Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Definition

Measurable metrics that track employee or company performance. They're how HR translates 'are you doing your job?' into data.

Example Usage

Customer service KPIs include average response time and satisfaction score.

Origin

Concept from total quality management in the 1980s

Fun Fact

Poorly designed KPIs can actually incentivize unethical behavior

Source: Performance Management

Related Terms

Intermediate

lump sum increase

A one-time payment rather than a permanent salary increase, letting companies reward employees without committing to higher ongoing costs. It's like getting a bonus disguised as a raise—exciting today, forgotten tomorrow.

👥 Human Resources

Intermediate

Conflict Resolution

HR's term for getting two coworkers to stop fighting long enough to fill out paperwork about the fight. It involves mediation, active listening, and pretending that a shared Google Doc about feelings will solve deep-seated professional resentment.

👥 Human Resources

Intermediate

time-to-fill

The number of days between posting a job opening and a candidate accepting the offer. The metric that reveals how desperately understaffed you've been while HR 'sources quality candidates.'

👥 Human Resources

Beginner

headcount freeze

A corporate proclamation that no new positions will be filled, typically announced right after three people quit and everyone else is drowning in work. It's management's way of saying 'do more with less' without actually saying it out loud.

👥 Human Resources

Intermediate

DEI

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion -- the corporate initiative that ranges from genuine organizational transformation to a single lunch-and-learn in February. The commitment level can usually be measured by whether DEI has its own budget or just a shared Google Drive folder.

👥 Human Resources

Intermediate

time to productivity

The period between when an employee starts and when they actually contribute value rather than just attending orientation sessions and asking where the bathroom is. It's HR's acknowledgment that new hires are expensive decorative objects for a while.

👥 Human Resources

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