| Word | Description |
| Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 | Also known as the Labor-Management Relations Act (LMRA), the act establishes control of labor disputes on a new basis by enlarging the National Labor Relations Board and providing that the union or the employer must, before terminating a collective-bargaining agreement, serve notice on the other party and on a government mediation service. |
| Talent Management | Broadly defined as the implementation of an integrated strategies or systems designed to increase workplace productivity by developing improved processes for attracting, developing, retaining and utilizing people with the required skills and aptitude to meet current and future business needs. |
| Talent Mindset | The deep-seated belief that talent differentiates organizational culture and breeds competitive advantage, with benefits for both the individual and for the organization, now and in the future. Talent Mindset is embedded in the entire organization - led by the CEO, modeled by management, supported by a range of initiatives developed by HR and implemented by HR and line managers. |
| Tangible rewards | Rewards that can be physically touched or held (i.e., a gift certificate, gifts in the form of merchandise or a savings bond.) |
| Task analysis | Involves defining standards and conditions of a particular task and identifying the distinguishing factors between tasks. |
| Task competencies | The specific activities and tasks that make up a particular job. |
| Team building | A training program designed to assist a group of people to work together as a team while they are learning. |
| Team concept plans | Methods of reorganizing work in ways which blur the traditional lines of distinction between union work and management work. |
| Teamwork | Described as the practice of individuals working together in order to bring a variety of talents and experiences to achieve a common goal. |
| Technological unemployment | A term used to refer to joblessness that occurs as a result of the introduction of labor saving technology devices. |
| Telecommuting | Working from a remote location (often one’s home workstation) using computers, telephones, facsimile machines and other remote capabilities, rather than commuting via automobile or other mode of transportation to and from an employer's work site to perform equivalent work. |
| Teleconferencing | A conference established between two or more people or groups of people who are in different locations; made possible by the use of such telecommunications equipment as closed-circuit television |
| Temp-to-perm | The process of hiring employees on a temporary basis, usually through a temporary staffing agency, with the understanding that if the individual’s performance meets or exceeds expectations, he or she will be offered a permanent position within the organization. |
| Temporary employee | An individual who works on either short- or long-term assignments with an employer without being treated as a permanent employee and lacking the benefits of permanent employees. Normally utilized by employers to meet seasonal or other demands that they do not have the internal resources to meet. |
| Temporary replacement | Individual hired to temporarily replace an employee engaged in a strike. At the end of the strike, temporary replacements are released from work to permit strikers to return to their jobs. Unions refer to all replacement employees as “scabs.” |
| Temporary restraining order | Restraining and/or protective orders are examples of orders issued by a court restraining the conduct of an individual and protecting a victim from the activities of an abusive person. |
| Tenure | A form of job security typically limited to employees of educational institutions. |
| Termination | Separation from employment due to a voluntary resignation, layoff, retirement or dismissal. |
| Termination Date | Normally the last date actually worked by an employee; however, for employers with accrued leave programs, paid leave programs, benefit continuation programs or severance pay programs which go beyond the last day worked, the termination date would be the date at which accruals, paid leave, benefit continuation or severance continuation ceases. |
| Termination-at-will | A rule allowing an employee or employer to terminate the employment relationship at any time for any or no reason at all. |
| Terms and Conditions of Employment | This phrase includes all aspects of the employment relationships between an employee and his or her employer including, but not limited to, compensation, fringe benefits, leave policies, job placement, physical environment, work-related rules, work assignments, training and education, opportunities to serve on committees and decision-making bodies, opportunities for promotion, and maintenance of a nondiscriminatory working environment. |
| Test security | An individual’s right to privacy, as it relates to information regarding test results, providing for informed consent of how test results are used. |
| The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 | The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (Pub. L. 90-202) (ADEA), as amended, as it appears in volume 29 of the United States Code, begin¬ning at section 621. The ADEA prohibits employment discrimination against persons 40 years of age or older. The Older Workers Benefit Protection Act (Pub. L. 101-433) amended several sections of the ADEA. In addition, section 115 of the Civil Rights Act of 1991 (P.L. 102-166) amended section 7(e) of the ADEA (29 U. S.C. 626(e)). Cross references to the ADEA as enacted appear in italics following each section heading. Editor’s notes also appear in italics. |
| The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Titles I and V | The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Titles I and V of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Pub. L. 101-336) (ADA), as amended, as these titles will appear in volume 42 of the United States Code, beginning at section 12101. Title I of the ADA, which became effective for employers with 25 or more employees on July 26, 1992, prohibits employment discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities. Since July 26, 1994, Title I has applied to employers with 15 or more employees. Title V contains miscellaneous provisions which apply to EEOC's enforcement of Title I. The Civil Rights Act of 1991 (Pub. L. 102-166) (CRA) amended sections 101(4), 102 and 509 of the ADA. In addition, section 102 of the CRA (which is printed elsewhere in this publication) amended the statutes by adding a new section following section 1977 (42 U.S.C. 1981) to provide for the recovery of compensatory and punitive damages in cases of intentional violations of Title VII, the ADA, and section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Rehab Act). The Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 (Pub. L. 110-325) (ADAAA) amended sections 12101, 12102, 12111 to 12114, 12201 and 12210 of the ADA and section 705 of the Rehab Act. The ADAAA also enacted sections 12103 and 12205a and redesignated sections 12206 to 12213. The ADAAA also included findings and purposes that will not be codified. |
| The Equal Pay Act of 1963 | Equal Pay Act of 1963 (Pub. L. 88-38) (EPA), as amended, as it appears in volume 29 of the United States Code, at section 206(d). The EPA, which is part of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended (FLSA), and which is administered and enforced by the EEOC, prohibits sex-based wage discrimination between men and women in the same establishment who perform jobs that require substantially equal skill, effort and responsibility under similar working conditions. Cross references to the EPA as enacted appear in italics following the section heading. Additional provisions of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, as amended, are included as they appear in volume 29 of the United States Code. |
| Theory X | States that some people have an inherent dislike for work and will avoid it whenever possible. These people need to be controlled and coerced by their managers to achieve production. |
| Theory Y | Assumes that people have a psychological need to work and want achievement and responsibility. A manager's role with these people is to help them achieve their potential. |
| Think tank | A group organized for the purpose of intensive research and problem solving, especially in the areas of technology, social or political strategy, or demographics. |
| Third-party sexual harassment | Harassment of an employee by someone other than another employee, such as a client, customer, vendor or service provider. |
| Time management | The discipline of utilizing time efficiently and well in order to achieve professional, personal or organizational objectives. |
| Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 | The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Pub. L. 88-352) (Title VII), as amended, as it appears in volume 42 of the United States Code, beginning at section 2000e. Title VII prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin. The Civil Rights Act of 1991 (Pub. L. 102-166) (CRA) and the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 (Pub. L. 111-2) amend several sections of Title VII. In addition, section 102 of the CRA (which is printed elsewhere in this publication) amends the Revised Statutes by adding a new section following section 1977 (42 U.S.C. 1981), to provide for the recovery of compensatory and punitive damages in cases of intentional violations of Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Cross references to Title VII as enacted appear in italics following each section heading. Editor's notes also appear in italics. |
| Tolling | The suspension of the running of a statute of limitations for equitable reasons. Because the Title VII 180 day limit on filing a charge with the EEOC has been held to be a statute of limitations, there have been numerous court cases discussing tolling of that limit. By comparison, the regulations for OFCCP's three programs provide for the filing of a complaint within 180 days of the alleged violation unless the time for filing is extended by the Director for good cause shown. There is no similar good cause language in Title VII. The good cause authority allows the Director to waive the 180 day limit without raising questions of tolling. |
| Total compensation | The complete pay package awarded employees on an annual basis, including all forms of money, benefits, services and in-kind payments. |
| Total quality management | A structured system that satisfies internal and external customers and suppliers by integrating the business environment, continuous improvement and breakthroughs with development, improvement and maintenance cycles. |
| Total remuneration | The amount of monetary and nonmonetary value to an employee of all the elements in the employment package, as well as any other intrinsic or extrinsic rewards of value to the employee. |
| Trade secret | A trade secret consists of any formula, pattern, device or compilation of information used in one's business, which gives the business an opportunity to obtain an advantage over competitors who do not know or use it. |
| Trailing spouse | A term used to describe the spouse of an employee who has been transferred or relocated. |
| Training aids | Any form of audio or visual materials used for training purposes. |
| Training and development | A process dealing primarily with transferring or obtaining knowledge, attitudes and skills needed to carry out a specific activity or task. |
| Training needs analysis | A method used to determine what people need to learn and which training programs may be beneficial. The result of the analysis is a training needs report identifying training needs and the interventions needed to reduce key performance gaps. |
| Transfer | Movement (usually lateral) from one position or function to another. |
| Transformational leadership | A systematic form of leadership focusing on change and innovation. According to Bernard Bass, it is a form of leadership occurring when leaders “broaden and elevate the interests of their employees, when they generate awareness and acceptance of the purposes and the mission of the group and when they stir their employees to look beyond their own self-interest for the good of the group” |
| Transgender | An umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. The term may include, but is not limited to, transsexuals, cross-dressers, and other gender-variant people. Transgender people may identify as female-to-male (FTM) or male-to-female (MTF). They may be heterosexual, lesbian, gay, or bisexual. For example, a man who becomes a woman and is attracted to other women would be identified as a lesbian. Transgender people may or may not decide to alter their bodies hormonally and/or surgically. |
| Transition | A complex process altering one's birth sex that occurs over a long period of time. Transition includes some or all of the following cultural, legal, and medical adjustments: Telling one's family, friends and/or co-workers; Changing one's name and/or sex on legal documents; Hormone therapy; and possibly (though not always) some form of surgical alteration. |
| Transitional employment | Provides alternative work arrangements, such as temporary light or modified duty, for employees who have been absent from the workplace as a result of illness or injury and who have been released by their medical provider to return to work. |
| Transsexual | An older term that originated in the medical and psychological communities. Many transgender people prefer the term "transgender" to "transsexual." |
| Trend analysis | The process of forecasting an organization’s staffing needs by analyzing past employment patterns in order to identify trends that may be expected to continue. |
| Trial examiner | An official who presides at administrative trial proceedings to hear facts and issue decisions regarding unfair labor practice cases (also known as an Administrative Law Judge). |
| Trustee | An elected union official whose duty is to monitor the finances of a local union, joint council, conference, or international union. |
| Trusteeship | The assumption of control over a local union by an international union, or by the federal government under the RICO Act. |
| Tuition assistance | A program designed to provide financial assistance to employees taking educational courses at an accredited college or university. |
| Turkey trot | A term used to describe the practice of transferring problem or performance-challenged employees from one position or department to another with the expectation that the employee may improve under a new supervisor or in a different work atmosphere. |
| Turnover | Describes changes in the work force resulting from voluntary or involuntary resignations. |
| Turnover costs | Costs associated with a separation of employment, including items such as unemployment compensation, COBRA benefits continuation costs, the cost of conducting exit interviews, as well as costs associated with replacing an employee, such as advertising, pre-employment testing, time and materials for new hire orientation, training and lost productivity. |
| Turnover rate | The number of separations during a month, including both voluntary and involuntary terminations (excluding layoffs). The turnover rate is calculated by taking the number of separations during a month divided by the average number of employees on the payroll multiplied by 100. |
| Two or More Races | All persons who identify with more than one of the five races. |
| Two-tier wages | A type of compensation arrangement whereby wages paid to newly hired employers is significantly lower than wages being paid to other employees performing the same or similar jobs. |