Reference
HR and people software glossary
Plain definitions of the terms that come up when you buy or run HR, employee communication and learning software.
360-degree feedback
360-degree feedback is a method in which an employee receives structured, usually anonymous feedback from several directions: their manager, peers, direct reports and sometimes customers, alongside a self-assessment. The results show how the person's behavior is perceived from different angles and highlight gaps between self-image and others' views. It is most often used for leadership development rather than pay decisions. Good 360 programs use a limited set of behavior-based questions and include a debrief with a coach or manager.
ATS (applicant tracking system)
An ATS is software that manages recruiting, from publishing job postings to hiring a candidate. It collects applications in one place, lets recruiters and hiring managers screen and rate candidates, schedules interviews, stores feedback and sends offers. Most ATS products post to job boards and a careers page, track candidates through pipeline stages and report on time to hire and source of hire. In Europe an ATS must also handle GDPR requirements for candidate data, such as consent, retention periods and deletion of unsuccessful applicants' records.
Continuous performance management
Continuous performance management is an approach in which managers and employees discuss goals, progress and feedback regularly throughout the year instead of relying mainly on an annual review. It relies on frequent one-on-ones, short check-ins, ongoing goal updates and real-time feedback and recognition. Formal reviews may still happen, but they summarize conversations that already took place. Performance management software supports the approach with check-in templates, goal tracking, feedback requests and notes that managers can draw on at review time.
Employee app
An employee app is a mobile-first application that gives staff one place for company news, messages, documents, forms and links to other work tools. It is aimed especially at employees without a company email address or desk, such as retail, logistics, healthcare and hospitality staff. Typical features include a news feed, chat, push notifications, surveys, shift information and translation. Employee apps are often part of a wider employee communication platform that also includes an intranet for desk-based staff.
Employee experience (EX)
Employee experience is the sum of what employees encounter and perceive across their time at an organization, from recruiting and onboarding to daily work, development and leaving. It covers the physical workplace, the tools and processes people use, relationships with managers and colleagues, and the culture. HR teams use the term to look at work from the employee's point of view, in the same way companies look at customer experience. EX is usually measured through engagement surveys, pulse surveys, eNPS and lifecycle surveys at moments such as onboarding and exit.
Employee recognition
Employee recognition is the practice of acknowledging employees' contributions, behaviors and achievements, either formally or informally. It ranges from a manager's thank-you and public shout-outs to peer-to-peer recognition programs, service awards and points that can be exchanged for rewards. Effective recognition is timely, specific about what the person did and linked to company values. Recognition software and many employee apps include social feeds where colleagues can recognize each other and where HR can see which teams give and receive recognition.
Engagement survey
An engagement survey is a structured questionnaire, usually run once or twice a year, that measures how committed, motivated and connected employees feel to their work and organization. It typically contains 30 to 60 questions covering areas such as management, growth, recognition, workload, communication and intent to stay. Results are reported by team, location and demographic group, often with benchmarks. The value of an engagement survey depends on confidentiality, sharing results openly and following up with concrete action plans.
eNPS (employee Net Promoter Score)
eNPS is a metric that measures how likely employees are to recommend their organization as a place to work. Employees answer one question on a 0 to 10 scale. Those scoring 9 or 10 are promoters, 7 or 8 passives, and 0 to 6 detractors. The score is the percentage of promoters minus the percentage of detractors, so it ranges from -100 to +100. eNPS is quick to run and easy to track over time, but it does not explain why people feel as they do, so it is usually paired with follow-up questions.
Frontline (deskless) worker
A frontline or deskless worker is an employee whose job is done away from a desk and computer, for example in stores, warehouses, factories, hospitals, hotels, vehicles or on construction sites. These employees often have no corporate email account or laptop, work in shifts and have limited time to read company messages. As a result they are harder to reach with traditional internal communication and HR tools. Employers usually reach them through mobile employee apps, kiosks, messaging tools and team leads.
Gantt chart
A Gantt chart is a horizontal bar chart that shows a project schedule, with tasks listed on the vertical axis and time on the horizontal axis. Each bar represents a task's start date, duration and end date, and lines between bars show dependencies, where one task cannot start until another finishes. Gantt charts make it easy to see the critical path, overlapping work and the effect of delays. They are a standard view in project management software, alongside lists, boards and calendars.
HCM (human capital management)
HCM is a broad category of software that covers the full employee lifecycle, from recruiting and onboarding through performance, learning, compensation and workforce planning, on top of core HR records. The term signals a strategic view of staff as an asset to develop, not only to administer. HCM suites, sold by vendors such as Workday, SAP and Oracle, typically bundle many modules on one data model. In practice the boundaries between HCM, HRIS and HRMS overlap, and vendors use the labels loosely, so buyers should compare actual modules rather than names.
HRIS (human resources information system)
An HRIS is software that stores and manages core employee records, such as personal details, job titles, contracts, salaries, time off and reporting lines. It acts as the system of record for the workforce, so other tools (payroll, benefits, learning, employee apps) pull employee data from it rather than keeping their own copies. Most HRIS products add employee self-service, document storage, absence management and basic reporting. Smaller organizations often use an HRIS as their main HR tool, while larger ones connect it to specialist systems for recruiting, performance and payroll.
HRMS (human resources management system)
An HRMS is software that combines core HR records with day-to-day HR processes such as payroll, time and attendance, absence, benefits administration and often recruiting and performance. It sits between an HRIS, which focuses on employee data, and an HCM suite, which adds strategic talent functions. In vendor marketing the three terms are frequently used interchangeably. When evaluating an HRMS, check which modules are native, which require partners, and whether payroll is supported in every country where you employ people.
Intranet
An intranet is a private, access-controlled website or platform where an organization publishes news, policies, documents, team pages and links to internal tools for its employees. Traditional intranets were desktop sites built on platforms like SharePoint. Modern intranets add personalized news feeds, search across connected systems, social features and mobile access. An intranet mainly serves desk-based staff, while an employee app targets frontline workers, and many employee communication platforms now combine both in one product.
Kanban
Kanban is a method for managing work by visualizing it on a board with columns that represent stages, such as To do, In progress and Done. Each task is a card that moves across the board as work progresses. A core principle is limiting work in progress, so teams finish tasks before starting new ones and bottlenecks become visible. Kanban originated in Toyota's manufacturing system and was later adapted for software and knowledge work. Most project and work management tools offer a Kanban board view.
KPI (key performance indicator)
A KPI is a measurable value that shows how well an organization, team or individual is performing against an important goal. Examples in HR include voluntary turnover, time to hire, absence rate and training completion. KPIs are tracked continuously and usually stay stable over long periods, while OKRs set ambitious targets for a fixed period. A good KPI has a clear definition, a data source, an owner and a target or acceptable range, so it can trigger action when it moves.
LMS (learning management system)
An LMS is software that delivers, tracks and reports on training. Administrators upload or build courses, assign them to employees, set deadlines and see completion rates and test scores. An LMS is the standard tool for mandatory and compliance training, because it produces an audit trail of who completed what and when. Most support common e-learning standards such as SCORM and xAPI, so courses from content vendors can be imported. An LMS is typically administrator-driven, which is the main difference from a learning experience platform.
LXP (learning experience platform)
An LXP is learning software built around the learner's choices rather than assigned courses. It aggregates content from many sources (internal courses, video libraries, articles, external providers), recommends material based on role, skills and behavior, and lets employees share and curate content themselves. LXPs focus on self-directed development and skill building, while an LMS focuses on assigned and compliance training. Many organizations run both, or buy a platform that combines LMS administration with LXP-style discovery.
Offboarding
Offboarding is the process of managing an employee's departure from an organization. It includes final pay and benefits, returning equipment, revoking access to systems and buildings, transferring knowledge and responsibilities, and often an exit interview to learn why the person is leaving. Fast and complete access removal is an important security and compliance step. In the EU, offboarding also involves applying data retention rules to the former employee's personal data. Done well, offboarding leaves the door open for alumni to return or refer others.
OKR (objectives and key results)
OKRs are a goal-setting framework in which an objective states what a team wants to achieve and two to five key results define measurable outcomes that show whether it was achieved. OKRs are usually set quarterly, shared openly across the organization and aligned between company, team and individual levels. Key results are meant to be ambitious, so reaching about 70 percent is often considered a good outcome. The framework was popularized by Intel and Google and is supported by dedicated OKR and performance management software.
Onboarding
Onboarding is the process of integrating a new hire into an organization so they become productive and connected. It covers administrative tasks such as contracts, equipment and system access, but also role training, introductions to colleagues, explanation of goals and culture, and regular check-ins with the manager. Structured onboarding programs often run for the first 90 days or longer. Onboarding software automates task lists across HR, IT and managers and gives new hires a single place to find what they need.
People analytics
People analytics is the use of workforce data to understand and improve decisions about employees and the organization. It draws on data from the HRIS, payroll, recruiting, performance, surveys and collaboration tools to answer questions about turnover, hiring quality, pay equity, engagement drivers and workforce planning. Methods range from basic dashboards to statistical models. In Europe, people analytics must respect GDPR principles such as purpose limitation and data minimization, and in many countries it requires consultation with the works council.
Performance review
A performance review is a formal assessment of an employee's work over a set period, typically conducted by their manager once or twice a year. It usually covers results against goals, behaviors or competencies, development needs and sometimes a rating that feeds into pay and promotion decisions. Many organizations combine self-assessments, manager input and peer feedback. Because annual reviews are often criticized as infrequent and backward-looking, many companies now supplement them with regular check-ins as part of continuous performance management.
Preboarding
Preboarding is the period between a candidate accepting an offer and their first day of work. During preboarding the employer completes paperwork, prepares equipment and accounts, shares practical information about the first day and keeps the new hire engaged with welcome messages, introductions or early content about the company. Good preboarding reduces the risk of a new hire dropping out before starting and lets them be productive sooner. It is usually managed in onboarding software or the HRIS through a dedicated new-hire portal.
Pulse survey
A pulse survey is a short employee survey, typically five to fifteen questions, run frequently, for example weekly, monthly or quarterly. Its purpose is to track how sentiment changes over time and to get quick feedback on specific topics, such as a reorganization, a new tool or return-to-office plans. Because pulse surveys are short, response rates tend to stay high. They complement rather than replace a longer annual engagement survey. Results are only useful if managers see them quickly and act on them.
RACI matrix
A RACI matrix is a chart that clarifies roles for each task or decision in a project by assigning people to one of four categories. Responsible means doing the work, Accountable means owning the outcome and signing off, Consulted means giving input before the work is done, and Informed means being kept up to date. Each task should have exactly one accountable person. A RACI matrix helps prevent duplicated work, unclear ownership and stalled decisions, especially in cross-functional projects such as software rollouts.
SSO and SCIM provisioning
Single sign-on (SSO) lets employees log in to many applications with one set of company credentials, managed by an identity provider such as Microsoft Entra ID, Okta or Google. SCIM (System for Cross-domain Identity Management) is an open standard that automatically creates, updates and deactivates user accounts in those applications when employees join, change roles or leave. Together they reduce password problems and make sure departing staff lose access promptly. Buyers should check whether SSO and SCIM are included or limited to higher price tiers.
Total rewards
Total rewards is the full package of value an employer offers in exchange for work, beyond base salary. It typically includes pay and bonuses, benefits such as pensions and health insurance, paid leave, flexible working, learning and career development, recognition and wellbeing programs. A total rewards approach looks at these elements together, so the employer can explain the complete offer to candidates and employees and design it around what different groups value. Many companies share a personal total rewards statement with each employee once a year.
Workforce management (WFM)
Workforce management is the set of processes and software used to make sure the right number of people with the right skills are working at the right times. It includes demand forecasting, shift scheduling, time and attendance tracking, absence and leave management, and labor cost reporting. WFM is essential in shift-based sectors such as retail, healthcare, contact centers, logistics and manufacturing. Modern WFM tools let employees view schedules, swap shifts and request leave on a mobile app, while applying working time rules automatically.
Works council
A works council is an elected body of employee representatives that has legal rights to information, consultation and in some cases co-determination on workplace decisions. Works councils are common in EU countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, France and Austria. In Germany, for example, the works council has co-determination rights over technical systems that can monitor employee behavior or performance. As a result, introducing HR software, employee apps or analytics often requires works council agreement, alongside a GDPR assessment of how employee data is processed.