Category
Two parallel career paths — one progressing through people management, the other through technical depth and scope of influence — created because organisations kept losing their best technical people
A structured description of the behaviours, skills and knowledge an organisation expects at each level — used for recruitment, promotion, development and performance management, so that the same
A process an employer must follow before dismissing for redundancy — and consultation must be genuine and happen while proposals are still capable of being influenced, which is the requirement most
A structured method for determining the relative size of jobs within an organisation, so that pay can be set on a consistent basis rather than through individual negotiation — and it is the main
Collective action by workers to put pressure on an employer — and in the UK it is lawful only where a detailed set of statutory requirements has been met, any one of which can render it unlawful. The
The formal route for raising a concern about your employment with your employer — and although the procedure itself is not directly enforceable, following it matters because failing to can reduce
A change an employer must make to remove a substantial disadvantage faced by a disabled worker — and it is a legal duty, not a discretionary accommodation, which is the distinction that matters most.
Protection from dismissal and detriment for making a protected disclosure — and the protection is narrower and more technical than the word "whistleblowing" suggests, with several conditions that
A specialist tribunal hearing claims about employment rights — less formal than a court, with its own procedure, and governed by very short time limits that end more claims than any argument about
Resigning in response to a fundamental breach of contract by the employer, and being treated in law as having been dismissed — which is why it is described as constructive: the dismissal is
Represents members in dealings with their employer — individually in disputes, and collectively in negotiation — with specific statutory rights that make the role more than informal support. The
Equal pay is a legal right to the same pay for the same or equivalent work; the gender pay gap is a statistical measure of average earnings across a whole workforce. An organisation can comply fully
Burnout is a specific occupational syndrome, not a synonym for being very tired or very stressed — and the distinction matters because the responses that help are different. The definition. The World
A secondment is a temporary move to a different role, team or organisation, with an agreed return — you remain employed by your original employer throughout, which is the feature that distinguishes
Yes, and the mechanism is better understood than the advice usually suggests — which matters, because knowing why it works tells you what kind of networking to do. The finding behind it. Mark
A pay band is a defined range for a role or grade, with a minimum and a maximum — and understanding where within a band people actually sit explains most of what seems arbitrary about pay. The
It is an assessment to advise the employer on your fitness for work and what adjustments might help — not a treatment appointment, and not a disciplinary step, though it frequently feels like one
In the UK, flexible working is a statutory request process with defined steps and a limited set of grounds for refusal — not simply asking a manager nicely, though it frequently starts that way. What
Far more narrowly than most people assume — the widespread belief that a former employer can say whatever they like, or that they are obliged to give a reference at all, is wrong in both directions.
IR35 — formally the off-payroll working rules — is UK tax legislation addressing people who work through their own company but who, stripped of that company, would look like employees of the client.
The terms are used loosely and overlap, but they describe genuinely different relationships — in who you work for, what you are selling, and how you are paid and taxed. Temporary worker (temp).
The job description describes the role; the person specification describes the person who could do it. They answer different questions, and reading them as one document is why applications miss the
A portfolio career means earning from several concurrent sources — part-time employment, freelance clients, consultancy, teaching, a business — rather than one full-time job. It is viable for many
A settlement agreement is a legally binding contract in which an employee agrees to waive their right to bring claims against the employer, usually in exchange for a payment. It was formerly called a