HR & leave glossary

Absenteeism

A pattern of frequent or unplanned absence from work, beyond normal approved leave.

Accrual

Earning leave gradually over time — for example, a set number of hours per pay period.

Accrual Cap

A maximum balance beyond which an employee stops accruing more leave.

Activity Rate (Activity %)

The share of a tracked interval with keyboard or mouse activity, shown as a percentage.

Annual Leave

Paid vacation time an employee is entitled to each year, often expressed in days or weeks.

Approval Workflow

The defined path a leave request follows to be approved — for example, manager then admin.

Banked Time

Overtime or extra hours saved as a balance to be taken later as paid time off.

Bereavement Leave

Paid time off following the death of a family member or loved one.

Blackout Dates

Periods when leave requests are restricted due to high business demand.

Carryover (Rollover)

Unused leave that moves from one period into the next, often up to a cap.

Compassionate Leave

Time off to cope with a family emergency, serious illness of a loved one, or loss.

Compensatory Time (Comp Time)

Paid time off granted instead of overtime pay for extra hours already worked.

Floating Holiday

A paid day off an employee can use on a date of their choice, instead of a fixed public holiday.

FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act)

A US law giving eligible employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for specific family and medical reasons.

Furlough

A temporary, usually unpaid, mandatory leave initiated by the employer.

Garden Leave

When an employee serving notice is paid to stay away from work until their notice ends.

Holiday Pay

Pay for a public holiday, or premium pay for working on one.

Idle Time

Periods during tracked work when there's no keyboard or mouse activity.

Jury Duty Leave

Time off so an employee can serve on a jury, often legally protected and sometimes paid.

Leave Balance

The amount of paid leave an employee currently has available to use.

Leave of Absence

An extended, approved period away from work, often unpaid, beyond standard PTO.

Leave Policy

The documented rules governing how employees earn, request, and use time off.

Leave Year

The 12-month period over which leave entitlement is accrued, used, and reset.

Negative Leave Balance

When an employee takes more leave than they have accrued, dropping below zero.

Overtime

Hours worked beyond an employee's standard schedule, often paid at a premium or banked as time off.

Paid Time Off (PTO)

Paid leave employees can use for any reason — often combining vacation, personal, and sometimes sick days.

Parental Leave

Leave taken by a parent around the birth or adoption of a child (includes maternity and paternity leave).

Presenteeism

Being at work while unwell or unproductive — often costing more than outright absence.

Pro-Rata Leave

Leave entitlement scaled to the portion of the year worked or hours worked (for part-timers and mid-year starters).

PTO Payout

Paying an employee the cash value of their unused, accrued leave — often when they leave the company.

Public Holiday

A nationally or regionally observed day off, such as New Year's Day or Independence Day.

Sabbatical

An extended break from work, often paid, typically offered after years of service.

Screenshot Monitoring

Periodically capturing screenshots of an employee's screen during tracked work, with disclosure.

Sick Leave

Paid (or unpaid) time off specifically for illness, injury, or medical appointments.

Time Off in Lieu (TOIL)

Paid time off given instead of overtime pay for extra hours already worked.

Time-Off Request

A formal request by an employee to take leave on specific dates.

Timesheet

A record of the hours an employee worked over a period, used for payroll and billing.

Unlimited PTO

A policy with no fixed cap on paid time off — employees take what they need with approval.

Use-It-or-Lose-It

A policy where unused leave is forfeited at the end of a period instead of carrying over.

Volunteer Time Off (VTO)

Paid time off employers give staff specifically to volunteer for charitable causes.

Waiting Period

An initial stretch of employment before a new hire can start accruing or using leave.

Work Schedule

The days and hours an employee is expected to work, used to calculate leave correctly.