HR TERMS - ALPHABET B

ALPHABET "B"

Balanced Scorecard - A popular strategic management concept developed in the early 1990's by Drs. Robert Kaplan and David Norton, the balanced scorecard is a management and measurement system which enables organisations to clarify their vision and strategy and translate them into action. The goal of the balanced scorecard is to tie business performance to organisational strategy by measuring results in four areas: financial performance, customer knowledge, internal business processes, and learning and growth.

Behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS) - An appraisal that requires raters list important dimensions of a particular job and collect information regarding the critical behaviors that distinguish between successful and unsuccessful performance. These critical behaviours are then categorised and appointed a numerical value which is used as the basis for rating performance.

Behavioural based interview - An interview technique which focuses on a candidates past experiences, behaviours, knowledge, skills and abilities by asking the candidate to provide specific examples of when they have demonstrated certain behaviours or skills as a means of predicting future behaviour and performance.

Behavioural competency - The behaviour of the employee which is the subject of measurement and appraisal in terms of whether or not the behaviours shown by an employee are those identified by job analysis/competency profiling as those contributing to team and/or organisational success.

Benchmarking - A technique using quantitative or qualitative data to make comparisons between different organisations or different sections of the organisations.

Bereavement leave - Section 69 to 72 of the Holidays Act 2003 provides a specific number of paid days off following the death of an employee’s spouse, parent, child grandparent or in-law so that the employee may attend funeral proceedings, etc.

Branding - The process of identifying and differentiating an organization’s products, processes or services from another organization by giving it a name, phrase or other mark.

Broadbanding - A pay structure that consolidates a large number of narrower pay grades into fewer broad bands with wider salary ranges.

Bumping - The practice of allowing more senior level employees whose positions have been slotted for elimination or downsizing the option of accepting an alternative position within the organisation, for which they may be qualified to perform and which is currently occupied by another employee with less seniority.