disparate impact

Advanced 👥 Human Resources

Definition

Employment practices that appear neutral but disproportionately harm protected groups—essentially discrimination by spreadsheet rather than intent. It's illegal even when accidental, requiring employers to prove business necessity.

Example Usage

The algorithm screening resumes had disparate impact, rejecting female candidates at twice the rate of males due to biased training data.

Origin

Legal doctrine established by Griggs v. Duke Power Co. (1971), formalized in 1978 Uniform Guidelines

Fun Fact

The 'four-fifths rule' is the statistical test: if one group's selection rate is less than 80% of the highest group's rate, disparate impact may exist and trigger investigation.

Source: Civil Rights Act Title VII and EEOC enforcement guidelines

Related Terms

Beginner

package

In HR contexts, the complete compensation and benefits offering presented to an employee, including salary, bonuses, health insurance, retirement contributions, and various perks. It's how companies describe "what we're paying you" while making it sound more impressive by bundling in the dental plan and free coffee. Negotiating your package is essential because base salary tells only part of the story.

👥 Human Resources
Beginner

competitive compensation package

A vague promise in job postings that usually means below-market salary plus benefits everyone else offers anyway. It's competitive only if you're comparing against companies actively trying to underpay people.

👥 Human Resources
Advanced

worker misclassification

Illegally treating employees as independent contractors to avoid taxes, benefits, and labor protections. It's wage theft with extra steps and a business model for the gig economy.

👥 Human Resources
Intermediate

bench strength

The depth of talent available within an organization to fill key positions when current leaders depart. Think of it as your company's farm team, except everyone already knows where the bathrooms are.

👥 Human Resources
Intermediate

succession

The formal process of passing power, position, or property from one party to the next, whether it's a CEO, a monarch, or your aunt's prized ceramic cat collection. In corporate and political circles, succession planning is the art of ensuring the ship doesn't sink when the captain retires. Also known as "musical chairs for grown-ups with actual consequences."

👥 Human Resources
Intermediate

disengagement

In HR contexts, the state of emotional and mental disconnection employees experience from their work, colleagues, or organization. It's what happens when people show up physically but checked out mentally months ago, doing the bare minimum while updating their LinkedIn profiles. Companies spend millions trying to measure and reverse it, usually by adding more meetings about engagement.

👥 Human Resources

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