AIRC - The Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) is a federal tribunal dealing with employment issues including dispute settlement, unfair dismissal and the setting of award conditions.

Alumnus Club - An alumnus is a club of retired employees who are still in contact with the organisation. Alumni clubs ensures the door is open to these former employees who are engaged through newsletters or websites, invited to retired workers to ‘alumni’ events, seminars and social functions, or volunteering opportunities.

Australian Fair Pay and Conditions Standard - The Australian Fair Pay and Conditions Standard (the Standard) sets out the minimum wages and conditions of employment that apply to employees in the Australian workplace relations system.

Collective agreement - A collective agreement is made under the Workplace Relations ACt 1996, and covers a group of employees who are engaged in a business or a part of a business. There are various kinds of collective agreements – the most common are employee collective agreements and union collective agreements.

Flexible work practices - Flexible work practices means ways in which employers and employees can work together to agree to the times employees work, where they work from and whether they work a full week or not.

Labour hire - Labour hire arrangement is one whereby a labour hire company or agency provides individual workers to a client, with the labour hire company ultimately responsible for the worker’s remuneration and other entitlements.

Job share - Job-sharing is an arrangement where two or more people share one full-time job, each working part-time on a regular basis. Job-sharing offers flexibility because it is tailored to suit the needs of the organisation, the job sharers and the nature of the job.

Mature age worker - For the purposes of this website, mature age workers are employees over the age of 45, including women returning to the workforce after having children, others returning after involuntary redundancy and those experiencing a later life career change.

Mentoring - A mentoring arrangement is one where an experienced employee (the mentor) acts as a counsellor for a less experienced worker or student (the mentee). Mentoring is a way for valuable, skilled employees (the mentor) to pass on knowledge to less experienced.

Part-time - A part-time employee works less than full-time ordinary hours and has reasonably predictable hours of work. They receive the same employment entitlements associated with permanent employment, such as personal/carer's leave and annual leave, on a pro-rata basis.

Performance agreements - Performance agreements are a written agreement made between managers and staff as to what outputs are expected for a particular individual.

Performance management - Performance management is about enhancing quality performance, management and leadership of staff. The goals of performance management should be to evaluate and develop staff and boost the performance of the organisation.

Phased retirement – Phased retirement allows staff to reduce their hours and/or level of responsibility rather than making an abrupt departure or retiring from their organisation. The employee gradually moves into retirement, whilst businesses are able to capitalise on their skills and corporate knowledge for longer.

Portfolio employment – Portfolio employment refers to the trend of some retirees working for several businesses concurrently after retirement.

Preferred employer - A preferred employer organisation is one that people want to work for. Being a preferred employer is about the structures a business has in place supporting its employee opportunities, wellbeing and company values.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) – Recognition of Prior Learning allows a person to receive recognition and credit for the knowledge and skills they have, no matter how and where they were attained, including overseas.

Redeployment – Redeployment enables staff to transfer from one job to another for the purpose of ensuring continued employment with the same organisation.

Return to work pool - A listing of retirees who are available to work for their former employer as contractors.

Succession planning - Succession planning is the process of identifying and preparing suitable employees, through mentoring, training and job rotation, to replace key personnel within an organisation if they leave.

Teleworking / working from home - Working from home (also known as teleworking or telecommuting) involves staff working away from the office.

Unlawful termination - Where employment has been terminated for unlawful reasons such as a temporary absence from work because of illness or injury, trade union membership, race or another unlawful ground of discrimination, an employee can make an unlawful termination application, regardless of the size of the business.