Dictionary-of-Human-Resources-Management

slacken off 242 socio-technical system
The foreman decided to tighten up on
slack workers.
slacken off /slkən ɒf/ verb to become
less busy Trade has slackened
off.
slackness /slknəs/ noun the quality
of being lazy She got fired for general
slackness and unpunctuality.
slack period /slk pIəriəd/ noun
the time between finishing a job and
starting another one
slack season /slk siz(ə)n/ noun
a period when a company is not very
busy
slave labour /sleIv leIbə/ noun
workers who are owned and exploited
by their employers
sleeping partner /slipIŋ pɑtnə/
noun a partner who has a share in the
business but does not work in it
sliding /slaIdIŋ/ adjective which rises
in steps
slip /slIp/ noun a small piece of paper
slow down /sləυ daυn/ verb to stop
rising, moving or falling
slowdown /sləυdaυn/ noun a reduction
in business activity
small businessman /smɔl
bIznəsmn/ noun a man who owns a
small business
small change /smɔl tʃeIndʒ/ noun
coins
small-scale enterprise /smɔl
skeIl entəpraIz/ noun a small business
smartsizing /smɑtsaIzIŋ/ noun the
process of reducing the size of a company
by making incompetent and inefficient
employees redundant
smoking /sməυkIŋ/ noun the action
of smoking cigarettes, pipes or cigars
Smoking is forbidden in the computer
room.
SMP abbr statutory maternity pay
social /səυʃ(ə)l/ adjective referring to
society in general
Social Chapter /səυʃ(ə)l tʃptə/
noun an additional section of the
Maastricht Treaty which commits signatory
states to the promotion of employment,
improved working conditions,
dialogue between management and labour,
development of human resources
and the fight against exclusion
Social Charter /səυʃ(ə)l tʃɑtə/
noun European Social Charter
social dumping /səυʃ(ə)l dmpIŋ/
noun the practice of making a company
competitive in the international field by
reducing pay and living standards for its
employees
social fund /səυʃ(ə)l fnd/ noun a
government fund which provides
one-off grants to low-income families
social partners /səυʃ(ə)l pɑtnəz/
plural noun employers and trade unions,
working together
social security /səυʃ(ə)l sI-
kjυərIti/, social insurance /səυʃ(ə)l
Inʃυərəns/ noun a government scheme
where employers, employees and the
self-employed make regular contributions
to a fund which provides unemployment
pay, sickness pay and
retirement pensions He gets weekly
social security payments. She never
worked but lived on social security for
years.
Social Security Act 1975
/səυʃ(ə)l sIkjυərIti kt naIntin
sev(ə)nti faIv/ noun an Act of Parliament
creating benefits for victims of industrial
accidents and diseases, and
disablement benefits
socio-economic /səυʃiəυ ikə-
nɒmIk/ adjective referring to social
and economic conditions, social classes
and income groups We have commissioned
a thorough socio-economic analysis
of our potential market.
COMMENT: The British socio-economic
groups are: A: upper middle class: senior
managers, administrators, civil servants
and professional people; B: middle
class: middle-ranking managers, administrators,
civil servants and professional
people; C1: lower middle class: junior
managers and clerical staff; C2: skilled
workers: workers with special skills and
qualifications; D: working class: unskilled
workers and manual workers; E:
subsistence level: pensioners, the unemployed
and casual manual workers.
socio-technical system /səυʃiəυ
teknIk(ə)l sIstəm/ noun a system that