| Word | Description |
| Wage and salary administration | Procedures used for planning and administering organization-wide compensation programs for all levels of employees. |
| Wage and salary survey | A benchmark report consisting of market pay data for a variety of jobs conducted either on a local or nationwide basis. Used to evaluate an organization’s own current pay structures and as a future compensation planning tool. |
| Wage curve | Depicts pay rates currently being paid for each job within a pay grade in relation with the rankings awarded to each job during the job evaluation process. |
| Wage differential | Differences in wage rates for similar jobs occurring either due to the location of company, hours of work, working conditions, type of product manufactured or other circumstances. |
| Wage gap | The difference in pay between female employees and male employees who are performing the same or comparable jobs. |
| Wage garnishment | Usually in the form of a court order, a garnishment requires withholding a portion of an employee’s earnings for repayment of a debt. |
| Wage structure | Depicts the range of pay rates to be paid for each grade for various positions within the organization. |
| Wagner Act | Also known as The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), passed in 1935, provides that all employees have the right to form, join and assist labor organizations and to bargain collectively with their employers. |
| Waiver | A document signed by either an employee or prospective employee in which he or she renounces certain specified rights or considerations. |
| Waiver clause | Clause in a contract which, variously, states all issues have been or could have been discussed; all items that were agreed to are in the agreement; and the union has waived its right to bargain over any item not contained in the agreement. Note: the standard adopted by the NLRB for an effective waiver of a union’s right to demand bargaining, even during the term of an agreement, is clear and convincing evidence that the union agreed to waive its right to negotiate, which may be more strict than waiver language. |
| Walkout | A term used to refer to a general, quickie or wildcat strike. |
| Weingarten rights | The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a decision by the Labor Board that employees have a right, protected by Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act, to insist upon union representation during an investigatory interview by the employer, provided the employee "reasonably believes" the interview "might result in disciplinary action." This right arises from Section 7's "guarantee of the right of employees to act in concert for mutual aid and protection." The right applies to unionized employees and is limited to situations where the employee specifically requests representation. The employer is not legally required to advise the employee of this right, and it applies only to investigatory meetings |
| Weingarten Rule | The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a decision by the Labor Board that employees have a right, protected by Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act, to insist upon union representation during an investigatory interview by the employer, provided the employee "reasonably believes" the interview "might result in disciplinary action." This right arises from Section 7's "guarantee of the right of employees to act in concert for mutual aid and protection." The right applies to unionized employees and is limited to situations where the employee specifically requests representation. The employer is not legally required to advise the employee of this right, and it applies only to investigatory meetings. |
| Welfare fund | A fund developed through the collective bargaining process that provides employees for several employers with particular welfare benefits. |
| Welfare plan | A plan designed to provide employees with coverage for medical or hospital care and surgical procedures. May also include other benefits, such as vacation or scholarship programs. |
| Welfare-to-Work Tax Credit | The Welfare-to-Work Tax Credit is a federal income tax credit that encourages employers to hire long-term family assistance recipients, who begin to work any time after December 31, 1997, and before January, 2004. Established by the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, the tax credit can reduce employers' federal tax liability per new hire. |
| Well child care | Health care benefits that provide payment for routine office visits and physical examinations, immunizations and laboratory tests for dependent children. |
| Wellness program | Programs, such as on-site or subsidized fitness centers, health screenings, smoking cessation, weight reduction/management, health awareness and education, that target keeping employees healthy, thereby lowering employer’s costs associated with absenteeism, lost productivity and increased health insurance claims. |
| Whipsaw bargaining | A union bargaining strategy whereby the union bargains with a succession of individual employers using each negotiated gain as leverage against another employer in order to secure even greater concessions. |
| Whipsaw strike | A work stoppage against a single member of a bargaining unit composed of several employers. |
| Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 | Whistleblower protection is the federal law that provides protection to employees against retaliation for reporting illegal acts of employers. An employer may not rightfully retaliate in any way, such as discharging, demoting, suspending or harassing the whistle blower. Employer retaliation of any kind may result in the whistle blower filing a charge with a government agency and/or filing a law suit against the employer. |
| White | An individual, not of Hispanic origin, with origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, North Africa or the Middle East. |
| White collar employees | Employees who are paid on a salaried basis and whose jobs do not require the performance of work of a manual nature. Such individuals are normally employed in the capacity of managers, supervisors, salespeople, clerical or technical workers and meet the criteria of the FLSA white collar exemption test. |
| White-collar worker | Employees who are paid on a salaried basis and whose jobs do not require the performance of work of a manual nature. Such individuals are normally employed in the capacity of managers, supervisors, salespeople, clerical or technical workers and meet the criteria of the FLSA white collar exemption test. |
| Wildcat strike | Also know as an outlaw strike, it is an unauthorized work stoppage while a labor contract is still in effect. |
| Willful misconduct | Willful misconduct is defined as any action, taken by an employee consciously and willfully, that is deliberately malicious or violates a company policy. Willful misconduct can include such things as: willful or deliberate behavior inconsistent with the continuation of employment; conduct causing imminent and serious risk to a person’s health, safety, reputation or the viability or profitability of the employer’s business; theft, assault or fraud; being under the influence of drugs or alcohol at work; or refusing to carry out a lawful and reasonable instruction consistent with an employment policy. |
| Withdrawal with Benefits | Charge is withdrawn by charging party upon receipt of desired benefits. The withdrawal may take place after a settlement or after the respondent grants the appropriate benefit to the charging party. |
| Women-owned business enterprise | A woman-owned business is a for-profit enterprise, regardless of size, located in the United States or its trust territories, that is owned, operated and controlled by women. Ownership by women means the business is at least 51% owned by such individuals or, in the case of publicly owned business, at least 51% of the stock is owned by one or more such individuals. Further, women control the management and daily operations. |
| Work and family programs | Work programs and benefits, such as adoption benefits, dependent care assistance, leave programs, flextime, compressed workweeks, telecommuting, etc., implemented to provide employees with greater flexibility to meet both work and family demands. |
| Work hardening | A program, typically lasting four to six weeks, that provides workers who were injured on the job and who have undergone physical or occupational therapy the strength to be able to resume normal work functions and therefore getting them back to work. |
| Work Opportunity Tax Credit | The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC), authorized by the Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-188), is a federal tax credit that encourages employers to hire nine targeted groups of job seekers by reducing employers’ federal income tax liability by as much as $2,400 per qualified new worker; $750, if working 120 hours or $1,200, if working 400 hours or more, per qualified summer youth. |
| Work sampling | The measurement of how employees spend their time and the number of work units being produced by employees over a specific period of time. This is accomplished by randomly observing employees while they are performing their jobs and then using mathematical formulas to determine the sample size. |
| Work simplification | The process of making a job easier and simpler to perform. Involves analyzing various job tasks by compiling work process, work flow and work distribution charts. The information is then reviewed, and new methods are introduced and tested to determine the most suitable and efficient method to be implemented. |
| Work stoppage | A work stoppage occurs when employees cease to perform their jobs as a means of showing their support for a specific cause or as a way of voicing a grievance. |
| Work- to-rule | A form of labor dispute where employees continue to work, but do only what the rules or their orders require them to do. The purpose is to make work so difficult, that the employer will accede to the union’s demands in negotiations. |
| Work/life balance | Having a measure of control over when, where and how individuals work, leading to their being able to enjoy an optimal quality of life. Work/life balance is achieved when an individual’s right to a fulfilled life inside and outside paid work is accepted and respected as the norm, to the mutual benefit of the individual, business and society. |
| Workers Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) of 1988 | WARN requires employers (with 100 or more employees) that are planning a plant closing or a mass layoff to give affected employees at least 60 days' notice of such an employment action. While the 60-day period is the minimum for advance notice, this provision is not intended to discourage employers from voluntarily providing longer periods of advance notice. Not all plant closings and layoffs are subject to the Act. WARN sets out specific exemptions and provides for a reduction in the notification period in particular circumstances. |
| Workers’ compensation | State laws enacted to provide workers with protection and income replacement benefits due to an illness or injury suffered on the job. Employers must carry appropriate workers’ compensation insurance, as required by state law, or have a sufficient source of funding for claims incurred. |
| Workers’ compensation programs | State laws enacted to provide workers with protection and income replacement benefits due to an illness or injury suffered on the job. Employers must carry appropriate workers’ compensation insurance, as required by state law, or have a sufficient source of funding for claims incurred. |
| Workforce analysis | A listing of each job title as the title appears in applicable collective bargaining agreements or payroll records ranked from the lowest paid to the highest paid within each department including department or unit supervision. For each job title, the following information must be given: the total number of male and female employees; the total number of male and female employees who are Black (not Hispanic), Hispanic, American Indian/Alaskan Native and Asian/Pacific Islander; and the wage rate or salary range. |
| Workforce planning | The assessment of current workforce content and composition issues used to determine what actions must be taken to respond to future needs. |
| Workplace bullying | Persistent, offensive, abusive, intimidating or insulting behavior or unfair actions directed at another individual, causing the recipient to feel threatened, abused, humiliated or vulnerable. |
| Workplace flexibility | Defines workplaces who provide employees with flexibility in matters such as scheduling of hours worked, as well as providing the ability to address unanticipated family and personal needs as they arise. |
| Workplace violence | Assaults and other violent acts or threats that occur in or are related to the workplace and entail a substantial risk of physical or emotional harm to individuals or damage to company resources or capabilities. |
| Written warning | Written documentation given to an employee describing specific disciplinary infractions, such as inappropriate conduct, poor performance or violation of work rules/policies. Such documentation normally includes information regarding past infractions and what action will be taken if employee fails to improve. |
| Wrongful Discharge | Generally, unlawful employment termination. The phrase "wrongful discharge" is frequently used to refer to exceptions created by the courts in some states to the employment at will doctrine (see above). Courts in such states differ in the circumstances in which they will allow wrongful discharge suits challenging a termination. State law on this issue is not of direct concern to OFCCP. The Executive Order, Section 503, 38 U.S.C. �4212 and implementing regulations prohibit termination based on a prohibited factor. |