

Exempt Employees: Employees whose duties meet the tests established by the Fair Labor Standards Act for exemption from the overtime provisions of the Act.

Exit Interview: The process of meeting with individuals who are departing the organization for purposes of collecting information about the person's employment experience, their observations about the workforce and workplace, their suggestions for improvement, their concerns and other work-related feedback. Some organizations use a questionnaire in lieu of a face-to-face interview.

Expatriate: An employee who is assigned to work abroad.

Expectancy Theory: A motivational theory espousing that individuals feel a sense of satisfaction, gratification and thus motivation when they have completed a challenging task.

Explanation of Benefits (EOB): A written statement insurance plan participants receive, pursuant to the submission of a claim, from the carrier or claims administrator explaining how benefits were paid, or, if benefits were denied, the reason fro the denial.

457 Plan: A tax advantaged (pre-tax) defined contribution plan available to government and certain non-government employees. Such plans are similar to 401(k) and 403(b) plans except there is no 10 percent penalty for withdrawals before age 59 ½. Total contribution to 457, 403(b) and 401(k) plans are limited by federal statute.

Fact Finding Conference: A meeting conducted by the EEOC to identify events and other information relating to a discrimination complaint.

Factor Comparison: A method of job evaluation that utilizes pre-selected compensable factors to assess those duties and responsibilities comprising a job and to subsequently establish the job's rank/pay range.

Factor Weight: Used in the job evaluation process, a relative value, usually expressed as a percent of the whole, that is assigned to each compensable factor.

Faculty: A category of higher education employees that comprises the teaching and research component of the institution. Most faculty hold terminal degrees in their field of study and enjoy the privilege and status of the academic profession.

Faculty Equivalent: Individuals who have credentials like those of faculty but who perform in other capacities within the institution. Examples are Research Scientists and Physicist. Generally not tenure-track.

Faculty Senate: The elected body of representatives from an institution's faculty who serve in a governance capacity.

Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) of 1969: Federal legislation that requires employers that use credit reports to determine employment eligibility to notify applicants of that screening practice as well as the name and address of the consumer reporting agency used.

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938: Federal law that established child labor rules, minimum wage, overtime pay and record-keeping requirements and exemptions by which employers must abide.

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993: Established employee rights to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year for (1) a serious health condition; (2) to care for a family member with a serious health condition; (3) the birth of a child; or (4) the placement of a child for adoption or foster care. It details eligibility, employer notification and recordkeeping requirements and other matters relating to administration. Applies to employers with more than 50 employees.

Family Status Change: In the context of administering health plans covered by section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code, these are qualifying events that allow an employee to make election changes to their existing benefits coverage outside of the plans annual open enrollment period. The IRS defines a "Qualified Family Status Change" as marriage, divorce, legal separation, death, birth/adoption, changes in employment status, cessation of dependent status, or a significant change in cost or reduction of benefits.

Fetal Protection Policy: An workplace policy promulgated to protect a pregnant woman’s unborn fetus by excluding pregnant women from engaging in jobs requiring exposure to, or the use of, hazardous chemicals or materials.

Fiduciary: A legal relationship in which an individual has been designated or agreed to act in the capacity of a "caretaker" of another's rights, assets and/or well being. Usually found in matters related to retirement plan selection and management.

Flexible Benefit Plan: A benefit program regulated by Internal Revenue Code 125 that offers employees a choice between permissible taxable benefits (including cash) and nontaxable benefits such as life and health insurance, vacations, retirement plans and child/dependent care.

Flextime: A hours of work policy that allows an employee the flexibility to work the requisite number of hours required by the job at times and on days that may not be traditional.

Focus Group: A small group of employees who are engaged in conversation through structured facilitator-led discussions and questions in order to solicit opinions, thoughts and ideas about a particular work-related subject.

Forced Distribution: An employee appraisal rating method that requires the evaluator to give ratings that, when plotted graphically, create a bell-shaped curve.

Forced Ranking: A performance assessment system in which raters are required to rank employees from top down.

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) of 1966: A federal law providing guidelines for access and disclosure of government documents and materials to the general public. Requests for human resource-related information is governed, in part, by this act.

Full Time Equivalent (FTE): The numerical representation of a position in terms of hours worked in a fiscal year, with 1.0 FTE being a 40-hour per week(100 percent time), 12 month employee/position. In higher education, there are several standards for 1.0 FTE, depending on the institution's definition of full time. Academic positions are sometimes defined as 1.0 FTE if the position contract is for a full/standard academic load over the period of the school year, i.e., either 9 or 12 months.  Generally speaking, however, FTE is calculated as: (# months appointment/12) X percent effort. Percent effort is 100% for full time effort over the period of months appointed; 50% for half time effort over the month appointed, etc. Example: an individual who is to work for 9 months at half time would be .375 FTE (9/12x.5).

Fully Insured Plan: A benefit plan in which the employer contracts with another organization to assume financial responsibility (to insure) for the solvency of the benefit payments.

Garnishment: Withholding a certain amount from an employee’s pay in order to settle a debt with the employer, a creditor, or to satisfy a court ordered withholding.

Generalist: An individual who possesses a variety of skills and a wide range of knowledge across several functions, rather then in-depth expertise in one specializing specific function.

Generation I: The term used to describe children born after 1994 who are growing up in the Internet age.

Generation X: The term used to describe individuals born between 1965 and 1980.

Generation Y: The term used to describe individuals born between 1985 and the present.

Genetic Based Discrimination: Discrimination resulting from using information acquired through genetic testing or family history to make hiring or other employment decisions.

Geographical Pay Differential: Variance in pay rates to compensate for geographical/regional salary differentials and cost of living.

GINA: The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (Pub.L. 110-233, 122 Stat. 881, enacted May 21, 2008, GINA), is an Act of Congress in the United States designed to prohibit the improper use of genetic information in health insurance and employment. The Act prohibits group health plans and health insurers from denying coverage to a healthy individual or charging that person higher premiums based solely on a genetic predisposition to developing a disease in the future. The legislation also bars employers from using individuals' genetic information when making hiring, firing, job placement, or promotion decisions.

Glass Ceiling: Term used to describe the invisible barrier keeping women and other minorities from advancing into executive-level positions.

Glass Ceiling Act of 1991: Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1991, this statute was meant to raise public awareness about the underutilization of females and minorities in executive-level positions within the U.S. workforce and to eliminate barriers preventing advancement.

Gold Collar Employee: The term used to describe highly skilled individuals such as scientists and engineers who are in high demand and short supply.

Good Faith Bargaining: The act of conducting negotiations with good intent, open minds and the goal of reaching an agreement.

Good Faith Effort: Action on the part of a person or organization, taken with positive intent, toward goals or to address a specific problem.

Graduate Assistants: Students enrolled in a graduate program (post-baccalaureate) who are employed by an academic department, usually for 20 hours per week, to teach, conduct research or perform other academically-related work for a faculty member. Benefits eligibility and FLSA exemption status varies by position and from institution to institution.

Green Card: A federally-issued document that, under immigration laws, grants an alien the right to work in the United States.

Grievance: A complaint or allegation by an employee or group of employees alleging unfair treatment or violation of policies/procedures.

Grievance Procedures: A formal process by which parties to a grievance are guided through a series of steps such as documentation, information collection, interviewing and resolution.

Group Interview: The process of interviewing a prospective employee by a group of employees. This can also be a process wherein several prospective employees are grouped together to be interviewed by one or more employees.

H-1B Visa: The primary U.S. work permit that allows highly skilled international professionals and/or international students the opportunity to work in the United States. Also see Visa.

Halo/Horn Effect: A form of bias occurring when a rater allows perception of an individual's strongest traits, or their similarity to the rater, to unduly influence or overshadow negative ones. The "horn effect" refers to the opposite situation in which negative perceptions outweigh positive ones.

Handicapped Individual: The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504, defines a "handicapped" individual as having: a mental or physical impairment which substantially limits one or more of such person's major life activities; having a record of such; or is regarded as having such impairment. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 amended this definition to exclude individuals who are currently engaged in the use of illegal drugs. Individuals who are rehabilitated drug users or engaged in a supervised drug rehabilitation program and are no longer using drugs are also covered by the definition. The term “individual with handicaps” does not include any individual whose current use of alcohol prevents performance of job duties or whose employment, by reason of such current alcohol abuse, would constitute a direct threat to property or the safety of others. Also see Disabled Individual.

Harassment: In the context of federal law, conduct or situations emanating from bias as to race, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, military membership or veteran status, that are severe or pervasive enough to create a hostile, abusive or intimidating work environment. State laws may further extend protection to others on the basis of sexual orientation, marital status, transsexualism or cross-dressing, political affiliation, criminal record, prior psychiatric treatment, etc.

Hazard Pay: A supplement to an individual’s salary for work assignments that are potentially hazardous to one's health or safety.

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996: Federal legislation that makes health insurance more "portable" from one employer to another and institutes rules to protect the privacy of individuals. Provisions allow new hires to use evidence of previous health care coverage provided by their former employer to reduce or eliminate preexisting condition requirements.

Health Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA): A tax advantaged benefit plan designed to allow employees to set aside pre-tax dollars to pay for eligible medically-related expenses, such as health, vision or dental exams, co-pays and deductibles, as well as other out-of-pocket expenses.

Health Maintenance Organization (HMO): A network of medical or dental providers that provide prepaid services to plan participants at premium rates that are generally less than traditional insurance plans. Typically, deductibles and co-payments are less.

Health Savings Accounts (HSA): A pre-tax account, funded by the employee, that can be used to pay for certain medical expenses. Contributions do not have to be spent the year they are deposited. Money in the account earns interest and accumulates tax free and is portable. Participants must be covered by a High Deductible Health Plan, must not be covered by other health insurance (with some exceptions), are not eligible for Medicare and are not claimed as a dependent on someone else’s tax return.

Hidden Disabilities: Disabilities that are not readily apparent to the observer such as learning disorders, alcohol abuse, depression, etc.

Highly Compensated Employee: A term defined by the IRS as an employee who owns 5% or more of a company or receives compensation in excess of a predetermined amount. To qualify for certain tax advantages, retirement plans cannot overly favor the highly compensated over all other employees.

Historically Underutilized Business (HUB): A category of businesses that are owned by individuals protected under Title VII. Some states have passed legislation to provide priority consideration to HUBs when public entities are seeking bids for services.

Honorary Title: In the academic world, such titles are bestowed on highly accomplished persons, usually faculty or academic administrators, by the Board of Regents or Trustees. Examples include "Distinguished Professor," "The John Doe Chair for English Literature" or "President Emeritus."

Horizontal Integration: A term used to define the merging of functions across an organization or, as to specific jobs, the combining of duties or rotation of duties of similarly ranking positions.

Hostile Work Environment: Employee or employer conduct that is sufficiently severe as to pose an intimidating, offensive, threatening or humiliating work environment.

Human Resource Information System (HRIS): Customarily an electronic system that collects, maintains and reports employee data.

Human Resource Metrics: Statistical measurements using people-relevant data that gauge and report the effectiveness of employees and related programs. Such metrics include cost per hire, turnover rates/costs, training and human capital ROI, labor /productivity rates and costs, benefit costs per employee, etc.

Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986: Federal law that prohibits the employment of individuals who are not legally authorized to work in the United States or in an employment classification that they are not authorized to work. The act prescribes certification of new hires within three days of employment using a Form I-9 and further prohibits discrimination in employment-related matters on the basis of national origin or citizenship.

Impatriate: A foreign national hired by a U.S. employer under the H1-B visa program to fill a vacancy due to a documented shortage of highly skilled U.S. citizens.

Incentive Pay: Compensation used to motivate or reward employees for exceeding performance or productivity goals.

Independent Contractor: A self-employed individual who performs a service for an employer in which strict standards prescribed by the Department of Labor must be met. The individual cannot be under the employer's control regarding the method and means by which the service is performed.

Indirect Compensation: Remuneration that is not paid directly to an employee as wages and is in addition to base salary and incentive pay (i.e., health/dental/vision insurance, vacation, retirement benefits, educational benefits, relocation expenses, etc.).

Insourcing: A term used to describe the practice of internalizing work and services as opposed to utilizing the services of a third-party provider. In the case of human resource administration, functions and services such as recruitment, benefits administration, training that are performed in house.

Intellectual Property: Property, either real or inanimate, created by intellectual endeavors that is protected under federal law Examples include trade secrets, confidential or proprietary information, copyrights, creative works, ideas, patents or inventions.

Internal Recruitment: The practice of selecting individuals to fill vacancies from the current workforce.

Intern: In educational institutions, a student who performs work on a part-time or full-time basis, and who is exempt from pay and overtime if formally engaged in work under the supervisor of a faculty member for course credit.

IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System): The data collection program within the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) for all primary providers of postsecondary education in the country. Data are collected and analyzed in the areas of enrollment, program completion, graduation rates, faculty, staff, finances, institutional prices and student financial aid.

Job Analysis: The process of conducting a formal, standardized study of the duties, responsibilities, skill and experience requirements of a job.

Job Classification: The categorization of a job through a prescribed method of evaluation for purposes of determining a job's worth relative to other jobs.

Job Codes: A numerical or alphabetic assignment to a job that uniquely identifies it with respect to rank, job family, or other meaningful category for purposes of identification and analysis.

Job Description: A formal, written description of a job following a prescribed template that contains information about tasks to be performed, responsibilities, required skills, reporting relationships, desired outcomes, occupant experience and education and other job-related factors.

Job Enlarging: The process of adding duties of a similar nature or complexity to a job.

Job Enrichment: The process of enhancing a job's content, customarily by adding more complex tasks or more responsibility.

Job Evaluation: The process of analyzing, through a prescribed method, the duties and responsibilities of a position for purposes of establishing rank and value. Often used synonymously with job analysis.

Job Family: Grouping of related jobs with common vocations/professions, similar market characteristics, behaviors and a continuum of knowledge, skills and abilities.

Job Grade: A numerical or alphabetic designation that establishes rank or category for purposes of compensation.

Job Pricing: The process of assigning a value for compensation purposes of a job by researching pay for similar jobs in the target market. Target markets can be internal, local, regional, national, global and/or by industry.

Job Ranking: A job evaluation method in which positions are ordered from highest to lowest using predetermined criteria such as difficulty, responsibility, value or contribution to mission.

Job Redesign: Restructuring a job by adding, changing or deleting certain tasks or functions to better meet business needs or to accommodate employees.

Job Relatedness: A requirement that the tasks, skills, responsibilities, experience or educational requirements for a job be essential to the successful performance of that job.

Job Rotation: The process of transferring employees from job to job or to positions between functional areas of an organization for purposes of enhancing the experience of individuals or work outcomes.

Job Satisfaction: The feeling of accomplishment, fulfillment, self worth and happiness that emanates from one's work.

Job Shadowing: A training tool wherein one individual closely observes, and sometimes assists in, the work of another over the course of a specified period of time.

Job Sharing: When two or more employees perform a portion of a job that would otherwise be performed by one individual.

Job Title: A word or group of words that form the descriptor of a set of duties, i.e., a job. Titles often include vernacular that identify function, rank or some other meaningful designation in an organization.

Joint Employment: In the higher education environment, the situation wherein one individual works for more than one organizational entity or more than one university/agency in a system.

Key Employee: Under FMLA statutes, a key employee is defined as a salaried employee who is among the highest-paid 10% of all workers employed by the employer within a 75-mile radius. Under ERISA, a key employee is defined as a plan participant who is a highly compensated officer or company owner.

Key Performance Indicators (KPI): Customarily used in the context of organizational assessment, KPI's are quantifiable, specific measures reflecting of an organization’s performance in a various areas of its business. KPI's can be unique to a function or department or may apply to the organization as a whole. Accomplishment of goals, performance and areas of improvement are thusly identified. KPI's can also be established for employee performance programs.

Knowledge-based Pay: A system that recognizes and establishes dollar values for an individual’s education, experience, knowledge, skills or specialized training in setting pay.

Knowledge Management: The application of leadership techniques and programs that promote the acquisition and utilization of employee knowledge to the benefit of the organization and individual employee.

Knowledge Mapping: Documenting, in a meaningful and relevant fashion, the knowledge an organization has and will need in order to support its overall goals, objectives and mission.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs): The attributes generally required to perform a job; customarily demonstrated through relevant and qualifying experience, education or training.

Knowledge Worker: Individuals whose job functions primarily involve the application of one's intellect and body of acquired knowledge.

Labor Certification: Documentation from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) that a company has provided sufficient evidence that no U.S. workers satisfy the minimum requirements for a specific job vacancy, thereby permitting the hiring of an alien.

Labor-Management Contract: A binding agreement governing wages, benefits, representation rights and other working conditions between a labor union and management.

Lateral Transfer: The movement of an employee from one position to another of equal level/status. Since there is no upward movement in salary grade or status, such transfers are generally without an increase in compensation.

Layoff: The temporary or permanent termination of employees, or the elimination of jobs, customarily resulting from financial exigency, reorganization, acquisitions or divestures.

Learning Style: A method by which an individual most efficiently acquires knowledge. Customarily, learning styles are categorized as verbal, visual or experiential.

Leave Sharing: A program allowing employees to donate one or more types of paid time off to a leave pool or an individual.

Leave Stacking: The practice of scheduling leave under FMLA in such a manner that the employee’s leave for two consecutive calendar years is uninterrupted. Typically occurs when an employer uses the calendar-year method for determining the 12-month period under FMLA.

Lifetime Maximum: In insurance terms, the maximum amount a policy will pay to a covered person for the duration of coverage.

Living Access Benefit: A life insurance provision that allows a covered individual to receive immediate payment of a percentage of his/her total life coverage if a doctor certifies that the individual has less than a pre-specified period of time to live. The remaining benefit is paid to the beneficiary(ies) after the covered person dies.

Long-term Care Insurance (LTC): An insurance plan that provides benefits for periods of illness or disability not ordinarily covered by health insurance, Medicare or Medicaid. Benefits are paid for the provision of assistance with activities of daily living such as dressing, bathing, eating, toileting and walking.

Longevity Pay: A pay supplement the amount of which is determined by an employee's tenure with the organization. Some states provide longevity pay for cumulative service performed in any state agency or institution.

Lump-sum Payment: A fixed, usually one-time, payment that is not ordinarily included in an employee’s salary. Lump sum payments can be in the form of a bonus, a payroll correction, payout of accumulated leave on termination or similar situation.

Management by Objective (MBO): A performance management strategy in which specific goals for performance are set by the supervisor and subordinate against which subsequent behaviors and achievements are assessed.

Mandatory Retirement Age Law of 1978: A federal statute that, with some exceptions, prohibits mandatory retirement of employees under the age of 70.

Mean Wage: The number derived by summing total wages for all incumbents in a specific position or occupation and then dividing it by the total number of incumbents.

Median Wage: Derived by arraying wages from low to high and then locating the midpoint or middle value in the array.

Mediation: A process, facilitated by an objective mediator, in which differing parties engage in discussions for the purposes of achieving resolution to disagreements or to reach an agreement.

Medicaid: Health assistance program for low-income persons jointly funded by the states and federal government. States must elect to participate.

Medical Savings Account (MSA): See Health Savings Accounts.

Medicare: Medical insurance benefits, requiring a premium payment, provided by the federal Social Security program to persons age 65 or older, certain younger people with disabilities and people with end-state renal disease. Unlike Medicaid, it is not based on financial need. Part A provides hospital insurance and Part B provides supplemental medical coverage (such as doctor's charges).

Mental Health Parity Act (MHPA) of 1996: Federal legislation that amended ERISA and prohibits group health plans from setting annual or lifetime limits on mental health benefits that are lower than the limits set for any other medical condition.

Metrics: The statistically derived measures of business activity, demographics or general information.

Merit Increase: A monetary reward for meritorious performance. Such increases are generally added to base pay.

Minimum Wage: The federally- or state-mandated lowest hourly rate that that can be paid to workers, with some limited exceptions as specified in law.

Multiple Employment: The situation in which an individual is simultaneously employed by more than one employer. Caution must be exercised by each employer to ensure that federal overtime rules are not violated by virtue of the dual work efforts.

Multitasking: The act of performing more than one activity simultaneously.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator: A written psychological test used to assess an individual’s personality type.

National Center for Education Statistics: Housed within the U.S. Department of Education, the primary federal government entity that collects, analyzes and makes available data related to education in the U.S. and other nations. Also see IPEDS.

National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) of 1935: Federal law that established the right of employees, with exceptions, to form, join and assist labor organizations; to bargain collectively and to strike. Amended in 1947 by the Labor Management Relations Act (Taft Hartley) Act to allow states to pass right-to-work laws.

Negotiation: The act of two or more parties conferring with the hope of reaching agreement.

Negligent Hiring: An employment action wherein an employer failed to exercise due diligence or good judgment by hiring an individual who did not meet documented requirements, who posed a threat to the workplace or who had a background of unlawful activity that placed the workplace at risk.

Negligent Retention: When an employer fails to remove an employee from a position when the employer knows or should have known about the employee's violation of rules, unlawful behavior or other activity worthy of dismissal.

Nepotism: The relationship resulting when one or more family members are hired by the same employer wherein one potentially has the authority to influence the pay, upward mobility or to otherwise exert influence favorable to the other.

Network: A group of health providers in a geographic area who contract with a insurance company or employer(s) to provide services for a set fee. Categories include:

Network (In-Network) Benefits: paid to covered persons who live in a service area and use network providers.

Non-Network Benefits: paid to covered individuals not living in a network area who do not use network providers.

Out-of-Network Benefits: paid to employees who live in a network area and choose a provider who is not in the network.

Newborns’ and Mothers’ Health Protection Act (NMHPA) of 1996: Federal law that amended ERISA and established, for purposes of insurance plan coverage, minimum hospital confinements for a normal delivery and a cesarean section.

Nondisclosure Agreement: A legal document that restricts an employee from disclosing confidential or proprietary information obtained through the employment relationship.

Nonexempt Employee: An employee whose duties fail to meet the tests established by the Fair Labor Standards Act for exemption from provisions of the act, such as overtime pay.

Observation Interview: A seldom used interview process wherein candidates are observed while performing the duties and tasks required of the job for which they have applied.

Occupational Illness/Disease: A condition defined by OSHA as an "abnormal condition or disorder, other than one resulting from an occupational injury, caused by exposure to factors associated with employment."

Occupational Groups: Categories of jobs that have similar attributes. Categories allow for analysis, establishment of work rules or other work-related needs. Common groups are technical/paraprofessional, research, academic administration, faculty/faculty equivalent, executive/managerial, professional, and service/custodial.

Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) of 1970: Federal law that sets standards employers must meet in order to provide a work environment that is safe and free from health hazards, to include provision of protective gear, training on hazardous materials and emergency procedures.

Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP): A federal program charged with promulgating regulations and enforcing nondiscrimination laws, the most notable of which are Executive Order 11246, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974.

Offshoring: The relocation of business processes to countries other than the one in which the business is operating, often for purposes of saving money.

Older Workers Benefit Protection Act (OWBPA) of 1990: Federal law that amended the ADEA to prohibit discrimination in the provision of benefits to employees based upon their age.

Ombudsperson: An individual who serves as a neutral third party with the purpose of facilitating communication, problem resolution and avoiding conflict.

On-Boarding: Orienting and processing a new employee.

On-call Pay: Supplemental pay provided to individuals who, during off duty hours, must remain available for duty on short notice.

On-the-job Training (OJT): The practice of providing training, knowledge and experience to an employee by demonstrating, instructing and observing performance.

Open Enrollment Period: An employer-designated time during which employees are allowed to change their benefit package by adding, decreasing or modifying coverage.

Open Shop: A term used in union environments that describe an organization that hires workers without requiring membership in a labor union.

Opinion Letter: A formal document issued by federal government agencies that provides additional information, answers and clarity to existing rules and regulations. Such letters carry the highest level of authority short of the law or a court ruling.

Opt-out Provision: A benefit plan provision that offers cash, alternative benefits or additional credits in return for an employee reducing the level of or waiving coverage.

Optional Life Insurance: Supplemental life insurance offered in addition to basic or mandated life insurance.

Organizational Culture: See Culture.

Organizational Design: The structure of an organization's staffing, processes, functions, services and governance.

Organization Development: The formal process whereby an organization is evaluated and plans developed to achieve prescribed outcomes such as effectiveness, efficiency, employee motivation and satisfaction and improved business processes.

Orientation: Educating a new employee by explaining benefits, policies, work rules, culture, organizational structure, goals and any other information that will acclimate the individual to the workplace. One or more methods of orientation are often employed, to include on-line programs, video, one-on-one visitations, walking tours, mentor programs and receptions. Also see on-boarding.

Outplacement: A benefits package provided to employees who are released from service that may include resume writing, individual and family counseling, training, a computer and telephone service center, and job search services.

Outsourcing: The process of transferring to an outside provider certain functions or services that were performed in house.

Overtime: An entitlement established by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), in which certain categories of employees receive additional compensation for hours worked in excess of the standard work week, generally accepted to be 40 hours.

Paid Leave Bank: A pool of hours, generally created by employee donations of personal paid leave, that can be used by individuals who have exhausted their own paid leave entitlements. Rules for eligibility, application process and allocation decisions are customarily made by an employer/employee committee.

Paid Time Off (PTO): A benefit generally earned through tenure and/or annual allocation that provides a certain number of hours or days off from work with full pay. Such time can be earned or granted for situations such as vacation, illness of self or eligible family members, employment anniversary, birthday, funerals, jury duty or holidays.

Parental Leave: Time off, without or without pay, for employees pursuant to the birth or adoption of a child. Some organizations include care giving to a dependent, such as an elderly parent, in this category of leave.

Participative Management: A style of management that involves employees in the decision-making process.

Part-time Employee: Relating to the hours and percent effort of an employee, in higher education this term is variously defined. Common is to define a employee who works less than full time (100% for 40 hours/week) for fewer than a semester of 4 ½ months as part time. Others use the standard academic year of two semesters, or 9 months, as the threshold for full time. Still others restrict their definition to the period of employment, regardless of length of time, and judge part time on the hours to be worked, i.e., less than 40 hours/week is part time.

Paternity Leave: Paid or unpaid time off from work for fathers of newborn or newly adopted children.

Pay Compression: When the salaries of a group of employees are close in amount despite varying lengths of service, salary grade, requisite skills and knowledge or other factors of pay that traditionally result in greater differentiation. This situation also exists when new employees are paid at or near the same rate as persons with longer tenure.

Pay Grades: Distinct alpha or numeric designations, generally arrayed in a hierarchy, that are associated with market and/or internally designated job value or rank.

Pay Range: The minimum and maximum amounts of compensation that are associated with a specific pay grade.

Pay Structure: The template of job grades and pay ranges that form the compensation schema within an organization.

Pay Supplement: An addition to base pay for a temporary assignment requiring greater responsibility or skill, for an overseas assignment (often called a post-differential), for assuming additional work (such as an administrative employee teaching a night course) or for a faculty member serving a one-year term as department chair. Such supplements are understood not to be a permanent addition to base salary.

Peer Appraisal: A method of assessing performance wherein an employee's peers evaluate the individual.

Perceived Disability: A situation, according to the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), in which an individual is regarded as having a mental or physical disability, regardless of proof of such disability.

Performance Appraisal: An assessment of employee job performance, usually formalized, standardized and occurring on a pre-determined schedule.

Performance-based Pay: A method of compensation that is based on individual performance and contribution.

Performance Improvement Plan: A detailing of shortcomings, specific actions, standards and expectations developed pursuant to a formal performance appraisal.

Performance Management: A systematic, standardized process of overseeing, guiding and evaluating employee job performance through coaching, training and periodic meetings.

Perquisites: Customarily, noncash benefits that enhance a total compensation package.  Examples include a home, automobile, memberships, services, meals and tuition waivers. The IRS requires that the value of such benefits be reported.

Personal Day: Time off, usually with pay, that is intended to be used by the employee for whatever purpose he/she wishes.

Phased Retirement: The process of incrementally reducing one's work schedule over a specified period of time as a precursor to full retirement.

Piece Rate: A method of compensation most often used in a manufacturing environment, in which a monetary value is assigned to a unit or piece of work product and then multiplied by the number of units produced in a pay period, resulting in total pay.

Pink Slip: A term used to describe a notice of termination. Derived from a prior practice of writing the termination notice on a pink piece of paper.

Plan Administrator: The formal term used to identify an individual or entity responsible for the management and oversight (administration) of a pension, welfare or insurance benefit plan.

Plan Year: The 12-month period during which an insurance plan is in effect. It need not coincide with the calendar year.

Point Factor: A quantitative type of job evaluation process in which elements of a job are given a factor value and then each factor is weighted according to its importance. This leads to the calculation of a total score (value) for the job.

Portability: A term used to describe the ability of a benefit to follow an employee from one employer to another.

Positive Discipline: A performance management strategy in which favorable behavior is encouraged and rewarded as opposed to punishment for unsatisfactory behavior.

Positive Reinforcement: A type of motivation wherein desirable behaviors or accomplishments are rewarded with compliments, written acknowledgment, public praise and other rewards.

Post Doc: An employee who has received the doctorate degree and is working in a non-faculty status, often engaged in additional study and research relating to the doctorate received. Post Docs are often full time, benefits eligible and earning pay at a level below that of a faculty member with similar credentials.

Post-tax Contributions: Amounts that are deducted from one's pay, after taxes, for benefits that are subject to applicable state or federal tax withholding requirements.

Precertification: A process in which a covered individual or that individual's medical provider must contact the carrier to receive authorization to provide services prior to the services being delivered. Failing to obtain precertification will likely result in the service not being covered by the carrier.

Pre-employment Testing: The battery of tests that are given to job candidates for purposes of evaluating eligibility and suitability for employment. These tests may include, but are not limited to, drug and alcohol tests, medical examinations, personality tests, knowledge/skills tests and physical strength/agility tests.

Pre-existing Condition: A medical condition for which a person is currently receiving, has been advised to receive or has previously received treatment for that condition or has received a diagnosis prior to becoming eligible for insurance benefits.

Preferred Provider Organization (PPO): A network of otherwise independent hospitals, clinics, doctors, dentists or other service providers that agree to reduced reimbursement rates in return for what is expected to be a larger volume of patients. Covered persons can usually receive services from non-PPO providers but the reimbursement amount is significantly less.

Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) of 1978: Federal legislation that amended Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by prohibiting discrimination based on pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions and further specifies they be treated the same as any other temporary condition.

Premium Pay: Compensation for additional work or for that performed outside of regularly scheduled work hours.

Prepaid Group Legal Plan: A benefit plan that provides employees (and sometimes family members) with legal services.

Prescription Drug Benefits: A benefit plan that provides prescription drugs at reduced rates. Such plans can be stand alone or included in a comprehensive medical insurance policy.

Presenteeism: Reduced on-the-job employee productivity due to illness or an acute/chronic medical condition.

President: The title given to the chief executive officer of a college, university or system of institutions and agencies. Some university systems use the President title for the person who heads the system; others use the title for CEOs of individual universities.

Pre-tax Contributions/Premiums: Payroll deductions for insurance and retirement that are made prior to the withholding of federal Social Security and income taxes.

Prevailing Wage: Rates of pay, generally for the construction trades, that are based on a survey of employers in a specific geographic area. Federal legislation mandates that the "prevailing wage" be paid for certain projects in which federal dollars are used. The U.S. Department of Labor conducts some surveys and publishes the results although affected employers are allowed to establish prevailing wage rates for a project based upon their own survey. Workers on construction projects must be paid a minimum of the prevailing wage for their craft designation.

Primary Care Physician (PCP): A doctor who, according to insurance plan rules, is designated by the covered person to be the primary medical care giver.

Private Letter Ruling: A formal document issued by a federal agency that establishes or clarifies rules and renders decisions regarding a policy or procedure that is administered by that agency.

Probation: (1) A specified period of time during which an individual’s performance or conduct is closely monitored pursuant to unsatisfactory performance or violation of a work rule. (2) A predetermined period of time (typically 30-90 days) during which a newly hired, promoted or transferred employee’s job performance is closely monitored for purposes of determining if the new employment relationship to be continued. This term is also used to describe the period of time during which disciplinary probation is served.

Progressive Discipline: A formal method of discipline in which incremental steps, normally involving increasingly serious penalties, are instituted when desired performance is not achieved or when work rule infractions are repeated. A typical sequence might involve a verbal warning, written reprimand, suspension (with or without pay), demotion and finally termination.

Promotion: Career advancement within an organization that normally includes increased responsibility, more difficult or complex duties, greater authority or span of control, status and/or pay.

Proprietary Information: Financial information; trade secrets; pay scales or individual pay; research; product designs; software programs; business processes; and know-how that has been clearly identified and communicated by the organization as proprietary or confidential.

Protected Class: Certain ethnic, gender, age or condition specific groups, such as women, older and disabled individuals, Vietnam-era veterans and minorities that are extended protections by federal or state nondiscriminatory legislation.

Provost: The chief academic officer in an institution responsible for all matters pertaining to faculty.

Publish or Perish: A principle in academic circles, especially for tenure-track faculty, that reflects the imperative to publish scholarly works or otherwise be denied tenure or continued employment.

Qualified Beneficiary: For COBRA purposes, an individual who, on the day before a qualifying event, is covered under a group insurance plan maintained by the employer.

Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO): A court order, decree, judgment or administrative notice (including a settlement agreement) that establishes the rights of an individual (the “alternate payee”) to specified benefits and pay of another.

Qualified Medical Child Support Order (QMCSO): A court order, decree, judgment or administrative notice (including a settlement agreement) that mandates health coverage be provided by an individual to a child.

Qualified Plan: A defined benefit or defined contribution pension plan that qualifies for certain tax advantages for both the employer and the participant under IRS and ERISA regulations.

Qualifying Event: Any event, such as termination, that results in eligibility for COBRA extension of benefits as specified by the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985.

Quid Pro Quo: A legal term meaning “something for something.” It is the concept of getting something of value in exchange for giving something. As it relates to sexual harassment, the harasser asks for a sexual favor in return for an employment benefit such as a raise, promotion or continued employment.

Reasonable Accommodation: Modifying a job process or a work environment to enable an otherwise qualified individual with a disability to perform the essential functions of a job.

Reasonable and Customary (R&C): A charge by a medical or dental provider that falls within a predetermined range or percentile for all like or similar services in a given geographic region of the country. Such ranges are customarily determined by a plan claims administrator.

Reasonable Person Standard: A term used to describe conduct, thought or decision that would be judged as acceptable or unacceptable by any reasonable person.

Reciprocity: A mutual exchange or consideration granted between entities such as organizations, states or countries.

Red Circle Rate: An individual's rate of pay that exceeds the maximum for his or her job grade. Employees whose pay is "red circled" are usually not eligible for pay increases, especially merits.

Redeployment: The reassignment of employees to other departments, functions or geographic locations.

Reduction in Force: A decrease in workforce due to reengineering, reorganization, financial pressures, acquisitions or similar business reasons.

Reengineering: A method of reviewing existing activities, staffing structures or processes for the purpose of more efficient alignment of resources and/or cost savings.

Refereed Journal: A publication produced by an association specific to an academic discipline, the articles of which are written by academicians. Such articles are customarily reviewed and evaluated by peers before being included in a journal. One of the key requirements for promotion and to obtaining tenure is having articles published in such journals. Also known as juried journal.

Rehabilitation Act of 1998: An amendment to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, that requires federal agencies to ensure that electronic and information technology systems are accessible to individuals with disabilities when their jobs require the use of such systems.

Release Agreement: A written document executed by an employer and signed by an employee whereby the employee relinquishes certain rights or benefits in exchange for specified consideration.

Release Time: Time off from work for purposes of handling obligations such as serving in a public office or service capacity, jury duty, testifying at a trial, voting in a public election or similar activity. Organizations define release time in various ways and may or may not provide pay for the time away from work.

Religious Accommodation: A workplace accommodation to permit an employee to participate in a religious observance or practice.

Relocation Assistance: Benefits extended to employees who are moved to a different geographic location. Examples include moving costs, travel expenses, an assigned mentor in the new location, information packets, temporary lodging and home-buying/selling.

Remediation: A strategy designed to correct a deficiency in an employee’s behavior, performance or skills.

Repatriate: The process of integrating and orienting an individual who is returning to the United States after an international assignment.

Request for Proposal (RFP): A formal, detailed document that invites vendors to submit a written proposal to perform a service or provide a product according to specifications outlined in the document.

Research Titles: A title series denoting rank of positions whose role is scholarly research. Examples include papa-professional titles such as Research Technician or Laboratory Technician and professional titles such as Assistant or Associate Researcher. Faculty equivalent research titles such as Assistant Research Scientist, Research Scientist or Distinguished Research Scientist often mirror faculty titles. See Faculty Equivalent Titles.

Resident Alien: A non-U.S. citizen who has been issued an authorization by the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Service to reside in the United States.

Respite Care: An insurance benefit that pays for occasional personal care, supervision or other services that relieve primary caregivers from their care giving duties.

Restructuring: Modifying an organizational structure as the result of business process reengineering, efficiencies, revised goals, or similar situations.

Retraining: Training that is provided to an employee when new work processes, equipment or other factors necessitate new skills or procedures.

Reverse Discrimination: Employment policies or practices that result in discriminatory treatment of applicants or employees who are not members of a protected group or class.

Rightsizing: Another name for a reduction in force, the purpose of which is to establish the optimal number of workers with requisite skills and abilities to accomplish organizational functions and goals.

Right-to-Sue Letter: A letter issued by the EEOC informing an individual(s) who submitted a formal charge of his or her right to further pursue their charges in a federal or state court.

Right-to-Work State: Enabled by the Labor Management Relations (Taft Hartley) Act of 1947, a state that has enacted law granting individuals the right to be employed by a company without having to join a union as a condition of employment.

Risk Management: In its broadest application, the identification, minimization or avoidance of potential risks and liabilities that exist by virtue of conducting business through the establishment of processes, procedures, training, insurance and risk avoidance strategies. Some organizations limit risk management to insuring against potential liabilities such as floods, student field trips, management oversight or workplace accidents.

Rolling Year: Most often used in conjunction with FMLA compliance, a rolling year is defined as a 12-month period measured backward from the date an employee first uses leave.

Rotational Training: A training process in which an employee is moved among a variety of different jobs, departments or functions for purposes of enhancing skills, learning a variety of processes and providing for flexibility in assigning work according to address absences or changing priorities.

Sabbatical: A period of leave, either paid or unpaid, granted to allow an employee to pursue a course of advanced training, research, write or perform a public service. Sabbaticals are more often extended to members of the faculty than to staff.

Safe Harbor: A provision in the law that excuses liability for good faith efforts. In HR programs, this term is often used in the context of pension plan regulations and annuity contracts.

Salting: The practice of paying union organizers to apply for jobs with an employer for the purpose of organizing the employer’s workforce.

Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002: Federal legislation that was passed in the wake of accounting scandals in large corporations, the purpose of which was to tighten accounting and reporting practices in order to increase accountability of corporations to their shareholders. Three provisions of special interest to HR professionals are the whistleblower protection, influence peddling and the 401(k) blackout notice provisions.

School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994: Federal legislation that created well-marked paths students can follow to move from school to good first jobs or from school to continued education and training. The Act focuses on broadening educational and career opportunities for all students by encouraging state and local partnerships between businesses and educational institutions.

Screening:  The process of conducting first pass reviews of applications, resumes or other essential standards for purposes of eliminating from the applicant pool those individuals who do not meet minimum requirements for a position vacancy.

Screening Committee: A committee charged with reviewing candidate resumes, checking references and interviewing candidates for the purpose of narrowing the field of candidates to some predetermined number. Such committees are not authorized to make hiring decisions.

Selection Committee: A committee charged with performing the array of due diligence candidate evaluation procedures and interviews and selecting the successful candidate.  

Self-Directed Teams: A group of employees empowered to collaborate on work processes and responsibilities for purposes of accomplishing an assignment or goal.

Self-Funding/Self-Insurance: Employer-provided funding, risk assumption and financial management of an insurance plan for employees.

Semi-Skilled Worker: An individual who possesses some rudimentary knowledge and skill and who can perform jobs that generally do not require education beyond the high school level.

Seniority: Employment status determined through length of service with an employer, in a specific job or in a department.

Sensitivity Training: A type of training intended to create an awareness of one's actions and words as they impact others.

Serious Health Condition: An illness, injury, impairment or physical or mental condition that involves inpatient care in a hospital, hospice or residential medical care facility; or continuing treatment by a health care provider.

Service Area: The geographic area in which a person must reside in order to participate in an HMO.

Service Award: A recognition program that rewards employees based on length of service.

Severance Pay: Compensation provided to individuals who are being terminated, especially when circumstances demand immediate removal from the workplace or when tenure and/or performance warrant additional pay beyond that due for work performed.

Sex Discrimination: Conduct or the result of actions based on gender or pregnancy, whether intentional or unintentional, that adversely effects an individual's hiring, pay, benefits, opportunities or other aspects of employment.

Sexual Harassment: Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature or the creation of an environment that explicitly or implicitly affects an individual’s employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive workplace.

Sexual Orientation: An individual's self-identification with a certain gender, regardless of the person's physically apparent gender.

Shift Differential: Additional pay, usually expressed as an amount per hour, for working an unpopular or undesirable work shift.

Short-Term Disability: An insurance benefit that provides partial or full income replacement during a period of temporary absence due to illness or injury.

Sick Leave: Paid time off, customarily earned and banked by employees, for absences due to illness or injury of the employee or a qualified family member.

Sick Leave Pool: A repository of paid sick leave hours, generally donated by employees, for the use of fellow employees who exhaust their allotment of sick leave and would otherwise be on leave without pay.

Situational Leadership: A theory espousing that different situations demand different leadership styles that must be employed for optimal outcomes. A talented and astute leader will vary his or her leadership style depending on the situation at hand.

Skill-Based Pay: A compensation system that bases an individual’s pay on pre-established factors such as education, experience, knowledge, skills or specialized training.

Skill Gap: A deficiency in the requisite skill set that an employee must possess to successfully perform a job.

Skills Inventory: A list of skills or competencies possessed by an individual.

Soft Skills: Skills suggested for the performance of job when successful performance is defined in terms of expected outcomes, but the process to achieve the outcome varies.

Span of Control: The description of an individual's depth and breath of responsibility and authority.

Special Disabled Veteran: A person entitled to disability compensation under laws administered by the Veterans Administration for disability rated at 30 percent or more; or rated at 10-20 percent in the case of a veteran who has been determined to have a serious employment handicap under 38 USC 3106; or a person whose discharge or release from active duty was for a service-connected disability incurred.

Spot Rewards: Cash or nonmonetary awards given to employees at the time of accomplishment.

Staffing: The process of hiring and onboarding employees.

Staffing Grid: A spreadsheet or similar template on which positions, occupants and other relevant information is displayed for purposes of review, deployment of workers, and other human resource planning activities.

Staffing Metrics: Statistical calculations and numerical representations of facts that relate to the recruitment, utilization, training, performance, efficiency, and characteristics of employees.

Standardized Interview: A type of interview that employs a consistent process, the same protocols and identical questions to ensure equitable treatment of all candidates.

Standardized Testing: A written test, administered and scored in a predetermined, standard manner for the sake of consistency and objectivity.

Statutory Benefits: Benefits that are mandated by federal or state law, such as Social Security, medical insurance portability, unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation.

Stop Loss Insurance: An insurance policy acquired by a self-insured employer that serves as a safety net should an individual claim or total claims in a plan year, exceed a pre-specified dollar amount.

Strategic HR: A planning and management technique that uses a long-term, very broad perspective of the entire business in developing and implementing HR programs designed to contribute to the achievement of organizational goals and objectives.

Strategic Planning: The process of identifying, from a broad business perspective, problems, solutions, opportunities and trends for the purpose of crafting strategies and plans for future action that will achieve identified organizational goals and objectives.

Strategic Staffing: Forecasting, planning, training, hiring and deploying individuals in the workplace so that organizational needs and goals are met for the immediate and long term.

Stress Interview: An interviewing style in which the interviewer subjects a candidate to pressure and criticism to determine how the candidate would react under similar work conditions.

Stress Management: The design and implementation of workplace programs and services intended to minimize employee stress and improve overall employee morale, effectiveness and productivity.

Strike: A deliberate and punitive act by employees, usually in a union environment, who refuse to report for work in protest over pay, work rules, benefits or similar conditions of employment.

Structured Interview: See Standardized Interview.

Student Worker: A part-time employee who is required to be enrolled in the institution as a condition of employment and whose maximum hours of work and rate of pay are predetermined by the Student Financial Aid or Student Affairs Office. A hierarchy of titles is often used to reflect academic status, such as Student Worker I (for freshmen), Student Worker II (for sophomores), etc. Student workers are routinely non-exempt from FLSA overtime provisions, but due to the limitation on hours they can work, seldom earn overtime pay.

Subordinate Appraisal: A performance assessment conducted by an individual or individuals who report to the individual being evaluated.

Succession Planning: The formal process of identifying long-range staffing and talent needs and proceeding to cultivating a supply of internal or external human capital to meet those future needs.

Summary Material Modifications (SMM): A supplemental summary of changes made to an employee benefit plan that are not included in the summary plan description.

Summary Plan Description (SPD): A formal document provided to covered individuals that contains details regarding eligibility, coverage, exceptions, grievance or complaint processes and employee rights for any ERISA-covered benefit plan. Insurance policy contracts prevail in case of discrepancies between the SPD and contract.

Supplemental Unemployment Benefits (SUB): Pay provided by the employer that supplements state unemployment insurance benefits during a period of unemployment.

Suspension: A disciplinary action in which an employee is sent home, usually without pay, for a specified period of time. Suspensions with pay generally occur when an employee is not allowed to work while under investigation for alleged violation of workplace rules or more serious offenses.

SWOT Analysis: A planning tool used to evaluate Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a specific activity, situation or proposal.

360-Degree Appraisal: An employee assessment process in which an individual is rated on performance, using a standard tool, by people who have direct knowledge about the individual’s work. Such individuals can include direct reports, peers, managers, customers or clients. The individual usually completes a self-assessment exercise using the same factors.

Telecommute: Working offsite, generally from one's home, using telecommunication devices such as computers and telephones.

Temporary Employee: An individual hired short term, customarily without benefits. Examples include student workers and persons hired to work on a specific project, a short-term grant or to replace someone on leave.

Tenure: In academe, an employment status earned by faculty members based upon specific requirements and achievements in scholarly research, publishing, presenting and teaching. Most tenure programs are seven years in duration, during which time the requisite requirements must be met. Once tenure is granted by the institution, "guaranteed employment" is granted and only very serious violations of law or work rules are grounds for dismissal. Tenure is considered by academicians to be a basic tenant of academic freedom.

Tenure Track: The status of a faculty member who is acknowledged to be working toward tenure. Certain teachers such as instructors, lecturers and adjunct faculty members are traditionally not tenure track.

Term Life Insurance: A life insurance policy that does not accumulate cash value and only provides coverage for a specific period of time.

Terminal Degree: The highest academic degree obtainable in a field of study, generally the doctorate (Ph.D.).

Termination: Separation from employment resulting from retirement, reduction in force, dismissal or voluntary resignation.

Thesis: The document required to be researched and written by a Master's degree program candidate, thus culminating the academic process of coursework and learning. A thesis is supervised by a member of the faculty and must be reviewed and "defended" by the degree candidate to a panel of faculty. Similar to, but far less massive than, a dissertation required for a Ph.D.

Title VII: A provision of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender or national origin.

Title IX: Promulgated by the Education Amendments of 1972 to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, this provision prohibits discrimination in any educational program or activity receiving federal funds. It's most prominent application is in athletic programs.

Total Compensation: The entire package of remuneration composed of cash salary, insurance and non-insurance benefits, perquisites and other items having value.

Total and Permanent Disability: A term used in relation to disability programs that refers to an individuals' inability, due to sickness or injury, to work at any job, any place, for which he/she is qualified by education, experience and training.

Training Needs Analysis: An assessment of individuals' developmental needs and subsequent identification of training programs that will address those needs.

Transfer: Moving an employee from one position to another, at the same or a different location. The term is generally used to designate a reassignment without promotion.

Turnover: A metric that reflects numeric changes in the work force resulting from voluntary or involuntary resignations.

Turnover Costs: Expenses attributable to the outflow and inflow of employees. Such costs might include recruitment expenses, inprocessing, training, temporary worker wages, unemployment compensation, COBRA benefits continuation costs, the cost of conducting exit interviews and lost productivity.

Turnover Rate: A metric derived by dividing the number of separations, both voluntary and involuntary, during a specific period of time, divided by the average number of employees on the payroll during that same period, multiplied by 100.

Underutilization: (1) The lack of fully utilizing an individual's skills and abilities. (2) In the context of affirmative action analyses, the degree to which individuals in protected groups are adequately represented within an organization as compared to their presence in the relevant, available workforce.

Unemployment insurance (UI): A state statutory compensation benefit provided to qualifying workers who have lost their jobs. The benefit is funded through employer payroll taxes.

Unfair Labor Practice (ULP): An unfair labor practice (ULP) is a violation of an employment right established by the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute.

Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures of 1978: The Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures establish the standards for nondiscriminatory interviewing, testing, selecting and training employees. Adverse impact was introduced and defined as a measure of discrimination in employment decisions. The guidelines require employers to maintain employment records and workforce statistics on protected groups.

Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) of 1994: Federal legislation that clarifies and strengthens the Veterans’ Reemployment Rights (VRR) Statute and offers protections to individuals absent from civilian employment in order to serve in the uniformed services.

Union Shop: An employer whose workforce is unionized and requires employees to join the union as a condition of employment.

Utilization Review/Management: The monitoring, review, audit and analysis of insurance claims to determine trends, cost centers, accurate adjudication and proper billing for purposes of controlling plan costs and fine tuning design. UR may include arranging for an early hospital release, lowering the price on a home health care contract, authorizing medical equipment for the home, and helping in various other ways to cut costs for both the patient and the plan.

Usual and Customary: See Reasonable and Customary.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS): Previously known as the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), this agency was transitioned into the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on March 1, 2003, as the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The USCIS is responsible for establishing immigration policies and priorities and adjudicating immigration and naturalization issues.

Value Added Benefits: Benefit programs that an employer solicits and offers to employees at no cost to the employer. Such benefits may include relocating assistance, mortgage shopping, legal or pet insurance, discount hearing aids or other benefits not offered through the employer. Employees access such benefits at their own initiative. Providers are often brokers who receive compensation through referrals.

Value Statement: A formal statement identifying the principles or issues of primary importance to an organization.

Variable Pay: Compensation that can change from pay period to pay period by virtue of productivity, hours worked, quality of performance or some other predetermined factors.

Vesting: That point in time when an employee’s right to pension benefits is established and seemingly guaranteed. Cliff (one time) or step (incremental) vesting are two common types of vesting.

Veterans Benefit Improvement Act of 2004: Federal legislation that amended the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), granting certain reemployment and benefit protections to individuals who leave employment to serve in the military.

Vietnam Era Veteran: Defined in regulations implementing the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, an individual who (1) served on active duty for more than 180 days, any part of which occurred during the period between August 5, 1964, and May 7, 1975, and who received other than a dishonorable discharge, (2) was discharged or released from active duty for a service connected disability if any part of that duty was performed during the previously-cited dates, or (3) served on active duty for more than 180 days and served in the Republic of Vietnam between February 28, 1961 and May 7, 1975.

Vietnam Era Veteran's Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974: Federal law that provides equal employment and affirmative action rights to Vietnam era veterans.

Visa: A document issued by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) that allows non-U.S. citizens the right to work in the U.S. under certain circumstances. Types of visas are: B-1 (temporary visitor on business), H-1 (employment in a specialty occupation), H-2 (temporary worker), H-3 (temporary trainee), and L-1 (intracompany transferee).

Vision Statement: A formal description of what an organization wants to become or hopes to accomplish in the future.

Visiting Titles: In the academic environment, traditional titles are preceded by the "visiting" designation for persons who are hired on a temporary basis to address a short-term need. Visiting Instructors, Lecturers and Scholars are not tenure track and are often party to an exchange program with another university.

Voluntary Leave/Layoff: Leave without pay taken by employees on a voluntary basis in lieu of being laid off and which often establishes preferential recall rights and/or restoration of benefits.

Wage Gap: The difference in pay between groups of employees who are performing the same or comparable jobs.

Wage Differential: Differences in wage rates for similar jobs that are attributable to geographic location, hours of work, working conditions, or other circumstances that warrant monetary consideration.

Waiver of Premium: The suspension of premium payments after the individual has been receiving benefits from an insurance policy for a specified period of time.

Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989: Federal law that provides protection to employees from retaliation for reporting illegal acts, gross mismanagement, waste of funds, abuse of authority, dangers to public health or similar situations in the workplace.

White Collar Employees: Customarily defined as individuals who are paid on a salaried basis and whose jobs are of a professional or para-professional nature.

Whole Life Insurance: An life insurance policy that accumulates cash value over time or that pays a sum certain upon death of the covered person.

Willful Misconduct: Defined as any action, taken by an employee, consciously and willfully, that is deliberately malicious or violates a company policy.

Women's' Health and Cancer Rights Act of 1998: Federal law that amended ERISA to require health plans that offer mastectomy coverage to also provide coverage for breast reconstruction and other prostheses. Certain church and government plans are not subject to the law.

Work and Family Programs: Benefits, services and programs that are employee and/or family friendly by seeking to lessen the difficulty of balancing work and personal needs. Examples include adoption benefits, dependent care assistance, flextime, compressed workweeks, telecommuting and onsite child care.

Workers’ Compensation Insurance: Income and medical benefits established by state laws for workers who experience a job-related illness or injury. Such programs are provided through self funding or through insurance policies purchased by the employer.

Workforce Planning: The process of assessing current worker attributes for purposes of addressing staffing needs of the future. Such can include individual development plans for employees so that they will be sufficiently qualified to fill future positions the organization.

Wrongful Discharge: The unjust or unfair termination of an employee based on breach of a written or implied contract or policy or a violation of law.

Yellow Dog Contract: A written or verbal agreement that forbids employees from joining or continuing membership in any labor union as a condition of employment.