HR Essentials: 10 Key Terms for People Managers

Whether you're an HR professional or a manager leading a team, understanding the language of Human Resources is crucial for effective leadership, compliance, and fostering a positive work environment. This guide explains 10 fundamental HR terms that every manager should know.

Mastering this vocabulary will improve your conversations with HR and your team. The BizVoc app offers dedicated decks for HR and Management vocabulary to help you learn faster.

Key Human Resources Vocabulary

• Onboarding

  The process of integrating a new employee into an organization, including orientation, training, and introducing them to the company culture.

  A structured onboarding process is essential for helping new hires become productive quickly.
• Performance Management

  The ongoing process of communication between a supervisor and an employee that occurs throughout the year, in support of accomplishing the strategic objectives of the organization.

  Effective performance management includes setting clear goals, providing regular feedback, and conducting annual reviews.
• Employee Engagement

  The extent to which employees feel passionate about their jobs, are committed to the organization, and put discretionary effort into their work.

  We conduct an annual survey to measure employee engagement and identify areas for improvement.
• Succession Planning

  A process for identifying and developing new leaders who can replace old leaders when they leave, retire or die.

  Succession planning ensures that we have a pipeline of talent ready to fill critical roles in the future.
• Compensation and Benefits

  The combination of salary, wages, and non-monetary perks (like health insurance, retirement plans) an employee receives from their employer.

  Our total compensation and benefits package is designed to be competitive in the tech industry.
• Talent Acquisition

  The strategic process of identifying, attracting, and onboarding top talent to efficiently and effectively meet dynamic business needs.

  Our talent acquisition team focuses on recruiting for highly specialized engineering roles.
• Employee Retention

  An organization's ability to prevent employee turnover, or the number of people who leave their job in a certain period, either voluntarily or involuntarily.

  Improving employee retention is a key goal for HR this year, with a focus on professional development opportunities.
• Workforce Planning

  The process of analyzing an organization's workforce and determining steps required to prepare for future staffing needs.

  Workforce planning helped us anticipate the need for more data scientists over the next two years.
• Grievance

  A formal complaint raised by an employee against their employer. Companies typically have a formal grievance procedure to handle such issues.

  The employee filed a grievance regarding unfair treatment by their direct supervisor.
• Compliance

  Adhering to all applicable laws, regulations, and company policies. In HR, this relates to labor laws, safety standards, and anti-discrimination rules.

  The HR department ensures the company is in full compliance with all local employment laws.

Lead with Clarity and Confidence

A strong grasp of these HR terms will make you a more effective and confident manager. You'll be better equipped to handle team dynamics, work with HR partners, and contribute to a healthier company culture.

Ready to build your leadership vocabulary? Join the BizVoc waitlist for specialized learning decks and tools!