HR Glossary: Human Resources from A to Z

Les points à retenir

Key Point 1: Absenteeism is defined as recurring and unplanned employee absences. Between 2019 and 2023, the absenteeism rate in France increased by 21%, impacting company operations, workplace climate, and increasing the workload of other employees.

Key Point 2: Acculturation refers to the process by which employees adapt to and integrate the organizational culture of their new work environment, including the norms, values, communication methods, rituals, traditions, and interpersonal relationships specific to the company.

Key Point 3: Bore-out refers to the syndrome of professional burnout caused by boredom, often resulting from a lack of work or unstimulating tasks, highlighting the importance of employee engagement in meaningful assignments.

Key Point 4: Human capital represents the totality of employee skills, knowledge, experience, creativity, and potential within a company, considered one of the most valuable assets for its health and overall performance.

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Human resources evolve daily, as does the vocabulary specific to this field. Between new concepts, Anglicisms, and the latest innovations in skills management and professional training, it is not always easy to find your way around. That is why we have prepared for you a glossary of 30 HR terms to know in 2024, covering aspects such as employment, personnel management, and organizational objectives!

A-E

👉🏼 Absenteeism

We speak of absenteeism when an employee is absent in a recurring or even systematic manner from work, and this in an unplanned manner, thus impacting the management and performance of the organization.

Between 2019 and 2023, the absenteeism rate in France, reflecting human resource management and employee health, experienced a significant increase of 21%.

Among the many impacts on organizational performance:

  • Disruption of organizational functioning
  • Deterioration of social climate
  • Cost of staff replacement
  • Increased workload for other employees

👉🏼 Acculturation

This is the entire management process by which employees develop their skills and adapt to the organizational culture of their new work environment. This acculturation, supported by professional training, aims to facilitate the transition of these new team members by helping them understand and adopt the company's specific culture.

This involves many dimensions of skills management and development, in particular the following:

  1. Standards and values: Understanding the company's standards and values is essential to adapt to its organizational culture. This concerns how work is done, behavioral expectations, required skills, and fundamental values that guide employee actions.
  2. Communication: Acculturation also includes understanding internal communication modes, including language, communication channels, and communication styles specific to the company, thus facilitating personnel management.
  3. Rituals and traditions: Rituals, events, and traditions within the company are an integral part of its culture. Acclimating to these practices contributes to better integration and employee development.
  4. Interpersonal relationships: Understanding the dynamics of interpersonal relationships within the company is crucial. This includes hierarchy, colleague interactions, and social norms that guide professional relationships.
  5. Work processes and methods: Acculturation also encompasses understanding the processes, work methods, and tools used within the company. This allows employees to integrate more effectively into daily operations.

ps: Company acculturation is not a one-directional process. It involves mutual adaptation where new employees learn to integrate into the company culture, but where the company can also adjust its management practices to welcome and value employee diversity.

🔎 Discover how to sustainably engage your employees and improve human resource management by clicking here.

👉🏼 ATS

This is an applicant tracking system used to manage and organize the recruitment process, from job posting to candidate selection, thus optimizing personnel management and organizational performance.

👉🏼 Well-being at work

This expression designates a state of balance and satisfaction between the needs and aspirations of teams, and the conditions, constraints, or opportunities present in the workplace, impacting the professional quality of life of employees.

Since March 2022, we speak in particular of QVWC (quality of life and working conditions), whose objective is to allow everyone to do "good work" and to gradually build a working organization favorable to both people's health and the overall performance of the company, by aligning professional objectives with employee well-being.

👉🏼 Bore-out

This term refers to professional burnout syndrome caused by boredom, and often resulting from a lack of work or unstimulating tasks, affecting employee careers and development.

The consequences include in particular:

  • Demotivation and loss of interest
  • Professional stagnation
  • Mental health problems
  • Decreased productivity
  • Absenteeism
  • Altered professional relationships

👉🏼 Burnout

The High Authority on Health describes burnout as "a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion due to prolonged investment in emotionally demanding work situations." This syndrome can be caused by excessive workload, lack of professional recognition, and/or loss of work meaning. Despite its severe effects, it is not yet recognized as an occupational disease by social security.

👉🏼 HR Big Data

HR Big Data refers to the collection, analysis, and interpretation of vast quantities of employee-related data to derive relevant information and significant trends. Often applied in the context of human resources, it helps companies make informed decisions, optimize their recruitment and training processes, and anticipate future skills needs.

👉🏼 Human capital

The concept of human capital was defined by Gary Becker (1992) as "The set of productive capacities that an individual acquires through the accumulation of general or specific knowledge, know-how, etc."

Applied to human resources, this term thus designates the set of skills, knowledge, experiences, creativity, and potential of employees within a company, thus contributing to professional development and organizational performance.

Human capital ultimately corresponds to the value that employees bring to your organization, and should be considered as one of the most valuable assets of a company's good health, directly influencing talent management and professional satisfaction.

👉🏼 Co-optation

This is a recruitment method that encourages employees already in position within the company to recommend acquaintances from their personal or professional circle whose qualifications seem to match a job opportunity within the organization. In return, the referrer may receive a reward in the form of a bonus or gift, thus strengthening internal talent management.

👉🏼 Company culture

There is no single definition of this concept, but it could be summed up as saying that it is the personality of the company, its DNA, what makes it unique in terms of professional culture and human resource organization.

For the Robert Half recruitment firm, there are 4 main elements that constitute company culture:

  • The company's history
  • The vision
  • Shared values
  • The rituals

In any case, it is good to remember that company culture is lived, it is felt, co-built, and is in constant evolution, thus influencing career development and employee management.

👉🏼 Professional interview

The professional interview is a mandatory exchange conducted between the manager and the employee, which must take place every two years.

It aims to assess the balance sheet of an employee's career path, but also to discuss the career development prospects and the means to implement, such as training plans, to promote their professional progression. This is not about evaluating employee performance, nor about reviewing annual objectives to be achieved.

Furthermore, this interview must be systematic upon return from a long absence (parental leave, long-term sick leave, maternity leave, etc.), in order to reassess the situation and human resource management needs.

👉🏼 Candidate experience

It refers to the set of interactions and impressions a candidate will face throughout their recruitment process, from job search to company integration. This experience is a key factor in employer branding and talent retention.

👉🏼 Employee experience

Employee experience encompasses all perceptions and interactions an employee will have within their company, from recruitment to their last day. This includes both key moments in their journey (onboarding, promotion, departure and returns from parental leave, offboarding, etc.), as well as their daily professional life.

G-P

Workforce Planning

Workforce Planning (WFP) is a strategic process used by companies to anticipate and respond to future changes in their employment needs, skills, and personnel management.

R-W

Onboarding Report

This is a document or questionnaire completed by a new hire during their onboarding, including aspects related to skills management and professional development.

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Geoffrey Chapuis

Co-fondateur de Wobee
Geoffrey pilote la vision et la stratégie de Wobee pour transformer les intranets d'entreprise et les parcours RH. Passionné par l'expérience collaborateur et l'innovation technologique.

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