Reference · 200 terms

The Urban Glossary

Nobody was ever going to tell you how it works, so I did; now pass it on. Every term here has a plain definition and one sentence on why it matters. Terms labeled Urban term are the vocabulary this practice uses to name what standard HR leaves out.

California rules are summarized for general information, current as of September 2026, and are not legal advice for your situation.

200 terms

Urban terms Pay and offers Negotiation Career moves Equity and corporate Benefits and rewards California employment law Hiring and people operations Employee relations and separations AI, data, and bias HR foundations

13 terms

Urban terms

These are the terms this practice uses. See them at work in career tiers for urban professionals, HR services for urban organizations, and AI and HR.

Urban professional
A first-generation or underrepresented professional who earned their seat on merit and is negotiating for what that seat is worth, without an inherited playbook.
Why it matters: Urban professionals carry more to the same table than suburban professionals, and the standard advice was never written for that load.
Urban term, coined by Urban Human Resources.
Urban organization
Any employer built by or for the people the system reads last, growing on its own revenue: startups, minority-owned businesses, and nonprofits of 10 to 150 people, in any legal structure.
Why it matters: HR consulting is built to serve the company; urban organizations needed a term for the employers it forgot.
Urban term, coined by Urban Human Resources.
Urban corporation
An urban organization that is legally incorporated as a C or S corporation, with equity, officer roles, a board, and investor questions in the HR picture.
Why it matters: Incorporation changes the advice, so it earns its own term.
Urban term, coined by Urban Human Resources.
Suburban professional
A professional who arrived with an inherited playbook: parents, mentors, or a network who already knew how offers, raises, and promotions work.
Why it matters: The contrast shows what the urban professional is missing, which is information, not ability.
Urban term, coined by Urban Human Resources.
The system reads last
Describes the people and employers that hiring, pay, lending, and AI systems evaluate with the least attention and the most suspicion.
Why it matters: It names the pattern without naming a ZIP code, which is why urban describes people rather than places.
Urban term, coined by Urban Human Resources.
Inherited playbook
The unwritten rules about pay, negotiation, and promotion passed down inside families and networks that already hold senior roles.
Why it matters: Most career advice assumes you have one; urban professionals usually do not.
Urban term, coined by Urban Human Resources.
The load
Everything an urban professional carries into a negotiation beyond the job itself: family expectations, being the first, and the cost of being read wrong.
Why it matters: The same ask weighs more when you carry more, and the plan has to account for it.
Urban term, coined by Urban Human Resources.
First-offer tax
The lifetime pay lost by accepting an employer's first offer without negotiating, compounded through every raise that follows.
Why it matters: A $10,000 difference at the start can grow to about $269,000 over twenty years at 3% raises.
Urban term, coined by Urban Human Resources.
Anomaly trap
What happens when an AI system or pay model treats a person whose background does not fit the average as an error to be corrected rather than a signal to be read.
Why it matters: If a model rules out your ZIP code, it rules out you; knowing the trap is the first step to getting around it.
Urban term, coined by Urban Human Resources.
Same words, different risk
The finding that two people can make the identical request and face different consequences depending on how they are read.
Why it matters: The negotiation plan has to protect how the ask is received, not only raise the number.
Urban term, coined by Urban Human Resources.
Counterprogramming
Content built for the audience the default leaves out, offered at the same time the default runs.
Why it matters: Urban Human Resources is counterprogramming for HR: the same rules, written for the people standard HR advice skips.
Urban term, coined by Urban Human Resources.
Keep It Real answer
An answer that gives the standard AI reply and then corrects it for the person actually asking, including what the average leaves out.
Why it matters: It shows the gap between advice for everyone and advice for you.
Urban term, coined by Urban Human Resources.
Price the person, not the average
The principle that pay and value should be set on what an individual brings, not on the averages of where they come from.
Why it matters: Averages were built on people who were never the urban professional.
Urban term, coined by Urban Human Resources.

22 terms

Pay and offers

Base salary
The fixed annual pay for a role before bonuses, equity, or benefits.
Why it matters: Most future raises and bonuses are calculated as a percentage of base, so it compounds.
Total compensation
Base salary plus bonus, equity, benefits, and other pay combined into one annual value.
Why it matters: Comparing offers on base alone can hide a large difference in total value.
Pay band
The minimum-to-maximum range an employer sets for a role or level.
Why it matters: Knowing the band tells you how much room exists before you ask.
Pay range disclosure
California's requirement that employers with 15 or more employees include the pay scale in job postings and give it to current employees on request (Labor Code 432.3).
Why it matters: The range is your first data point, and it is required by law.
Midpoint
The middle of a pay band, often treated as the rate for someone fully competent in the role.
Why it matters: Offers below the midpoint signal room to negotiate for an experienced hire.
Compa-ratio
Your pay divided by the midpoint of your band.
Why it matters: A compa-ratio well below 1.0 for a strong performer is evidence for a raise.
Market rate
What employers are paying for comparable roles in the same labor market.
Why it matters: Market data turns a request into a fact rather than a feeling.
Signing bonus
A one-time payment for accepting an offer, often used to close a gap the employer cannot fix in base pay.
Why it matters: It is easier to win than base pay, but it does not compound.
Clawback
A clause requiring you to repay a signing bonus or relocation money if you leave before a set date.
Why it matters: Read the clawback before you count the bonus as yours.
Relocation package
Money or services an employer provides to cover the cost of moving for a job.
Why it matters: It is negotiable and often left unasked for.
Offer letter
The written document stating the terms of a job offer: title, pay, start date, and conditions.
Why it matters: If it is not in the letter, it is not guaranteed.
Exploding offer
An offer with a short deadline designed to prevent comparison shopping.
Why it matters: A reasonable request for more time is almost always granted.
Counteroffer
An improved offer made in response to a competing offer or a resignation.
Why it matters: Accepting one without a plan can leave you marked as a flight risk.
Salary history ban
California's prohibition on employers asking about your past pay (Labor Code 432.3).
Why it matters: Your past pay cannot legally be used to anchor your new pay.
Anchoring
The tendency for the first number stated in a negotiation to shape everything that follows.
Why it matters: Whoever anchors first, with evidence, usually moves the final number.
Pay compression
When newer hires earn close to or more than longer-tenured employees in the same role.
Why it matters: It creates retention risk for employers and leverage for the people being compressed.
Pay equity
Paying employees fairly for substantially similar work regardless of sex, race, or ethnicity.
Why it matters: California requires it under the Equal Pay Act, Labor Code 1197.5.
Pay data report
The annual report California employers with 100 or more employees file with the Civil Rights Department, showing pay by job category, race, ethnicity, and sex (Government Code 12999).
Why it matters: The data exists; employers can be asked what it shows.
Cost of living adjustment
A raise tied to inflation rather than performance.
Why it matters: A cost of living raise keeps you even; it does not move you forward.
Merit increase
A raise tied to performance ratings.
Why it matters: Knowing the merit budget tells you the ceiling before you ask.
Promotion increase
The raise that comes with a move to a higher level.
Why it matters: The pay at the new level is negotiable, just like an outside offer.
Retention bonus
A payment to keep a valued employee through a set period, often during a merger or project.
Why it matters: If you are being offered one, you have leverage.

20 terms

Negotiation

BATNA
Best alternative to a negotiated agreement: what you will do if this deal does not happen.
Why it matters: Your walk-away option sets how hard you can push.
Walk-away number
The lowest offer you will accept, decided before the conversation starts.
Why it matters: Deciding it in advance keeps the moment from deciding it for you.
Target number
The specific figure you are aiming for, supported by market data.
Why it matters: A precise, sourced number reads as research rather than a wish.
Range ask
Stating a range instead of one number, with the bottom set at your real target.
Why it matters: Employers tend to land near the bottom, so the bottom has to be the number you want.
Counter
Your response to an offer, proposing different terms.
Why it matters: Most employers expect at least one counter and build room for it.
Package trade
Moving value between pay components, such as more equity for less base, to close a gap.
Why it matters: When base is capped, value can still move.
Deadline extension
A request for more time to decide on an offer.
Why it matters: It protects your ability to compare offers without signaling a lack of interest.
Competing offer
An offer from another employer used as evidence of your market value.
Why it matters: It is the strongest leverage there is, and it must be real.
Verbal offer
An offer stated in conversation before anything is written.
Why it matters: Negotiate after the verbal, confirm after the written.
Framing
Naming how you want a statement understood before you make it.
Why it matters: Framing takes the heat off the messenger.
Recap email
A short written summary sent after a conversation, stating what was asked, said, and agreed.
Why it matters: It turns a conversation into a record.
Scripting
Preparing the exact words for the hardest moments of a negotiation.
Why it matters: Under pressure, people say what they have rehearsed.
Rehearsal
Practicing the negotiation out loud, with pushback, before the real conversation.
Why it matters: Delivery decides how the words land.
Silence
Pausing after an offer or counter instead of filling the space.
Why it matters: The first person to fill the silence often gives something up.
Recruiter
The person managing a hiring process, usually paid by the employer.
Why it matters: A recruiter can be helpful, but works for the company.
Hiring manager
The person who will supervise the role and usually makes the final hiring decision.
Why it matters: They often have more flexibility than the recruiter says.
Leveling
Deciding which level or title a hire comes in at.
Why it matters: Level sets the band, and the band sets the ceiling for years.
Title negotiation
Asking for a higher title when pay is fixed.
Why it matters: Title shapes the next offer, even when it does not change this one.
Start date negotiation
Asking for a later start to finish obligations, rest, or collect a bonus from your current employer.
Why it matters: Leaving money on the table at the old job is also a cost.
Written confirmation
Getting every agreed change reflected in a revised offer letter.
Why it matters: Promises made on a call do not always survive to the paperwork.

22 terms

Career moves

Career Blueprint
The Urban Human Resources tier that builds your target roles, resume, LinkedIn, and 90-day plan.
Why it matters: A plan makes every later step faster.
90-day plan
A written plan for your first three months in a role: what you will learn, fix, and deliver.
Why it matters: It shapes how the new employer sees you from the start.
Target role
The specific job title and level you are aiming for next.
Why it matters: Every document you write should point at one.
Resume
The document summarizing your experience, written for the role you want next rather than the one you have.
Why it matters: Recruiters read for the next job, not the last one.
Applicant tracking system
Software employers use to collect, sort, and filter applications, often by keywords.
Why it matters: A resume that is not readable by the system may never reach a person.
Keywords
Words and phrases from a job posting that an applicant tracking system or recruiter looks for.
Why it matters: Matching them honestly gets you read.
Referral
An introduction to an employer from someone who already works there.
Why it matters: Referred candidates are hired at higher rates than cold applicants.
Networking
Building relationships that lead to information, referrals, and opportunities.
Why it matters: The inherited playbook is mostly a network.
Informational interview
A conversation to learn about a role, team, or company rather than to apply.
Why it matters: It builds a network without asking for a job.
Mentor
A more experienced person who gives advice and guidance.
Why it matters: Useful, but advice does not get you promoted by itself.
Promotion case
The written evidence of impact that supports a request for promotion.
Why it matters: Decisions are made in rooms you are not in, from documents you wrote.
Performance review
A formal assessment of your work, usually tied to raises and promotions.
Why it matters: What goes in the file follows you.
Calibration
Meetings where managers compare ratings across a team or company.
Why it matters: Your manager has to defend your rating, so give them the evidence.
Skip-level meeting
A conversation with your manager's manager.
Why it matters: It makes your work visible above your direct chain.
Stay interview
A conversation an employer holds with a current employee to learn what would keep them.
Why it matters: If you are asked for one, you have leverage.
Exit interview
A conversation when an employee leaves, about why they are going.
Why it matters: Say what is useful, not everything you feel; references remain.
Reference check
An employer contacting people you have worked with before making or finalizing an offer.
Why it matters: Prepare your references for the role you want.
Background check
A review of records such as employment, education, and in some cases criminal history.
Why it matters: In California, criminal history cannot be asked about before a conditional offer at employers with 5 or more employees.
Gap in employment
Time between jobs on a resume.
Why it matters: Explain it briefly and move on; the question is about the next job.
Lateral move
A move to a different role at the same level.
Why it matters: It can build the skills a promotion requires.
Career capital
The skills, credentials, relationships, and reputation that make you more valuable over time.
Why it matters: Every move should add some.

18 terms

Equity and corporate

Vesting
The schedule on which you earn equity over time.
Why it matters: Unvested equity usually disappears when you leave.
Cliff
The period before any equity vests, often one year.
Why it matters: Leaving before the cliff means leaving with nothing.
Restricted stock unit
A promise of company shares delivered as they vest, common at public companies.
Why it matters: It is taxed as income when it vests.
Stock option
The right to buy company shares at a set price, called the strike price.
Why it matters: It is only worth something if the shares rise above the strike price.
Incentive stock option
A stock option that can qualify for favorable tax treatment if holding rules are met.
Why it matters: The tax rules decide how much you keep.
Nonqualified stock option
A stock option taxed as ordinary income on the spread when exercised.
Why it matters: Know which kind you have before you exercise.
Strike price
The price at which a stock option lets you buy a share.
Why it matters: A lower strike price means more upside.
409A valuation
An independent valuation of a private company's common stock used to set option strike prices.
Why it matters: It sets what your options cost to exercise.
83(b) election
A tax filing that lets you pay tax on restricted stock when granted instead of when it vests, due within 30 days.
Why it matters: Missing the 30-day window cannot be fixed later.
Exercise window
The time you have to buy vested options after you leave, often 90 days.
Why it matters: A short window can force a large purchase or the loss of your equity.
Dilution
The reduction in your ownership percentage when a company issues more shares.
Why it matters: The number of shares matters less than the percentage.
Cap table
The record of who owns what in a company.
Why it matters: Ask what percentage your grant represents, not only how many shares.
Liquidation preference
The right of preferred investors to be paid first when a company is sold.
Why it matters: Common shareholders, usually employees, are paid after them.
Acceleration
A clause that speeds up vesting, often on a sale of the company.
Why it matters: Double-trigger acceleration protects you if you are let go after an acquisition.
Option pool
Shares set aside for future employee grants.
Why it matters: The pool size affects how much equity new hires can get.
Officer
A person appointed to run the corporation, such as the chief executive or chief financial officer.
Why it matters: Officers carry legal duties that ordinary employees do not.
Board of directors
The group elected by shareholders to oversee a corporation.
Why it matters: In an urban corporation, executive pay and equity usually need board approval.
Reasonable compensation
The IRS requirement that S corporation owners who work in the business pay themselves a reasonable salary.
Why it matters: Paying too little in salary to avoid payroll tax invites an audit.

16 terms

Benefits and rewards

Total rewards
Everything an employer offers in exchange for work: pay, benefits, equity, time off, and development.
Why it matters: It is the full picture to compare when pay alone falls short.
401(k) match
Money an employer adds to your retirement account when you contribute.
Why it matters: Not contributing enough to get the full match leaves pay unclaimed.
Vesting of employer contributions
The schedule on which employer retirement contributions become fully yours.
Why it matters: Leaving early can mean forfeiting part of the match.
CalSavers
California's state retirement program that employers with at least one employee must offer if they have no retirement plan of their own.
Why it matters: The deadline for the smallest employers was December 31, 2025.
Health insurance premium
The amount paid each month for health coverage, often split between employer and employee.
Why it matters: A lower salary with a richer plan can be worth more.
Deductible
What you pay for covered care before insurance begins to pay.
Why it matters: Compare deductibles when comparing offers.
Health savings account
A tax-advantaged account for medical costs, paired with a high-deductible plan.
Why it matters: Employer contributions to it are part of pay.
COBRA
Federal law letting employees keep group health coverage after leaving a job at employers with 20 or more employees, at their own cost.
Why it matters: The cost of continuing coverage belongs in any decision to leave.
Cal-COBRA
California's version of COBRA for employers with 2 to 19 employees.
Why it matters: Smaller employers carry continuation obligations too.
Use-it-or-lose-it
A policy that forfeits unused vacation.
Why it matters: It is not allowed in California; a reasonable cap on accrual is.
Tuition reimbursement
Employer payment for education costs, often with a stay-or-repay clause.
Why it matters: Read the repayment terms before enrolling.
Stipend
A fixed payment for a cost such as home internet or wellness.
Why it matters: It is easy to negotiate because it does not change the band.
Expense reimbursement
California's requirement that employers repay necessary business expenses, including a share of personal phone use (Labor Code 2802).
Why it matters: Remote work costs are part of it.
Employee assistance program
A confidential benefit offering short-term counseling and referrals.
Why it matters: It costs the employer little and helps retention.

32 terms

California employment law

At-will employment
Employment either side can end at any time for any lawful reason.
Why it matters: Lawful is doing the work in that sentence.
ABC test
California's test for independent contractor status: free from control, work outside the usual course of the business, and an independently established trade (Labor Code 2775).
Why it matters: Failing any one part makes the worker an employee.
Misclassification
Treating an employee as an independent contractor, or a nonexempt employee as exempt.
Why it matters: It brings back wages, penalties, and taxes.
Exempt employee
An employee not entitled to overtime because of their duties and a salary of at least twice the state minimum wage for full-time work.
Why it matters: Title alone does not make someone exempt.
Nonexempt employee
An employee entitled to overtime, meal and rest breaks, and hourly protections.
Why it matters: Most California employees are nonexempt.
Daily overtime
California's requirement to pay time and a half over 8 hours in a day and double time over 12.
Why it matters: California counts by the day, not only the week.
Meal break
A 30-minute unpaid break that must begin before the end of the fifth hour of work.
Why it matters: A missed or late meal break costs an extra hour of pay.
Rest break
A paid 10-minute break for every four hours worked or major fraction of four.
Why it matters: Same penalty as a missed meal break.
Final paycheck
All wages due at separation: immediately when an employer ends employment, within 72 hours when an employee quits without notice (Labor Code 201 and 202).
Why it matters: Late final pay adds up to 30 days of wages in penalties.
Waiting time penalty
A day's wages for each day final pay is late, up to 30 days (Labor Code 203).
Why it matters: It is the most common avoidable penalty in California.
Wage statement
The itemized pay stub California requires with every paycheck (Labor Code 226).
Why it matters: Missing items bring penalties per pay period.
PAGA
The Private Attorneys General Act, which lets employees sue for Labor Code penalties on behalf of the state.
Why it matters: It turns small violations into large claims.
FEHA
California's Fair Employment and Housing Act, which bans discrimination and retaliation at employers with 5 or more employees.
Why it matters: Harassment protections apply from the first employee.
Protected characteristic
A trait the law protects from discrimination, such as race, sex, age, disability, or religion.
Why it matters: California's list is longer than the federal one.
CROWN Act
California law protecting hair texture and protective hairstyles as part of race.
Why it matters: A grooming policy can be a discrimination policy.
Fair Chance Act
California's ban on asking about criminal history before a conditional offer at employers with 5 or more employees.
Why it matters: A second chance starts with the application.
Harassment prevention training
Training California employers with 5 or more employees must provide every two years: two hours for supervisors, one hour for others.
Why it matters: It is required, and it has to be documented.
CFRA
The California Family Rights Act, providing up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave at employers with 5 or more employees.
Why it matters: It applies far earlier than federal FMLA.
Pregnancy disability leave
Up to four months of job-protected leave for pregnancy-related disability at employers with 5 or more employees.
Why it matters: It stacks with CFRA baby-bonding leave.
Bereavement leave
Up to five days of leave after the death of a family member at employers with 5 or more employees.
Why it matters: The obligation begins earlier than most small employers expect.
Reproductive loss leave
Up to five days of leave after a failed adoption, surrogacy, miscarriage, stillbirth, or unsuccessful assisted reproduction, at employers with 5 or more employees.
Why it matters: It is newer, and many handbooks miss it.
Lactation accommodation
California's requirement to provide break time and a private, non-bathroom space for expressing milk (Labor Code 1030).
Why it matters: It applies at every employer size.
Noncompete agreement
A contract limiting where an employee may work after leaving.
Why it matters: Most are void in California (Business and Professions Code 16600).
Cal-WARN
California's requirement of 60 days' notice before a mass layoff, relocation, or closure at covered establishments with 75 or more employees.
Why it matters: Missing it means back pay for every affected employee.
Workplace violence prevention plan
A written plan most California employers have been required to keep since July 1, 2024 (Labor Code 6401.9).
Why it matters: It must be written, trained, and logged.
Off-duty cannabis protection
California law barring most employers from penalizing off-duty cannabis use or nonpsychoactive test results (Government Code 12954).
Why it matters: Drug policies written before 2024 may be out of date.
Retaliation
Punishing an employee for a protected act such as complaining, taking leave, or reporting a violation.
Why it matters: It is the claim that most often survives when others fail.
Reasonable accommodation
A change to the job or workplace that lets an employee with a disability or religious need do the work.
Why it matters: The interactive process has to be documented.
Interactive process
The good-faith conversation between employer and employee about a possible accommodation.
Why it matters: Skipping it is a separate violation in California.
Personnel file
The records an employer keeps about an employee, which current and former employees can request to inspect.
Why it matters: The response deadline is 30 days.
Employment practices liability insurance
Insurance covering claims such as discrimination, harassment, and wrongful termination.
Why it matters: Insurers ask what HR systems are in place.
Headcount thresholds
The employee counts at which California and federal obligations begin, including 5, 15, 20, 50, 75, and 100.
Why it matters: Growth triggers the law before anyone notices.

17 terms

Hiring and people operations

Network hiring
Filling roles through personal and community networks rather than open searches.
Why it matters: It builds trust fast and leaves pay and documentation inconsistent.
Job description
The written statement of a role's purpose, duties, requirements, and pay range.
Why it matters: It anchors classification, pay, and performance later.
Job architecture
The structure of roles, levels, and pay bands across an organization.
Why it matters: Without it, every hire is a one-off negotiation.
Structured interview
An interview using the same questions and scoring for every candidate.
Why it matters: It predicts performance better and defends decisions better.
Scorecard
The written criteria each interviewer rates a candidate against.
Why it matters: It keeps the decision on the job instead of on gut feel.
Conditional offer
An offer contingent on a background check or other final step.
Why it matters: In California, criminal history questions wait until after it.
Onboarding
The process of bringing a new hire from signed offer to productive employee.
Why it matters: Early turnover is usually an onboarding problem.
I-9
The federal form verifying identity and work authorization, due within three business days of the start date.
Why it matters: Errors on it carry fines per form.
New hire paperwork
The forms California requires at hire, including the wage notice, sick leave notice, and required pamphlets.
Why it matters: Missing forms are easy penalties.
Employee handbook
The written policies governing employment at an organization.
Why it matters: A handbook more than a year old in California is likely out of date.
Classification review
An audit of whether each worker is correctly classified as employee or contractor, and exempt or nonexempt.
Why it matters: It is the cheapest insurance an urban organization can buy.
Pay transparency audit
A review of job postings and pay practices against California's disclosure rules.
Why it matters: One missing range is a violation; a pattern is a claim.
Turnover rate
The percentage of employees who leave in a period.
Why it matters: Voluntary turnover is the number that measures retention.
Cost of turnover
The cost of replacing an employee: recruiting, onboarding, lost productivity, and lost knowledge.
Why it matters: It commonly runs from half to twice the person's salary.
Retention
Keeping the employees you cannot afford to lose.
Why it matters: For an urban organization, one departure can be a crisis.
Fractional HR
An experienced HR professional working part-time inside your organization, on a monthly fee.
Why it matters: It gives a growing organization senior HR without a senior salary.
HR advisory
Ongoing access to an HR expert who advises while your own team does the work.
Why it matters: It fits organizations with someone already carrying HR.

18 terms

Employee relations and separations

Employee relations
The work of managing the relationship between employer and employees, including complaints, conflict, and discipline.
Why it matters: Most claims start as relations problems that were handled late.
Documentation
Written records of performance, conduct, and decisions.
Why it matters: If it is not written down, it did not happen.
Performance improvement plan
A written plan setting specific goals and a timeline for an employee to improve.
Why it matters: A plan written to fail is visible to everyone, including a jury.
Progressive discipline
A sequence of increasing responses to problems, from coaching to warnings to termination.
Why it matters: Consistency is what makes it defensible.
Termination
Ending an employee's employment.
Why it matters: The conversation, the pay, and the file all have to be ready at once.
Separation agreement
An agreement offering pay or benefits in exchange for a release of claims.
Why it matters: In California, it cannot bar discussing unlawful workplace conduct.
Release of claims
A promise not to sue, given in exchange for something of value.
Why it matters: Employees 40 and older get extra time to review under federal law.
Layoff
Ending employment for business reasons rather than performance.
Why it matters: Selection criteria have to be neutral and documented.
Reduction in force
A layoff of several employees at once.
Why it matters: The group selected will be compared against the group kept.
Constructive discharge
When working conditions become so intolerable that a reasonable person would feel forced to resign.
Why it matters: A resignation can be treated as a firing.
Wrongful termination
Firing for an unlawful reason, such as discrimination or retaliation.
Why it matters: At-will does not protect an unlawful reason.
Complaint intake
The first step when an employee raises a concern: receiving it, documenting it, and deciding what happens next.
Why it matters: A complaint handled well at intake rarely becomes a claim.
Grievance
A formal complaint, usually under a union contract.
Why it matters: The contract sets the steps and deadlines.
Collective bargaining agreement
A contract between an employer and a union setting pay and working conditions.
Why it matters: It governs everything it covers for its full term.
Work stoppage
A strike or lockout that halts work.
Why it matters: The cost of one is measured in days that never come back.
Unemployment insurance
State payments to people who lose work through no fault of their own.
Why it matters: Employers must give the required notice at separation.
Neutral reference policy
A policy of confirming only dates of employment and title.
Why it matters: It protects the employer and the former employee.
Offboarding
The process of closing out an employee's departure: final pay, equipment, access, and records.
Why it matters: Most separation violations happen here.

15 terms

AI, data, and bias

Algorithmic bias
Systematic errors in an automated system that disadvantage some groups.
Why it matters: A model can discriminate without anyone intending it.
Training data
The examples an AI model learns from.
Why it matters: A model learns the patterns of whoever is in the data.
Demographic inference
When a system guesses a person's race, class, or background from indirect clues such as name, ZIP code, or school.
Why it matters: The guess can shape the answer you get.
Proxy variable
A data point that stands in for a protected characteristic, such as ZIP code standing in for race.
Why it matters: Removing race from a model does not remove the proxy.
Disparate impact
When a neutral policy falls harder on a protected group.
Why it matters: It can be illegal even without intent.
Statistical discrimination
Judging an individual by the average of a group they belong to.
Why it matters: It is the mechanism behind the anomaly trap.
Automated decision system
Software that makes or supports employment decisions such as screening, ranking, or scoring.
Why it matters: California regulations under FEHA have covered these systems since October 1, 2025.
Resume screening
Automated filtering of applications before a person reads them.
Why it matters: A qualified candidate can be screened out by format alone.
Hallucination
When an AI system states something false with confidence.
Why it matters: Every AI answer about the law needs a citation you can check.
Human in the loop
A process where a person reviews and decides after AI assists.
Why it matters: AI compacts the time; it does not do the thinking.
Large language model
An AI system trained on large amounts of text to predict and generate language, such as ChatGPT or Claude.
Why it matters: It answers from averages unless told who is asking.
Prompt
The question or instruction given to an AI system.
Why it matters: A better prompt tells the model who you are.
Default answer
The response an AI gives when it knows nothing about the person asking.
Why it matters: The default is written for the average, and the urban professional is not the average.
Bias audit
A review testing whether a system produces different outcomes for different groups.
Why it matters: It is the only way to know whether a tool is fair.
Data privacy
The protection of personal information from misuse.
Why it matters: Anything pasted into an AI tool may be stored or used for training unless the setting is off.

7 terms

HR foundations

Human resources
The function that manages hiring, pay, compliance, and the employment relationship.
Why it matters: Standard HR is built to serve the company.
HR business partner
An HR professional aligned to a business unit as an adviser to its leaders.
Why it matters: It is the model most urban organizations cannot yet afford full time.
PEO
A professional employer organization that becomes co-employer to handle payroll, benefits, and compliance.
Why it matters: It handles transactions well and strategy rarely.
Employer of record
A company that legally employs workers on another company's behalf, often across borders.
Why it matters: It solves where you can hire, not how you manage.
Workforce planning
Forecasting the people an organization will need and how it will get them.
Why it matters: Hiring ahead of need is how urban organizations lose cash.
Organizational design
Structuring roles, reporting lines, and decisions.
Why it matters: Structure decides who can say yes.
Employee engagement
How committed and motivated employees are.
Why it matters: It shows up first in turnover and last in surveys.

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