UK HR glossary, in plain English

H

48-hour opt-out

A worker’s written agreement to work more than an average of 48 hours a week.

A

Acas Code of Practice

The Acas Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures sets out the minimum fair process: investigate, tell the person in writing, hold a meeting, let them be accompanied, decide, and offer an appeal.

Authorising Officer

The senior person responsible for how an organisation uses its sponsor licence, and for the actions of the people who use the Sponsor Management System for it.

B

Bradford factor

A score for short, frequent sickness absence: the number of separate spells squared, times the total days off.

C

Certificate of sponsorship (CoS)

An electronic record a licensed sponsor assigns through the Sponsor Management System to a worker it wants to sponsor.

E

Employer Checking Service (ECS)

The Home Office service an employer asks to confirm someone’s right to work when they cannot show it themselves, usually because an application to extend their permission is still being decided.

F

Fire and rehire (Dismissal and re-engagement)

Dismissing employees and offering to take them back on new, usually worse, terms, when they will not agree a change.

Fit note (Statement of fitness for work)

A doctor’s or other healthcare professional’s statement that someone is not fit for work, or may be fit with some help.

Flexible working request

A formal request by an employee to change their hours, times or place of work.

G

Grievance

A concern, problem or complaint an employee raises with their employer.

I

Irregular-hours worker

Someone whose paid hours vary wholly or mostly from one pay period to the next, such as many zero-hours staff.

L

Level 1 user

A person who can use a sponsor’s Sponsor Management System account to assign certificates of sponsorship, report changes and manage other users.

N

National Living Wage (National Minimum Wage)

The lowest hourly pay the law allows.

P

Pay in lieu of notice (PILON)

Paying someone for their notice period instead of having them work it, so their employment ends straight away.

Positive Verification Notice (PVN)

The Employer Checking Service’s confirmation that someone has the right to work.

Q

Qualifying period

How long someone must be employed before they can claim ordinary unfair dismissal.

R

Right to be accompanied

A worker’s legal right to bring a colleague or a trade union representative to a disciplinary or grievance hearing.

Right to work check

The check every UK employer must make, before employment starts, that someone is allowed to work in the UK.

Rolled-up holiday pay

Paying holiday pay as an addition to each pay packet, usually 12.

S

Share code

A code a person makes in their UKVI account to let an employer see their immigration status online.

Sponsor Management System (SMS)

The Home Office’s online system a licensed sponsor uses to assign certificates of sponsorship and report changes about its workers and itself.

Statutory excuse

An employer’s protection from a civil penalty for illegal working, earned by doing a right to work check correctly and on time.

Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP)

Pay for up to 39 weeks of maternity leave for employees who meet the length of service and earnings tests: 90% of average weekly earnings for the first six weeks, then a flat weekly rate or 90% if lower.

Statutory redundancy pay

The minimum an employer must pay an employee with at least two years’ service who is made redundant: a number of weeks’ pay for each full year worked, depending on their age, with a cap on a week’s pay that changes each April.

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)

The minimum an employer must pay an employee who is off sick.

T

Time off for dependants (Emergency leave)

An employee’s right to reasonable time off to deal with an emergency involving a dependant, such as a child falling ill or care arrangements breaking down.

Time off in lieu (TOIL)

Paid time off given instead of payment for extra hours worked.

W

Written statement of employment particulars

The document every employee and worker must be given setting out the main terms of their work, such as pay, hours, holiday and the start date.