Workforce jargon buster

WORKFORCE JARGON BUSTER

 
 
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Advertise and Apply

Advertise and Apply

The outdated and conventional recruitment model of employers or agencies advertising a vacancy, to which only those individuals actively interested in a new role at that time would apply.

Administrative fee

Administrative fee

The fee charged to you (as the client) by us (the service provider) to cover operating costs for administering the contingent worker programme over in addition to the costs of contingent worker salary, taxes and benefits provided. This fee is usually a percent of the bill rate.

Advisory

Advisory

Supporting you to align your workforce strategy to deliver the talent you need to meet your wider business objectives. Whether it’s having the right organisational structure, composition or processes, improving external perception or internal capabilities, we’ll partner with you to identify, develop and deliver what you need to achieve those priorities. Read more about our Advisory offering.

AWD - Agency Workers’ Directive

AWD - Agency Workers’ Directive

The Agency Workers Regulations (AWR) came into force for all EU member states on 1 October 2011. It means an agency worker is entitled to equal pay and conditions treatment to their permanent counterparts (e.g. pay, working time) and does not affect the employment status of temporary workers.

In the UK this only applies after 12 weeks in a given temporary job- this UK legislation is called the Agency Workers Regulation (AWR). The AWR also grants certain rights to such temporary workers from the first day of their assignment such as access to facilities (i.e. canteen) and information on job vacancies.

AOR - Agent of Record

AOR - Agent of Record

This is a term used in the US to describe a service where the provider acts as an intermediary between a staffing firm or client and independent contractors. This sees the Agent of Record administering back-office functions such as payrolling and fulfilling government reporting requirements.

AI – Artificial Intelligence

AI – Artificial Intelligence

A computer systems able to perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making and translation between languages. AI is enabled through cognitive computing which is the simulation of human thought processes in a computerised model. Cognitive computing involves self-learning systems that use data mining, pattern recognition and natural language processing to mimic the way the human brain works.

Alternative workforce

Alternative workforce

Often used to describe non-traditional work arrangements, such as temporary workers and contract employment. Sometimes this may even include home-based workers.

ASL - Approved Supplier List

ASL - Approved Supplier List

An approved supplier list is where supply is exclusively granted to a limited, but more than one, number of providers, at specified conditions. This is typically known as a Preferred Supplier List (PSL).

AÜG - Arbeitnehmerüberlassungsgesetz

AÜG - Arbeitnehmerüberlassungsgesetz

The German Temporary Employment Act (AÜG) governs the assignment of employees to protect them from exploitation. It requires each separately incorporated entity that lease employees to obtain an AUG license, which must be renewed every year. It does not cover independent contractors.

ATS – Applicant Tracking System

ATS – Applicant Tracking System

An ATS is a technology used to track applicants through the permanent recruitment process. The emphasis here is on attracting and processing applicants up until they are hired. Most are linked to a company careers’ website, enabling companies to post jobs onto their own website to attract candidates. The ATS is then used to store these candidate data inside a database to enable effective searching, filtering and routing of applications.

An ATS is often used to underpin a Recruitment Process Outsourcing programme.

Some companies may refer to an ATS as talent management software (TMS), candidate management system (CMS) or recruitment management system (RMS).

Assignment

Assignment

A task or duty being performed by a contingent worker (i.e., a requisition for a temp, or each onboarded consultant associated with a consulting engagement). Assignment may also refer to the period of time that a temporary employee is working at an organisation’s facility.