Key Worker (Critical Role)
An employee whose role is essential to core operations or, in a wider sense, to essential public services.
The term key worker has two related meanings. Within an organisation it describes an individual whose skills or knowledge are so critical that their absence or departure would seriously disrupt operations.
More broadly, in a societal sense it refers to workers in essential services — such as health, utilities and food supply — whose roles are vital to keeping society functioning.
Identifying key workers and critical roles supports succession planning, retention efforts and business-continuity planning.
