Lexicon

One of the major challenges facing contingent workforce program managers and staffing executives focused on this area is ensuring that a common language is used. A lack of common definitions can cause severe communication problems between program managers and suppliers or when benchmarking contingent workforce programs across organizations. To help alleviate the issue, SIA’s Global Lexicon of Workforce Terms suggests a set of definitions for the workforce solutions ecosystem to use.

Some of these terms are subject to some debate and there may be no common consensus around their use. In these cases, we have endeavoured to provide multiple definitions to clarify the issues. While we trust that the Lexicon will be useful in enabling a common understanding among parties, it is not meant to provide a complete set of legal or operating definitions. Although this is not an exhaustive dictionary of accounting and legal terms, we have included a number of such terms where they are particularly relevant to the staffing and HR industries.

The majority of terms are generic in nature and can be applied equally in The Americas; Europe, the Middle East & Africa (EMEA) and Asia Pacific (APAC); however, some terms are more regional in nature, and we indicate which these are with the identifying icons below. Our aim is not to provide a multi-language Lexicon but to provide insight into foreign terminology that is important in the wider global environment. We have retained the use of US-English spellings throughout the Lexicon (except where a term is relevant exclusively outside the US); however, it is prudent to familiarize yourself with common work-related variations between American and British English such as Call Center/Call Centre, Labor/Labour, Organization/Organisation, Program/Programme and Specialty/Speciality. English-users outside the US and UK tend to use both North American and UK spellings.

This is meant to be a living document. We encourage readers to suggest additional terms or to submit corrections and clarifications to the existing set of definitions. As we receive and compile new additions or clarify existing definitions, we will make quarterly updates to this Lexicon. If you have any corrections, clarifications or questions, please send them to us at [email protected]