Inglês para Recursos Humanos: vocabulário e frases essenciais

"talent acquisition"

The strategic process of identifying, attracting, and hiring skilled individuals to meet organisational needs

"The talent acquisition team launched a new employer branding campaign to attract senior engineers."

"applicant tracking system"

Software used to manage the end-to-end recruitment process, from job posting to offer acceptance

"All candidate applications are stored in the applicant tracking system and reviewed by the hiring manager."

"competency-based interview"

A structured interview technique that asks candidates to describe specific past behaviours as evidence of key skills

"The competency-based interview asked candidates to give an example of resolving a conflict within their team."

"headhunting"

Proactively approaching passive candidates who are not actively seeking employment to fill senior or specialist roles

"The executive search firm was engaged to headhunt a Chief Financial Officer with M&A experience."

"notice period"

The contractual duration an employee or employer must give before terminating employment

"The preferred candidate had a three-month notice period, so the start date was adjusted accordingly."

"shortlist"

A reduced list of the most suitable candidates selected for the final stages of the recruitment process

"After reviewing 120 applications, the recruiter drew up a shortlist of eight candidates for interview."

"offer letter"

A formal written document extending employment to a selected candidate, detailing salary, start date, and key terms

"Human resources sent the offer letter by email and requested a signed copy within five business days."

"reference check"

The process of contacting a candidate's previous employers or colleagues to verify their employment history and performance

"The conditional offer was subject to satisfactory reference checks from two recent managers."

"performance appraisal"

A formal, periodic review of an employee's job performance against agreed objectives and competencies

"The annual performance appraisal is scheduled for December and feeds directly into salary review decisions."

"key performance indicators"

Quantifiable metrics used to evaluate how effectively an individual or team is achieving their objectives

"The sales team's key performance indicators include monthly revenue, new client acquisition, and customer retention rates."

"SMART objectives"

Goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound, used to structure employee targets

"During the review, the manager and employee agreed on three SMART objectives for the coming quarter."

"360-degree feedback"

A performance assessment method that collects input from an employee's manager, peers, direct reports, and sometimes customers

"The senior leadership programme required each participant to complete a 360-degree feedback exercise."

"performance improvement plan"

A formal document that outlines specific goals and timelines to help an underperforming employee meet the required standard

"After repeated quality issues, the line manager placed the employee on a three-month performance improvement plan."

"calibration session"

A meeting in which managers compare and align their assessments of employee performance to ensure consistency across the organisation

"The HR business partner facilitated a calibration session to prevent grade inflation across departments."

"succession planning"

The process of identifying and developing internal candidates to fill key leadership or critical roles in the future

"The board requested a succession planning report identifying the next generation of senior managers."

"talent pipeline"

A pool of pre-qualified internal and external candidates ready to fill key positions as they become available

"Investing in the graduate scheme helped build a strong talent pipeline for technical and commercial roles."

"wrongful dismissal"

Termination of an employment contract without proper cause or without following the correct legal procedure

"The employee filed a claim for wrongful dismissal, alleging that no formal disciplinary process had been followed."

"constructive dismissal"

A situation where an employee resigns because the employer's conduct has made continued employment intolerable

"The tribunal found that the sudden removal of her duties amounted to constructive dismissal."

"at-will employment"

A doctrine allowing either the employer or employee to end the employment relationship at any time without cause

"In states with at-will employment, the company can terminate without a performance improvement plan."

"duty of care"

The legal obligation an employer has to take reasonable steps to protect the health, safety, and wellbeing of its employees

"Providing mental health resources is part of the organisation's duty of care to its workforce."

"non-disclosure agreement"

A legally binding contract preventing a party from sharing confidential information with third parties

"All new hires in the product team are required to sign a non-disclosure agreement on their first day."

"protected characteristic"

An attribute such as age, race, sex, or disability that is legally protected from discrimination in employment

"Refusing to promote an employee because of their religion constitutes discrimination based on a protected characteristic."

"redundancy payment"

Statutory or contractual compensation paid to an employee whose role is eliminated due to business restructuring

"Employees with five or more years of service are entitled to an enhanced redundancy payment under the company's policy."

"vicarious liability"

The legal principle by which an employer can be held responsible for the unlawful acts of an employee carried out in the course of their work

"The company faced vicarious liability after a manager sexually harassed a subordinate during a work event."

"total compensation"

The complete value of an employee's remuneration package, including base salary, bonuses, benefits, and equity

"The recruiter emphasised the total compensation package, noting that the bonus could add 20% to base salary."

"pay band"

A defined salary range associated with a specific job grade or level within an organisation's pay structure

"The role was placed in pay band 5, with a minimum of £45,000 and a maximum of £60,000."

"variable pay"

A portion of compensation that fluctuates based on individual, team, or company performance

"The sales director's package included a significant variable pay element tied to quarterly revenue targets."

"defined benefit pension"

A retirement scheme in which the employer guarantees a specific monthly benefit based on salary and years of service

"Public sector employees often prefer defined benefit pension schemes for the financial security they provide in retirement."

"salary benchmarking"

The process of comparing an organisation's pay levels against market data to ensure competitive and equitable compensation

"Annual salary benchmarking revealed that engineers were being paid 15% below the market median."

"pay equity"

The principle and practice of ensuring employees are paid fairly for equivalent work, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or other characteristics

"The gender pay gap audit revealed a disparity that the company addressed through a targeted pay equity review."

"employee stock option plan"

A scheme granting employees the right to purchase company shares at a predetermined price after a vesting period

"The startup used an employee stock option plan to attract senior talent willing to accept below-market salaries."

"flexible benefits"

A benefits arrangement that allows employees to choose from a menu of options to suit their individual lifestyle and needs

"Under the flexible benefits platform, staff can exchange unused annual leave for additional pension contributions."

"grievance procedure"

A formal, step-by-step process that allows an employee to raise and resolve a complaint about their employment

"The employee followed the grievance procedure and submitted a written complaint to the HR department."

"disciplinary hearing"

A formal meeting to discuss alleged misconduct or poor performance and decide appropriate action

"The employee was invited to a disciplinary hearing and was permitted to bring a trade union representative."

"collective bargaining"

Negotiations between employer representatives and trade unions to agree on employment terms, pay, and conditions

"Collective bargaining led to a three-year pay deal that included a 5% increase in the first year."

"mediation"

A voluntary and confidential process in which a neutral third party helps disputing parties reach a mutually acceptable resolution

"Rather than escalate to a tribunal, the parties agreed to mediation to resolve the workplace dispute."

"employee engagement"

The emotional commitment an employee has to their organisation and its goals, linked to discretionary effort and retention

"The annual employee engagement survey showed a decline in trust in senior leadership, prompting a listening campaign."

"psychological safety"

A team climate in which individuals feel safe to speak up, raise concerns, and take risks without fear of embarrassment or punishment

"The new team leader worked to build psychological safety so that junior colleagues would challenge flawed assumptions."

"absenteeism"

Habitual or frequent absence from work, often used as a metric indicating employee wellbeing or engagement issues

"A spike in absenteeism following the restructuring prompted HR to commission a staff wellbeing survey."

"exit interview"

A structured conversation conducted when an employee leaves the organisation to gather feedback and understand their reasons for departure

"Exit interviews revealed that the main driver of turnover was a lack of career development opportunities."

"onboarding"

The structured process of integrating a new employee into the organisation, covering their role, culture, and compliance requirements

"A well-designed onboarding programme reduces time-to-productivity and improves 90-day retention rates significantly."

"learning management system"

A software platform used to create, deliver, track, and report on employee training and e-learning programmes

"All mandatory compliance training is hosted on the learning management system and must be completed within 30 days."

"blended learning"

An instructional approach that combines face-to-face classroom activities with online self-paced learning components

"The leadership development programme used blended learning, with virtual workshops followed by in-person coaching sessions."

"skills gap analysis"

An assessment that identifies the difference between the competencies employees currently have and those the organisation requires

"The skills gap analysis showed a critical shortage of data literacy skills across the commercial teams."

"mentoring scheme"

A structured programme pairing less experienced employees with senior colleagues to support career development and knowledge transfer

"The graduate mentoring scheme paired each new recruit with a director for a twelve-month development relationship."

"return on investment"

A measure of the financial and strategic value generated by a training initiative relative to its cost

"The L&D director presented data showing a 4:1 return on investment from the sales skills training programme."

"induction training"

Introductory training provided to new employees covering company policies, health and safety, and role-specific requirements

"All new starters must complete induction training before being permitted to work unsupervised on the shop floor."

"continuing professional development"

Ongoing learning activities undertaken to maintain and enhance professional knowledge, skills, and competence throughout a career

"HR professionals are encouraged to log at least 30 hours of continuing professional development activity per year."