UK Recruitment Glossary
Furlough
In recruiter context
Mostly a COVID-era term in the UK, where the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme paid 80% of salary up to a cap from March 2020 to September 2021. Outside that scheme, furlough has no statutory framework in the UK — it's just a contractual arrangement. The word still pops up in CVs and interviews, and recruiters won't hold a 2020-2021 furlough period against you. If a current employer is asking you to accept unpaid furlough, read the contract carefully — it can affect continuity of service and pension contributions.
Related terms
Shared Parental Leave
UK scheme allowing parents to share up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of statutory pay between th…
PIP (Performance Improvement Plan)
A formal documented plan with targets a struggling employee must hit in a fixed window.
Job Share
Two people sharing one full-time UK role, each working part of the week — common in healthcare, civi…
National Insurance (NI)
UK contributory social insurance system — funds State Pension, NHS, and certain benefits via deducti…