Bench Time

Intermediate 👥 Human Resources

Definition

The period when an employee is fully paid but has no assigned project, secretly the best part of consulting life.

Example Usage

I'm on the bench for the next two weeks, which means I'm getting paid to attend webinars and pretend to be busy.

Origin

Sports terminology adapted by professional services firms

Fun Fact

Bench time is HR's worst nightmare for billability and employees' best-kept secret for actual rest.

Source: Professional services and consulting jargon

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