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Human Resources

IN CHARGE OF (SOMEONE OR SOMETHING)  

Phrase

  • to be in control of someone or something.
Example Sentence: My sister has been in charge of buying supplies at her company for many years.
 

IN SHORT SUPPLY  

Phrase

  • to not have enough of something.
Example Sentence: Experienced computer programmers are in short supply in our company.
 

TOP BRASS tɒp bræs

Noun

  • people in the key positions of an organization or a company.
Example Sentence: The car manufacturer's top brass started panicking when share prices plunged at the beginning of Q2.
 

TO WORK IN SHIFTS  

Phrase

  • to work in a certain period of the day after and/or before another group of workers.
Example Sentence: After working on the night shift for half a year, James realized his sleep pattern became extremely problematic – he wasn't able to sleep at night on his days-off anymore.
 

APTITUDE TEST æptɪˌtud tɛst

Noun

  • a test which measures a person's ability to do a certain job
Example Sentence: Candidates will be required to complete an aptitude test.
 

AGEISM eɪdʒɪzəm

Noun

  • to treat somebody unfairly because of their age.
Example Sentence: She claims that she was refused the job because of ageism.
 

APPOINT əˈpɔɪnt

Verb

  • to officially give somebody a job, task or responsibility.
Example Sentence: He was appointed as head of the investigation.
 

CASUAL WORK kæʒuəl wɜrk

Noun

  • work that is not permanent, with no obligation for the employer to provide the usual employment conditions such as sick leave.
Example Sentence: Casual jobs which last for a few days only are available throughout the year in my favourite country, New Zealand.
 

DAMAGES dæmɪdʒ

Noun

  • the money/compensation you get if someone/something has caused you injury or harm.
Example Sentence: My company seeks EUR 10,000 in damages from our competitor since they've obviously copied the basic features of our best selling product.
 

TO HIT A GLASS CEILING  

Phrase

  • the phenomenon when a career seems to be advancing for a while and then – for no apparent reason – promotions stop and the person is stuck in a certain position or at a certain level on the career ladder.
Example Sentence: They often say there's an invisible glass ceiling women hit at their workplace – certain positions are simply available only for men.
 

TO DOWNSIZE daʊnˌsaɪz

Verb

  • to cut the number of employees because the company wants to reduce costs.
Example Sentence: When the company decided to 'let me go' because they were downsizing, I started to panic. It took me two weeks to calm down and start thinking about what's next.
 

TO FREEZE friz

Verb

  • to hold the price of a product, service, salaries, wages etc at the same level for some time.
Example Sentence: The government has decided to freeze wages in the public sector due to the after-effects of the economic crisis.
 

TO FIRE SOMEONE faɪər sʌmˌwʌn

Verb

  • to officially terminate somebody's employment; to make someone leave their job.
Example Sentences: He was so bad at handling customer complaints that in the end we had to fire him.
Andy got fired last week because he turned out to be the spy of our competitor.
 

OVERHEADS oʊvərˈhɛds

Adjective

  • regular costs that a business must pay, such as electricity, salaries, etc.
Example Sentence: Internet companies have much lower overheads.
 

ADMINISTRATION ædˌmɪnəˈstreɪʃən

Noun

  • the management of any office, business, or organization; direction.
Example Sentence: Changes to the administration will occur after May 1st.
 

WHITE COLLAR WORKERS  

Phrase

  • Are people who work in offices, doing work that needs mental rather than physical effort. White collar workers are generally better educated and more highly paid.
Example Sentence: Jim is a typical white collar worker – university-educated, middle-class background, working for a well-known high-street bank.
 

BLUE COLLAR WORKERS  

Phrase

  • Are people who do physical or unskilled work in a factory or outdoors rather than office work. Blue-collar workers are often poorly educated and poorly paid.
Example Sentence: More than 500 blue-collar workers, employed by the mining company, have gone on strike. They’re demanding better pay and working conditions.
 

GARDEN LEAVE gɑrdn liv

Phrase

  • Paid cooling off period, typically three months, that your contract stipulates you cannot work before starting a new job. This is used by financial firms, in particular, to prevent people walking straight into a new job with hot information.
Example Sentence: He quit and was offered a job by one of the main competitors. He’s on garden leave for a few months.
 

TEAM PLAYER tim pleɪər

Phrase

  • Is someone who is good at working closely with other people.
Example Sentences: ABC Bank Ltd requires a team player committed to quality management.
He is a good team player and works well with all his colleagues.
 

LUNCHEON VOUCHERS /lʌntʃən vaʊtʃər/

Noun

  • Luncheon vouchers are given by employers to employees to buy meals in some restaurants.
Example Sentences: Selected workers would benefit from luncheon vouchers, free transportation to the construction site and accommodation on location.
 
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