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HR glossary

HR glossary

The words HR teams use every day in attendance, leave, shifts, performance and employee records, each explained with an example from an Indian workplace.

Short, plain explanations of the words HR teams use every day, from attendance regularization and comp off to span of control and probation extension. Every term has an example from an Indian workplace and links to the related terms, so you can follow an idea from definition to practice.

Looking for payroll and statutory terms like CTC, EPF or gratuity? See the payroll glossary.

Payroll glossary

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A

Absconding Absenteeism Adoption leave Applicant tracking system (ATS)Appointment letter Approval matrix Attendance month close Attendance regularization Attrition

B

Background verification Bell curve appraisal Bereavement leave Biometric attendance Blue-collar workers Boomerang employee Break time Buddy punching Business unit

C

Calibration Campus recruitment Casual leave Check-in spot Code of conduct Comp off Competency framework Compressed work week Confirmation of employment Consultant on retainer Core hours Core HR Cost centre Counter offer

D

Date of joining Delegation of authority Demotion Deputation Designation Deskless workers Dismissal Domestic enquiry Dotted-line reporting

E

Early going Earned leave Effective working hours Employee assistance programme (EAP)Employee code Employee engagement Employee handbook Employee lifecycle Employee master data Employee recognition Employee referral Employee retention Employee self-service (ESS)Employee turnover Exit interview Experience letter

F

Field staff Fixed-term employee Flat organization Flexi time Four-day work week Full-time equivalent (FTE)

G

Garden leave Gazetted holiday General shift Geo-fencing attendance Grace period Grade Grey-collar workers Grievance redressal

H

Half day Half-day leave HCM Headcount High-potential employee HR business partner HRIS HRMS Hybrid work

I

Individual development plan (IDP)Induction Intern Internal Committee (IC)

J

Job description Job family Job requisition Joining bonus Joining formalities

K

Kiosk attendance KPI (key performance indicator)KRA (key result area)

L

Last working day Late mark Lateral hiring Layoff Learning management system (LMS)Leave accrual Leave balance Leave calendar Leave carry forward Leave lapse Leave ledger Leave quota Leave without pay (LWP)Leave year Loss of pay (LOP)

M

Manager self-service (MSS)Mandatory training Marriage leave Maternity leave Matrix organization Menstrual leave Missed punch Moonlighting

N

National holiday Night shift allowance Nine-box grid No dues clearance Non-compete clause Notice period buyout

O

Offer dropout Offer letter OKR (objectives and key results)On duty (OD)On-call duty On-the-job training Onboarding One-on-one meeting Org chart Organizational structure

P

Part-time employee Paternity leave Payroll cut-off date Performance appraisal Performance improvement plan (PIP)Performance management system (PMS)Permanent employee Personnel file POSH Position management Pre-onboarding Presenteeism Probation extension Probationer Promotion Public holiday Pulse survey Punch in and punch out

Q

QR code attendance

R

Rating normalization Recruitment funnel Reference check Relieving letter Remote work Reporting manager Resignation Reskilling Restricted holiday Retrenchment Role-based access control Rotational shift

S

T

Talent acquisition Talent pool Temporary employee Termination Timesheet Trainee Training needs analysis (TNA)Transfer

U

V

Voluntary retirement scheme (VRS)

W

Weekly off Whistleblower White-collar workers Work from home (WFH)Workforce planning