Business: human resources

appraisal

An assessment of the effectiveness and performance of an individual employee against predetermined objectives. This may lead to the identification of training needs and/or reward through pay increases, bonuses or promotion and the setting of objectives for the following year.

Flat organization

It is an organization with few levels of hierarchy, but a wider span of control.

empowerment

Providing the means by which individual employees can exercise control over their working arrangements.

chain of command

The line of authority and responsibility, along which orders are passed in a formal organization. Orders are passed downwards though a vertical organizational structure.

levels of hierarchy

The number of authority or management layers in an organization.

Span of control

The number of subordinates reporting, and directly responsible, to a single manager. There will be a 'wide' span, where a manager has many direct subordinates, and 'narrow' span where there are few.

Dismissal

The termination of employment because of unsatisfactory work performance or breach of contract.

Redundancies

The termination of employment where an employee is asked to leave through no fault of his or her own.

Lay-off

The termination of employment where an employee is asked to leave through no fault of his or her own., suspension or termination of employment (with or without notice) by the employer or management

Flexitime

a system of working a set number of hours with the starting and finishing times chosen within agreed limits by the employee

Delegation

he assignment to others, normally lower down (a subordinate) in the organizational hierarchy, of the authority for particular functions, tasks, and decisions.

Recruitment

he process of sourcing, screening, and selecting people for a job or vacancy within an organization.

Tall organization

it is an organization with many levels of hierarchy, but a narrow span of control

Retrenchment

reduce costs or spending in response to economic difficulty

training

the action of teaching a person a particular skill or type of behavior

authority

the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience

responsibility

the state or fact of having a duty to deal with something or of having control over someone:

Teleworking

work from home, making use of the Internet, email, and the telephone.