Glossary of Human Resources Career and Education Terms

Learn the language of human resources education programs and careers.

Career-Specific Terms

Employment and Recruiting – Involves recruiting and managing the hiring of new employees.
Training and Development – May involve planning and conducting new employee orientation sessions and implementing training programs.
Compensation and Benefits – Includes writing job descriptions, conducting performance evaluations, and monitoring and administering benefits packages.
Employee and Labor Relations – This may involve handling and managing employee grievances or dealings between the organization and the union. In certain organizations, HR professionals in this specialty are also called generalists.
Health, Safety and Security – Responsibilities include insuring that the workplace is a safe and secure environment. This may involve conducting safety inspections and maintaining safety records, as well as organizing and conducting employee health and safety programs.

Distance Learning/Education – Distance learning occurs when the instructor and the students are in physically separate locations. Can be either synchronous or asynchronous. Can include correspondence, video or satellite broadcasts, or computer based online education.
Web Based Training (WBT) – Training which is delivered over a network (LAN, WAN or Internet). Can be either instructor-led or computer based. Very similar to e-Learning, but it implies that the learning is at the professional or corporate level.