Business, Management, Human Resources Dictionary: E

Early retirement occurs when an employee decides to retire before the age at which he or she becomes eligible to collect retirement resources such as Social Security, a company pension, or distributions from a 401(k) or another retirement plan. Early retirement is an option for employees who have saved substantial financial resources aside from...

Have you ever known a manager who had poorly developed emotional intelligence? This manager has difficulty understanding the emotions that are communicated in every message by employees. A manager with a low EI capacity is also ineffective at uunderstanding and expressing his or her own emotions. But, the primary problem is the manager's...

An employee is an individual who was hired by an employer to do a specific job. The employee is hired by the employer after an application and interview process results in his or her selection as an employee. Each employee has a specific job to accomplish that is often defined by a job description.

Do Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) actually provide value for employers and employees? Or, are Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) a way for employers to feel good about doing something positive for employees? - that may or may not provide a value add for employee wellness and work productivity. Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are part...

Employers of choice provide a comprehensive employee benefits package to attract and retain employees. In addition to salary, an employee benefits package is a standard – and expected - part of employee compensation. These are the standard components of an employee benefits package. Find out the employee benefits package that your employees want...

Empowerment is the process of enabling or authorizing an individual to think, behave, take action, and control work and decisionmaking in autonomous ways. It is the state of feeling self-empowered to take control of one's own destiny. Empowerment rules as a development strategy. Learn more about what empowerment is – and is not.

Does your workplace encourage employee engagement? Probably not. But, it should. Employee engagement is a powerful factor for business success. Engaged employees are more productive, customer-focused, and profit-generating. Employers are more likely to retain engaged employees. According to the Gallup organization, employee engagement is a...

An employee evaluation is the assessment of a worker’s job performance. Most companies have an employee evaluation system wherein employees are evaluated on a regular basis (often once a year).

An employee furlough is mandatory time off work with no pay. Used as an alternative to a layoff, an employee furlough can occur in both public and private sector organizations when revenue or projected revenue fails to match expenses. Revenue is generated through product sales, grants, and governmental support and subsidies.

An employee handbook is a compilation of the policies, procedures, working conditions, and behavioral expectations that guide employee actions in a particular workplace. Employee handbooks generally also include information about the company, employee compensation and benefits, and additional terms and conditions of employment.

Employee involvement is creating an environment in which people have an impact on decisions and actions that affect their jobs. Employee involvement is not the goal nor is it a tool, as practiced in many organizations. Rather, employee involvement is a management and leadership philosophy about how people are most enabled to contribute. Find out more about employee involvement.

Want to encourage and inspire motivation? Employee motivation is an employee’s intrinsic enthusiasm about and drive to accomplish activities related to work. Every employee has activities, events, people, and goals in his or her life that he or she finds motivating. So, motivation about some aspect of life exists. Here are thoughts about how to...

Employee of the Month is an organizational recognition that companies have used - both successfully - and unsuccessfully - for years. In some organizations, Employee of the Month is a joke, a popularity or take-turns contest for management fawning employees. In others, Employee of the Month is cherished. With so many forms of employee recognition available, why pursue Employee of the Month?

In the conventional performance appraisal or review process, the manager annually writes his opinions of the performance of a reporting staff member on a document supplied by the HR department. In some organizations, the staff member is asked to fill out a self-review to share with the supervisor. The supervisor then share the performance appraisal with the employee and it's all down hill from there...

Want to know what employee records to maintain as an employer? The employer maintains three employee record files for each employee. Additionally, the employer maintains other employee record files for all employees. See more about the employee records an employer will want to retain and make accessible to employees, and sometimes, to their...

Want to tap into the power of an employee referral program? A referral program that emphasizes potential employee referrals from current employees is a method employers use to find superior employees. In this age of online social media and social networking, a referral program has even broader potential to locate qualified candidates. With or...

An employee reprimand is an official notice to an employee, either verbal or written, that his or her performance is failing in some expected component. The employee reprimand is provided following the failure of informal supervisory coaching to help the employee improve.

Employee satisfaction is the terminology used to describe whether employees are happy and contented and fulfilling their desires and needs at work. Employee satisfaction is often measured by anonymous surveys administered periodically that gauge employee satisfaction in areas such as management and teamwork.

An employee satisfaction survey helps employers determine whether employees are satisfied with their work environment. Employees who are satisfied are more likely to stay and contribute their best discretionary energy. Find out more about an employee satisfaction survey.

You can reduce employee turnover, valued employees leaving your company and organization by their choice. Competitive salary and benefits, flexible schedule options, and tuition assistance are three basics in employee retention. Especially for millennial employees, these are ways in which employers can reduce employee turnover. Find out more about employee turnover.

Employee turnover is expensive, disruptive, and impacts the morale of the remaining employees. Employee turnover is often preventable when an employer offers market driven compensation, better than average employee benefits, and a workplace culture that appreciates employees. Employee turnover is occasionally not preventable, but with attention,...

An employer is an organization, institution, government entity, agency, company, professional services firm, nonprofit association, small business, store, or individual who employs or puts to work, an employee. An employer has certain legal, ethical, and contractual obligations. Find out more about being an employer.

Do you work for an employer of choice? Better yet, are you an employer of choice? An employer of choice is an employer who offers a work culture and workplace environment that attracts and retains superior employees. These are the factors that go into an employer becoming an employer of choice.

At will employment describes the employment relationship between employers and employees in almost every state. At will employment means that the Company does not offer tenured or guaranteed employment for any period of time. In at will employment either the Company or the employee can terminate the employment relationship at any time, with or...

An employment contract is a written legal document that lays out the terms and conditions of employment. It is an agreement regarding salary, benefits, paid holidays, paid vacation, paid time off (PTO), bonus potential, and more.

The Employment Eligibility Verification (I-9) is the form that is required by the Department of Homeland Security U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to document eligibility for employment in the United States. All employees, citizens and noncitizens, hired after November 6, 1986, must complete Section 1 of this form at the time of hire,...

An employment gap is a period of months or years when the job applicant was not employed at a job. Employees choose to spend time unemployed for purposes such as attending school full time and having and raising children. Employment gaps also occur for involuntary reasons such as layoffs and downsizing, serving time in prison, or employment...

Employment is an agreement between an employer and an employee that the employee will provide certain services on the job. What else does employment or a job for an employer imply?

All employment reference check inquiries from current or former employees, prospective employers of current or former employees or other organizations should be directed to Human Resources for an official company response. Under no circumstances is any other employee authorized to provide a written or official employment reference.

Interested in the ins and outs of employment termination? Employees land in hot water for many reasons, some inexplicable to employers; some predictable. But, termination is a serious action that generally is the culmination of a series of progressive disciplinary actions. Find out more about termination.

An employment verification is a response to an inquiry by a prospective employer, a government agency, or an outside entity, such as a lending institution, that the current or former employee is or was employed by your organization. Learn about employment verification.

Enculturation is a socialization process by which new workers adjust to, and become part of, the corporate culture of their new company, office, department, team, or so forth.

The is the number one attitude that you do not want to create when you reward or recognize your employees. Find out more about entitlement.

Equal employment opportunity (EEO) laws make it illegal for employers to discriminate against an employee or potential employee in certain workplaces. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which was created by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, is the federal agency that has the responsibility to handle discrimination complaints.

An excused absence occurs when an employee gives notice to his or her supervisor about an impending absence from work. Find out when else absences are excused including how to schedule paid time off (PTO).

Executive compensation is often different than compensation for lower-level employees, and often includes a base salary, long-term incentives, bonuses, benefits, and perquisites. The combination of salary, incentives, and bonuses is often referred to as Total Cash Compensation (TCC).

An exempt employee is an employee who, because of his or her positional duties and responsibilities and level of decision making authority is exempt from the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

An exit interview is a meeting with a terminating employee that is generally conducted by Human Resources staff. The exit interview provides your organization with the opportunity to obtain frank, honest feedback from the employee who is leaving your employment. Learn more about exit interviews.

The exit interview is your opportunity to obtain information about what your organization is doing well - and, what your organization needs to do to improve. Exit interviews are key to organization improvement since rarely will you receive frank feedback from current employees. The exit interview questions you ask help you obtain actionable...

Need an exit strategy from your current job? On a collision course with your current workplace culture? How about a boss whose strategies and approaches you don't support? You may need an exit strategy. You can plan your own exit strategy or ask your company to help you create an exit strategy. Sometimes an exit strategy is essential to cut your...