Transcript
Dictionary of Human Resources
and Personnel Management
narrative 174 natural
N
narrative /_n_r?t v/ noun a descrip-tion of something as a story
narrative appraisal /_n_r?t v ?-
pre z(?)l/ noun a type of performance appraisal where the employee’s perfor-mance is described with illustrations of specific points about it
nation /_ne ?(?)n/ noun a country and the people living in it
national /_n_?(?)n?l/ adjective refer-ring to the whole of a particular country noun a person who is a citizen of a state
national agreement /n_?(?)n?l ?-
_ ri_m?nt/ noun an agreement between employers and a union at national level (i.e. covering the whole country)
National Council for Voca-
tional Qualifications /n_?(?)n?l ka?ns?l f? v??ke ?(?)n(?)l kw?l?f -
_ke ??nz/ noun full form of NCVQ
national executive (committee)
/n_?(?)n?l _zekj?t v k?m ti/ noun the main committee running a trade union
National Insurance /n_?(?)n?l n-
_???r?ns/ noun state insurance in the United Kingdom, organised by the gov-ernment, which pays for medical care, hospitals, unemployment benefits, etc. Abbr NI
national insurance benefits
/n_?(?)n?l n_???r?ns ben f ts/ plural noun various benefits which are dependent on having paid NI contribu-tions (such as retirement pension)
National Insurance contribu-tions /n_?(?)n?l n_???r?ns k?ntr -
bju_?(?)nz/ plural noun a proportion of income paid each month by an em-ployee and the employee’s company to the National Insurance. Abbr NIC
nationality /n_??_n_l ti/ noun the state of being a citizen of a particular country he is of British nationality he is a British citizen
National Occupational Health
and Safety Commission
/n_?(?)n?l ?kj?pe ?(?)n(?)l hel? ?n _se fti k?m ?(?)n/ noun a government
agency in Australia that is responsible for coordinating efforts to prevent in-jury, disease, and deaths occurring in the workplace
national union /n_?(?)n?l _ju_nj?n/ noun a central union organi-sation which coordinates local branches
National Vocational Qualifica-tion /n_?(?)n(?)l v??ke ?(?)n?l
kw?l f _ke ?(?)n/ noun a qualification awarded in the United Kingdom when a person successfully completes a course vocational training. Abbr NVQ (NOTE:
National Vocational Qualifications are based on standards developed by leading organisations in the industrial and commercial sectors, defining the skills or competences required in par-ticular occupations.)
national wage agreement
/n_?(?)n?l _we d" ? ri_m?nt/ noun an agreement reached through collective bargaining between trade unions and employers, which sets national rates of pay within particular industries or for particular jobs
nationwide /_ne ??nwa d/ adjective all over a country We offer a nation-wide delivery service. The new car is being launched with a nationwide sales campaign.
natural /_n_t?(?)r?l/ adjective 1. found in the earth The offices are heated by natural gas. 2. normal It was only natural that the shopkeeper
natural wastage 175 negotiation
should feel annoyed when the hyper-market was built close to his shop. It was natural for the workers to feel ag-grieved when production methods were changed without consultation.
natural wastage /n_t?(?)r?l _we st d"/ noun the process of losing employees because they resign or retire, not because they are made redundant or are sacked The company is hoping to avoid redundancies and reduce its staff by natural wastage.
NAV abbr net asset value
NCVQ noun a government body set up to validate the system of national quali-fications in vocational subjects. Abbr of
National Council for Vocational Qualifications
needs /ni_dz/ plural noun things that are necessary
needs assessment /_ni_dz ?-
sesm?nt/, assessment of needs /?-
sesm?nt ?v _ni_dz/ noun an analysis of an organisation’s manpower require-ments which can form the basis of train-ing plans Needs assessment pointed to a level of manpower requirements which the company could not finance.
negative /_ne ?t v/ adjective mean-ing ‘no’
neglect /n _ lekt/ noun the act of not doing a duty verb to neglect to do something to forget or omit to do some-thing which has to be done He ne-glected to return his income tax form.
neglected /n _ lekt d/ adjective not well looked after
neglected business /n lekt d _b zn s/ noun a company which has not been actively run by its owners and could therefore do better
negligence /_ne l d"?ns/ noun 1. a lack of proper care or not doing a duty (with the result that a person or property is harmed) 2. the act of not doing a job properly when one is capable of doing it
negligent /_ne l d"?nt/ adjective not taking appropriate care
negligently /_ne l d"?nt(?)li/ ad-verb in a way which shows negligence
negligent reference /ne l d"?nt _ref(?)r?ns/ noun a written reference
from an employer which could mislead another employer about an employee
negligible /_ne l d" b(?)l/ adjective very small
negotiable /n _ ???i?b(?)l/ adjective
which can be transferred from one person to another or exchanged for cash
which can be discussed so that an agreement is reached The employer’s offer was not negotiable, so when it was turned down a strike seemed inevitable. All parts of the offers are negotiable,
with the exception of the new manning levels. The salary for the job is negotiable.
‘…initial salary is negotiable around $45,000 per annum’ [Australian Financial Review]
negotiate /n _ ???ie t/ verb to ne-gotiate with someone to discuss a prob-lem or issue formally with someone, so as to reach an agreement to negotiate terms and conditions or a contract to discuss and agree the terms of a contract
to go back to the negotiating table to start negotiations again after a break
The two sides discussed the proposals, and, a week later, the management ne-gotiators returned to the negotiating ta-ble with improved proposals.
‘…many of the large travel agency chains are able to negotiate even greater discounts’ [Duns Business Month]
negotiating committee /n -
_ ???ie t ? k?m ti/ noun a group of representatives of management and un-ions who negotiate a wage settlement
negotiating team /n _ ???ie t ? ti_m/ noun a group which negotiates for one party in negotiations The union negotiating team asked for further time to consider the management’s proposals.
negotiation /n ???i_e ?(?)n/ noun the discussion of terms and conditions in order to reach an agreement con-tract under negotiation a contract which is being discussed a matter for negotiation something which must be discussed before a decision is reached to enter into or to start negotiations to start discussing a problem to resume negotiations to start discussing a prob-lem again, after talks have stopped for a time to break off negotiations to stop discussing a problem to conduct ne-
negotiator 176 news agency
gotiations to negotiate negotiations broke down after six hours discus-sions stopped because no agreement was possible breakdown in negotia-tions a halt in talking because no agree-ment has been reached, after negotiations have been in progress for some time resumption of negotia-tions a restarting of negotiations, after talks have stopped for a time
‘…after three days of tough negotiations, the company reached agreement with its 1,200 unionized workers’ [Toronto Star]
negotiator /n _ ???ie t?/ noun a per-son who discusses a problem with the aim of achieving agreement between different people or groups of people experienced union negotiator a mem-ber of a union who has a lot of experi-ence of discussing terms of employment with management
nepotism /_nep?t z(?)m/ noun the practice of giving preferential treatment to someone who is a relative or friend (especially giving a job to a member of the family who is less well qualified than other candidates) The staff talked about nepotism when the training offi-cer selected her nephew for manage-ment training.
net /net/ adjective referring to a price, weight, pay, etc., after all deductions have been made net profit before tax the profit of a company after expenses have been deducted but before tax has been paid verb to make a true profit to net a profit of £10,000 (NOTE: netting
– netted) adverb after deductions have been made His salary is paid net.
‘…out of its earnings a company will pay a dividend. When shareholders receive this it will be net, that is it will have had tax deducted at 30 per cent’ [Investors Chronicle]
net asset value /net __set v_lju_/ noun the total value of a company after deducting the money owed by it (it is the value of shareholders’ capital plus reserves and any money retained from profits). Abbr NAV
nethead /_nethed/ noun somebody who is obsessed with the Internet
(slang)
netiquette /_net ket/ noun the rules for proper procedure and good manners
that are usually observed when commu-nicating on the Internet (NOTE: The term
derives from the word ‘etiquette’.)
netizen /_net z(?)n/ noun a regular user of the Internet (slang)
net margin /net _m?_d" n/ noun the percentage difference between received price and all costs, including overheads
net pay /net _pe / noun same as take-home pay
net salary /net _s_l?ri/ noun the sal-ary which is left after deducting tax and National Insurance contributions
network /_netw__k/ noun a system which links different points together verb to link together in a network
networking /_netw__k ?/ noun 1. a working method where employees work at home on computer terminals, and send the finished material back to the central office by email 2. the practice of keeping in contact with former col-leagues, school friends, etc., so that all the members of the group can help each other in their careers
neurolinguistic
programming
/nju_r??l ? w st k
_pr?? r_m ?/
noun a theory of behaviour and commu-nication based on how people avoid change and how to help them to change. Abbr NLP
neutrality laws /nju__tr_l ti l?_z/ plural noun US laws relating to discrim-ination which must be observed by organisations
new /nju_/ adjective recent or not old under new management with a new owner
newbie /_nju_bi/ noun a person who is new to using the Internet (slang)
new blood /nju_ _bl$d/ same as fresh blood
new broom /nju_ _bru_m/ noun a manager or director brought into a com-pany to change existing practices and possibly remove old-established staff
news /nju_z/ noun information about things which have happened
news agency /_nju_z e d"?nsi/ noun an office which distributes news to newspapers and television stations
newsletter 177 non-directive counselling
newsletter /_nju_zlet?/ noun com-pany newsletter a printed sheet or small newspaper giving news about a company
newssheet /_nju_z?i_t/ noun a leaflet distributed by an organisation, giving the latest news about itself
next of kin /nekst ?v _k n/ noun the nearest member of the family (to be contacted if an employee dies or is in-volved in an accident)
NI abbr National Insurance
NIC abbr National Insurance contributions
nice guys finish last /na s a z f n ? _l?_st/ phrase a saying used in business to suggest that people should think about themselves first
nice-to-haves /na s t? _h_vz/ noun the benefits of a job, such as free park-ing or subsidised meals, which are good to have but not essential (informal)
night /na t/ noun a period of time from evening to morning
night duty /_na t dju_ti/ noun a pe-riod of work during the night
night shift /_na t ? ft/ noun a shift which works at night There are thirty men on the night shift.
nightwork /_na tw__k/ noun work done at night
NLP abbr neurolinguistic programming No., No abbr number
no-attention job /n?? ?_ten??n d"?b/ noun a job that can be done with
minimal concentration No-attention jobs create stress because of the bore-dom they produce.
no-claims bonus /n?? _kle mz b??n?s/ noun 1. a reduction of premi-
ums on an insurance policy because no claims have been made 2. a lower pre-mium paid because no claims have been made against the insurance policy
nomadic worker /n??m_d k _w__k?/ noun same as mobile worker
nominal /_n?m n(?)l/ adjective (of a payment) very small They are paying a nominal rent. The employment agency makes a nominal charge for its services.
nominal group technique
/n?m n(?)l _ ru_p tekni_k/ noun a group method of drawing out ideas from people on a specific topic Nominal group methods are used when represen-tatives from all the sales and production departments are considering new prod-uct ideas.
nominate /_n?m ne t/ verb to suggest someone for a job to nominate some-one to a post to appoint someone to a post without an election
nomination /n?m _ne ?(?)n/ noun the act of nominating someone for a position
nominee /n?m _ni_/ noun 1. a person who is nominated, especially someone who is appointed to deal with financial matters on your behalf 2. a person who is nominated for a job (NOTE: a person
may be nominated to a position without any other candidates being consid-ered, or without the post being adver-tised; the word implies a personal choice, rather than selection by a com-mittee. In other cases, it is better to use the words appoint, appointment, appointee)
COMMENT: Shares can be purchased and held in nominee accounts so that the identity of the owner of the shares cannot be discovered easily.
non- /n?n/ prefix not
non-analytical job evaluation
/n?n _n?l t k(?)l _d"?b v_lju-
e ?(?)n/ noun a way of evaluating a job, by giving each job a rank within the organisation (as opposed to the analyti-cal system, where each job is evaluated according to a points system)
non-conformance /n?n k?n-
_f?_m?ns/ noun the act of not con-forming He was criticised for non-conformance with the regulations.
non-contributory pension plan
/n?n k?ntr bj?t(?)ri _pen??n pl_n/,
non-contributory pension scheme / /n?n k?ntr bj?t(?)ri _pen??n ski_m/
noun a pension scheme where a com-pany, not the employee, pays all contri-butions The company pension scheme is non-contributory.
non-directive counselling /n?n da rekt v _ka?ns(?)l ?/ noun the giv-
non-directive interview 178 normal working
ing of professional advice to others on personal matters, without following a fixed form, but rather through open dis-cussion of problems
non-directive interview /n?n da -
_rekt v nt?vju_/, non-directed inter-view /n?n da _rekt d nt?vju_/ noun
an interview in which the questions are not set in advance and no fixed pattern is followed Non-directed interviews give candidates a good chance to show their creative potential.
non-disclosure agreement /n?n d s_kl??"?r ? ri_m?nt/ noun a legally
enforceable agreement that stops present or past employees from revealing com-mercially sensitive information belong-ing to their employer to anybody else
non-disparagement agreement
/n?n d _sp_r d"m?nt ? ri_m?nt/ noun an agreement intended to stop present or past employees from criticising their employers in public
(NOTE: Non-disparagement agree-ments are relatively new and it is not yet clear whether the courts will accept them as legally binding.)
non-executive director /n?n -
zekj?t v da _rekt?/ noun a director who attends board meetings and gives advice, but does not work full-time for the company
non-exempt employee /n?n -
zempt m_pl? i_/ noun a person whose wages are subject to minimum wage legislation
non-financial incentive scheme
/n?n fa n_n??l n_sent v ski_m/ noun a scheme that provides an incentive to employees to work harder or perform better that takes some other form than money
non-profit-making organisation
/n?n pr?f t me k ? ?_ ?na -
_ze ?(?)n/, non-profit organisation
/n?n _pr?f t ?_ ?na ze ?(?)n/ noun an organisation (such as a club) which is not allowed by law to make a profit
Non-profit-making organisations are exempted from tax. (NOTE: Non-profit
organisations include charities, pro-fessional associations, trade unions, and religious, arts, community, re-search, and campaigning bodies. The
American English is non-profit corporation.)
non-resident /_n?n_rez d?nt/ noun a person who is not considered a resident of a country for tax purposes He has a non-resident bank account.
non-taxable /n?n _t_ks?b(?)l/ ad-jective which is not subject to tax non-taxable income Lottery prizes are non-taxable.
non-union labour /n?n _ju_nj?n le b?/ noun employees who do not be-long to trade unions employed by a company
non-union member /n?n _ju_nj?n memb?/ noun a person who does not
belong to a trade union
non-verbal communication /n?n v__b(?)l k?mju_n _ke ?(?)n/ noun 1.
the communicating of a message using facial expressions or body language, but without speaking In negotiations, in-terpreting non-verbal communication is just as important as listening to what people say. 2. any form of communica-tion that is not expressed in words
(NOTE: Non-verbal communication, which includes, for example, body lan-guage, silence, failure or slowness to respond to a message and lateness in arriving for a meeting, is estimated to make up 65–90% of all communica-tion.)
norm /n?_m/ noun the usual quantity or the usual rate The output from this factory is well above the norm for the industry or well above the industry norm.
normal /_n?_m(?)l/ adjective usual or which happens regularly Normal de-liveries are made on Tuesdays and Fri-days. Now that supply difficulties have been resolved we hope to resume normal service as soon as possible.
normally /_n?_m(?)li/ adverb in the usual way The production line is working normally again after the stoppage.
normal working /n?_m(?)l _w__k ?/ noun working in the usual way Nor-mal working will be resumed as soon as the men return to work on Monday.
normal working week 179 NVQ
normal working week /n?_m(?)l _w__k ? wi_k/ noun the usual number of hours worked per week Even though she is a freelance, she works a normal working week.
normative /_n?_m?t v/ adjective be-lieving that everything should be agreed in writing and should then be binding on all parties
norms /n?_mz/ plural noun the values of an organisation or of society The induction period will familiarise work-ers with the norms of the organisation.
no-smoking office /n?? _sm??k ?
?f s/ noun an office where smoking is not allowed
no-strike agreement /n?? _stra k ? ri_m?nt/, no-strike clause /n?? _stra k kl?_z/ noun (a clause in) an
agreement where the employees say that they will never strike
notary public /n??t?ri _p$bl k/ noun a lawyer who has the authority to witness documents and spoken state-ments, making them official (NOTE: plu-
ral is notaries public)
notch /n?t?/ noun an increment on a salary scale
notice /_n??t s/ noun 1. a piece of written information The company sec-retary pinned up a notice about the pen-sion scheme. 2. an official warning that a contract is going to end or that terms are going to be changed until further notice until different instructions are given You must pay £200 on the 30th of each month until further notice. without notice with no warning with-out prior notice with no advance warn-ing to give advance notice of to inform someone officially that some-thing will happen several weeks in the future 3. official written information that an employee is leaving their job on a certain date she gave in or handed in her notice she resigned 4. the time allowed before something takes place
We require three months’ notice at short notice with very little warning
The bank manager will not see anyone at short notice.
noticeboard /_n??t sb?_d/ noun a board fixed to a wall where notices can be put up Did you see the new list of prices on the noticeboard?
notice of appearance /n??t s ?v ?_p ?r?ns/ noun the lodging by an em-
ployer of a document to confirm their intention to defend an application by an employee to an industrial tribunal
notice of maternity absence
/n??t s ?v m?_t__n ti _bs?ns/ noun a statutory notice given by an employee that she is going to be absent from work to have a baby
notice period /_n??t s p ?ri?d/, period of notice /p ?ri?d ?v _n??t s/
noun the time stated in the contract of employment which the employee or company has to allow between resign-ing or being fired and the employee ac-tually leaving their job (an employee has to give at least one week’s notice and an employer has to give between one week and twelve weeks’ notice, de-pending on the employee’s length of service)
notification /n??t f _ke ?(?)n/ noun the act of informing someone of something
notify /_n??t fa / verb to notify someone of something to tell someone something formally The management were notified of the union’s decision.
nuisance /_nju_s(?)ns/ noun some-thing which causes harm or inconve-nience to someone or to property
numerical order /nju_mer k(?)l _?_d?/ noun an arrangement by numbers
Put these invoices in numerical order.
nursery /_n__s(?)ri/ noun a special room or building where babies and small children can be looked after (not necessarily on the company’s premises)
The company offers nursery provision to its staff. Compare crèche
NVQ abbr National Vocational Qualification
