​Independent Contractor definition Independent contractors are self-employed individuals who provide work under a contract for services. For legal and tax purposes they are not classified as employees.  Independent contractors typically have specialist skills or knowledge that is required on a fixed-term basis. They also provide their own tools and equipment.  Commonly-cited advantages of working as an independent contractor include relative […]

​Incentive Pay definition Compensation awarded for results rather than for time worked. Incentive pay, also known as pay-for-performance, is so-called because the prospect of financial compensation is supposed to be an incentive for an employee to remain motivated, work hard and strive for the best possible results.  Commission, where sales staff get paid a proportion of each sale they make, […]

​Human Resource Planning definition A process that starts with an organisation’s future human resources needs and defines the path to get there. Defined by Bulla and Scott (1994) as ‘the process for ensuring that the human resource requirements of an organization are identified and plans are made for satisfying those requirements.’ Human resource planning is a growing remit for a […]

​Human Relations Movement definition The human relations movement was founded by sociologist George Elton Mayo in the 1930s following a series of experiments known as the Hawthorne studies, which focused on exploring the link between employee satisfaction/wellbeing and workplace productivity. Essentially the Hawthorne studies concluded that when employers take an interest in workers and make decisions based on their natural […]

HR Service Delivery definition HR provides many functions to the organisation, such as payroll processing, employee benefits and career advice. These services must be delivered to large workforces and the ways these are delivered are based on what’s known as the HR service delivery model. There are two main types of model. The traditional model of ‘generalist’ HR staff revolves around […]

​HR Policies definition Mostly refers to codified documents that set out the company’s stance on issues, such as internet use or dress code, but can also mean a stance communicated verbally. Policies are crucial to effective functioning of the HR department as they help define the relationship between employer and employee. Employees must understand what the company’s position so there’s […]

​HR Audit definition A comprehensive and wide-ranging review of an organisation’s HR policies, procedures, systems, documents in order to provide recommendations for operational improvement and ensure compliance with relevant employment law. Audits may or may not include qualitative research based on employee perception of workplace culture, as well as interviews with HR staff. If employee relations are included in the […]

HR word of the Day – boomerang employee A Boomerang Employee is defined as any employee who returns to work for a former employer. There are several different types of boomerang employees: 1.Those who left the company to further their careers. 2. Employees often state that they left their job because they wanted to learn new skills and gain new […]

​HR Business Partner definition HR business partners are HR professionals who work closely with an organisation’s senior leaders in order to develop an HR agenda that closely supports the overall aims of the organisation. The process of alignment is known as HR business partnering and may involve the HR business partner sitting on the board of directors or working closely […]

​HR Service Delivery definition HR provides many functions to the organisation, such as payroll processing, employee benefits and career advice. These services must be delivered to large workforces and the ways these are delivered are based on what’s known as the HR service delivery model. There are two main types of model. The traditional model of ‘generalist’ HR staff revolves around […]

​High Reliability Organisation definition High reliability organisations are those that manage to avoid accidents in environments/industries where accidents are expected or likely, due to inherent risk. Examples of industries where HROs could be expected include air traffic control, nuclear power stations, mega structure construction projects and crisis response teams. Karel E Weick and Kathleen M Sutcliffe (2001) identified four factors […]

​Hierarchy of Needs definition A theory proposed by American psychologist Abraham Maslow that categorises human desires by the force and necessity of the desire. It is most frequently arranged as a pyramid, with the most important needs at the bottom. From lowest to highest, the levels of needs are: physiological (breathing, food, water, sleep, homeostasis, excretion, sex), safety (personal security, health and […]

​HR word – Human resource accounting Human resource accounting is the process of identifying and reporting investments made in the human resources of an organization that are presently unaccounted for in the conventional accounting practices. It is an extension of standard accounting principles. Measuring the value of human resources can assist organizations in accurately documenting their assets. Objectives To furnish […]

​Hawthorne Effect definition As a general term, the Hawthorne Effect encapsulates the belief that observation of a phenomenon changes it. In academic settings, this translates to individuals improving or changing behaviour when they know they’re being studied. In the business environment, the Hawthorne Effect suggests that organisations can motivate employees and improve their perceptions of the working environment by raising […]

​Halo Effect definition The halo effect describes a cognitive bias when judging others whereby judgements about that person’s character are influenced by an overall positive impression about that person. Originally developed by psychologist Edward Thorndike, the halo effect has been extensively studied in a variety of fields including physical attractiveness in relation to societal success as well as product marketing. […]