Buhata
Login Start for Free

Home › Life Terms

Work, career and remote life

The vocabulary of modern work, from deep work to hybrid schedules.

0 to 9

1099 contractorAn independent contractor whose pay a business reports on Form 1099-NEC; they're self-employed, so no tax is withheld and they owe self-employment tax.

A

Asking for a raiseRequesting higher pay from your current employer, usually backed by your results, your role's market pay and what you plan to take on next.

B

Benefits packageEverything an employer offers on top of wages, such as health insurance, paid leave and a retirement plan, which can be worth thousands of dollars a year.
Bereavement leaveTime off work after the death of a family member or someone close, paid or unpaid depending on the employer's policy and state law.
Boundaries at workLimits a person sets and tells others about at work, covering their time, workload, availability and how they're treated.
Burnout at workExhaustion, cynicism about your job and a drop in how effective you feel, which WHO links to chronic workplace stress that hasn't been managed.

C

Career breakA planned stretch of months or years away from paid work, for caregiving, study, health, travel or rest, usually with a plan to return later.
Coffee badgingSlang for going into the office only briefly, long enough to be seen and have a coffee, then leaving to work elsewhere, usually at home.
Comp timePaid time off given in place of overtime pay; under federal wage law only state and local government employers may use it, at 1.5 hours off per overtime hour.
Compressed workweekA full-time schedule that fits the usual hours into fewer, longer days, such as four 10-hour days a week instead of five 8-hour days.
Constructive feedbackSpecific, fact-based feedback that describes what someone did and its effect, so they can keep doing it or change it.
Context switchingMoving your attention from one task to another and back, which costs time and focus each time your mind has to reset for the new task.
Core hoursThe fixed part of the workday when everyone on a flexible schedule must be working, with flexible start and finish times on either side.
Cover letterA short letter sent with a resume that says which job you want, why you fit it and why this employer, in your own voice.

D

Deep workFocused, distraction-free time spent on a mentally demanding task, a term from author Cal Newport's 2016 book Deep Work.
DelegationHanding a task, and the authority needed to finish it, to someone else, while you stay responsible for the result.

E

Email etiquetteThe shared habits that make work email clear and courteous, from a specific subject line and short paragraphs to careful use of reply all.
ErgonomicsThe science of fitting a job, its tools and its workspace to the person doing it, to lower the risk of strain and injury.

F

FlextimeA work schedule that lets employees pick their start and finish times within limits, as long as they work the required hours and are there for core hours.
FMLAThe Family and Medical Leave Act, a federal law giving eligible employees up to 12 workweeks of unpaid, job-protected leave a year for family and medical reasons.
Four-day workweekA schedule with four working days a week, either 40 hours packed into four longer days or fewer total hours at the same pay.
FreelancingWorking for yourself, selling your skills to different clients by the project or the hour instead of holding a long-term job with one employer.

G

Gig workShort-term, on-demand jobs or sales, often found through an app or website, such as rides, deliveries, errands or selling goods; the IRS treats the pay as taxable income.

H

Home office setupArranging a desk, chair, screen and keyboard at home so you can work in a comfortable, neutral posture for long stretches.
Hybrid workA work arrangement that splits the week between working from home and working at the employer's site, such as three office days and two at home.

J

Job interviewA conversation in which an employer asks about your experience and skills to decide whether to offer you a job, and you learn about the role.
Job sharingAn arrangement where two or more part-time employees share the duties and hours of one full-time position.

M

Managing upWorking deliberately with your boss to get the best results for both of you and the organization, by understanding how they work and what they need.
Meeting costWhat a meeting costs in pay: the number of people in the room, times the hours it runs, times each person's hourly pay.
Mental health dayA day off work taken to rest and recover from stress or strain, usually drawn from sick leave or PTO under the employer's own policy.

O

One-on-one meetingA regular private meeting between a manager and one person who reports to them, used for check-ins, feedback, problems and career growth.
Open enrollmentThe yearly window when you can sign up for, change or drop health insurance and other benefits, set by your employer for job-based plans.

P

Performance reviewA formal look back, usually once a year, where a manager rates how an employee's work measured up to the standards set for that period.
PresenteeismGoing to work, or logging on, while sick or otherwise not well enough to work at your usual level, the reverse of an unplanned absence.
Psychological safetyA shared belief on a team that it's safe to speak up, ask questions, admit mistakes and disagree without being embarrassed or punished.
Pumping at workExpressing breast milk with a pump during the workday, protected for most U.S. employees by the PUMP Act's break time and private space rules for 1 year after birth.

Q

Quarterly estimated taxesTax paid to the IRS in four installments during the year on income with no withholding, such as self-employment profit; due April, June, September and January.
Quiet firingWhen a manager eases an employee out through neglect, withheld support or shrinking duties, instead of addressing problems or firing them directly.

R

Remote workDoing your job from somewhere other than your employer's workplace, most often from home, for some or all of the workweek.
ResumeA short document that sums up your work history, skills, education and results for an employer, usually sent with a job application.
Resume gapA stretch of months or years with no paid job on your work history, often from caregiving, health, study, a layoff or a long job search.
Return to officeAn employer policy that calls staff who worked remotely back to the workplace for some or all of the week, often called an RTO mandate.
Returning to work after babyThe move back to a job after parental leave, which brings new childcare costs, a pumping plan for some parents, and federal rights worth knowing before day one.
ReturnshipA paid, short-term program, often 12 to 16 weeks, that helps an experienced professional return to work after a career break, sometimes called a re-entry internship.
Right to disconnectA legal right for employees to ignore work contact outside working hours, or a rule that employers set limits on it, depending on the country.

S

Salary negotiationDiscussing pay and other terms with an employer before you accept a job offer, to reach a starting salary that fits the role and your skills.
Scope creepThe uncontrolled growth of a project's scope, when work gets added without anyone adjusting the time, budget or people to match.
Self-employment taxThe Social Security and Medicare tax self-employed people pay on their own profit: 15.3% of 92.35% of net earnings, owed once those reach $400 a year.
Self-evaluationYour own written assessment of your work over a review period, which your manager reads alongside their view during a performance review.
Sick leaveTime off work an employer allows when you're ill, injured or caring for your health, paid or unpaid depending on the employer's policy and state or local law.
Standard operating procedureA written, step-by-step set of instructions for a routine task, so it's done the same way every time, whoever does it.

T

Team buildingDeliberate work, through activities, habits and how work is organized, to help a group of people work together better as a team.
Total compensationThe full value of what an employer pays for your work in a year: base pay plus bonuses and the employer's spending on benefits such as insurance and retirement.
Toxic workplaceA workplace where disrespect, hostility, unfairness or abuse are common enough to harm the people who work there; some of that conduct is also unlawful.

U

Unemployment benefitsWeekly payments from a state's unemployment insurance program to eligible workers who lose a job through no fault of their own, with rules set by each state.
Unlimited PTOA time off policy with no set number of vacation days, where employees take paid days off as needed with their manager's approval.

W

Work-life balanceHow your time and energy divide between paid work and the rest of your life, such as family, rest, health and interests.