Human Resources Glossary - B

Baby Boomers

People who were born from 1946 to 1964. The term was coined following the post-war spike in birth rates. 

Back Pay

Any form of unpaid monetary compensation owed by the employer to the employee.

Base Wage Rate

The minimum amount paid to the employee that was agreed upon during the hiring process.

Basic Salary Meaning

The amount of income paid to the employee before other financial modifications such as bonuses and taxes.

Before-Tax Deduction

A deduction that reduces the employee’s taxable wages.

Behavioral-Based Interview Questions

Questions that interviewers use that pertain to the candidate’s behavior relating to a certain situation in a previous role.

Behavioral Competencies

Personal behavior or traits that help predict the candidate’s success at the job they applied for. 

Benefits Administration

The process of creating and managing an employee benefits packages within the company.

Bereavement

A period of mourning or state of extreme grief after the death of a loved one.

Bereavement Leave

Leave employees can use after the death of a loved one.

Biweekly Pay

The pay received by the employee every other week. 

Blended Workforce

When employees have different types of work contracts such as full time part time temporary seasonal contractual and permanent.

Bona Fide Occupational Qualification

Employment qualifications that employers are legally allowed to consider that can be based on sex religion or national origin. 

Boolean Search

Used to narrow or expand a search on the internet in order to gain better results.

Boomerang Employee

An employee who leaves the company but returns to the same organization later on.

Bradford Factor

Commonly used by HR to measure employee absence.

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)

A policy whereby the company requires or permits its employees to use their personal devices for work-related tasks.

Burnout

A type of stress felt in the workplace where employees feel general dissatisfaction physical exhaustion emotional exhaustion and mental exhaustion that lead to decreased productivity.

Business Agility

The organization's capacity to easily adapt to change while maintaining its core values.

Business Analyst

Someone who helps the company improve processes and solve problems by using data.

Business Necessity

A legal concept used by employers to justify employment criteria that have disproportionately affected certain groups.

Business Partnership

A legal agreement between two or more parties that defines a shared ownership or operation of a certain business.