Agile HR

Definition

Applying agile methodology principles (flexibility, iteration, rapid feedback) to HR processes and strategies. It's HR pretending to be tech-savvy.

Example Usage

Our agile HR approach meant we changed our hiring process four times in six months, confusing everyone.

Origin

Emerged in the 2010s-2020s as agile spread beyond software development.

Fun Fact

True agile HR requires different thinking; many companies just slap 'agile' on existing processes.

Source: Contemporary HR Innovation

Related Terms

Advanced

Unretention

When companies fire or force out unwanted employees instead of them voluntarily leaving; basically managed involuntary departure.

👥 Human Resources

Advanced

Indemnification Clause

A legal protection in severance agreements where the company is shielded from lawsuits by employees in exchange for financial consideration, one-sided risk management.

👥 Human Resources

Intermediate

Diversity and Inclusion (D&I)

Initiatives aimed at ensuring workplace representation of varied backgrounds and creating an inclusive environment—often a checkbox exercise with minimal structural change.

👥 Human Resources

Beginner

Direct Report

An employee who reports directly to you, making you theoretically responsible for their development while practically just reviewing emails.

👥 Human Resources

Advanced

phantom stock

A compensation plan that mimics stock ownership benefits without actually giving employees real equity. They get cash bonuses tied to company value increases—all the performance pressure of ownership with none of the actual ownership.

👥 Human Resources

Intermediate

OKR

Objectives and Key Results, a goal-setting framework that promises alignment and accountability but mostly delivers quarterly arguments about what counts as a key result. It's the corporate New Year's resolution system -- set ambitiously in January, forgotten by March.

👥 Human Resources

Translate This Term

See “Agile HR” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.

Try the Translator

Share This Term

Post on X Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn

Discover a Term

Advanced

wiizza

The beautiful intersection of laziness and technology: ordering pizza through your Wii console's internet browser becaus...