WORK Vocabulary & useful sentences

Project An idea, plan or scheme

Copyright The right to reproduce a work (music, art, literature, etc.)
Conglomerate A group of companies.
Campaign An organized plan of action to promote a product.
Personnel Members of staff, employees.
Brainstorm Group discussion to get new ideas.
Entrepreneurial A person who makes money by starting or running businesses, especially when
this involves taking financial risks
Profit The money that you make in business or by selling things, especially after paying the costs
involved.
Oversee To watch somebody / something and make sure that a job or an activity is done correctly
Workload Amount of work a person has to do

Blue Collar Connected with people who do physical work in industry.

White collar Working in an office, rather than in a factory, etc; connected
with work in offices.
Downside Disadvantage, negative aspect.
Proven track record in Demonstrated experience.
Headquarter Main office
Cold-calling Contacting without appointment.

PHRASAL VERBS

o If Joan is free, the receptionist will put you through (connect you).
o The receptionist will put you on hold and she will ask you to hold on / hang on (wait) for a moment.
o You dont have time to wait so you say you will call back later.
o The receptionist is new a suddenly the line is dead. She cut you off (you are not longer connected)
o You are very annoyed and you put the phone down (or you hang up). You decide you will try
and get through (make contact) later.
o But now you want to have a short nap so you take the phone off the hook so that no one can phone you.
o Joan, come down to my office. I want to talk to you now.
o She was taken on as a trainee (new staff).
o Which project are you working on at the moment? Im involved in three new projects at the
moment, so my workload is really heavy.
o We carry out regular surveys in the Marketing department.
o Brenda reports to Lawrence.
o How old was he when he dropped out of college?
o beaver away to work hard for a long time
o How long have you been out of a job (= unemployed) ?

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 CONFUSING WORDS
Many employers / employees dont encourage their staff enough.

WORD BUILDING
o Im sick of working these long hours. Im handing in my resignation.
o Look at this! Its a gadget for making text messaging easier.

List of some important aspects of work to take into account in case you get a job
Career prospects Varied work Job security
Good working conditions In-service training Shifts
Friendly colleagues Responsibility steady (= permanent) job.
Travel opportunities
USEFUL SENTENCES
At the end of the year, workers who had done a good job receive a bonus in addition to their salary.
When a woman takes time off work to look after her new baby; the company gives her maternity pay.
Part-time working is often the best way to improve your work-life balance.
IT specialists get good salaries because there is a serious shortage of skilled workers.
The people shortage is now so acute that any expertise in the IT field will lead to a job.
Although there may be a downside to living overseas, most people will agree that it is a positive and
rewarding experience.
I like your ideas, but it seems to me that theres one fatal flaw we dont have the money to invest.
She has been beavering away at that essay for hours.
After the first round of interviews, we now have a shortlist of five candidates.
The first thing most office workers do in the morning is log on to check their e-mails.
Time flies when youre on line and, before you know it, you have run up a huge telephone bill!
To be successful these days, a company has to come up with truly innovative ideas.
New appointments have to go to Lawrence for approval.
Alice will be responsible for making sure that the computing systems are up and running. But
Randall has overall responsibility for the IT department.
In todays market, its very important to remain
flexible, so that you dont focus on just one thing.

COLLOCATIONS
Make: An inquiry, an offer, a complaint, an effort, a
deal, a mistake, an apology, a phone call, a
business trip, a forecast.
Do: a job, the accounts, research, your duty, an
experiment, well, damage, some work, someone
a favour.
Take: into consideration, your time, a deal,
advantage of.
Launch: an investigation, a campaign, a strategy.
Reach: opposition, an agreement, a target, a
compromise.
Meet: a target, expectations, a deadline, an inquiry.
Have: a conversation, a forecast, a drink, a problem

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 Extra benefits are often offered as a form of life insurance, which helps a spouse or family on
the case of death of the wage earner.
A common perk for senior managers is company car.
Company cars or health insurances can be part of the fringe benefits for a job
Women who have a baby can get time off, called maternity leave
Also if an employee falls ill, they can receive sick pay until they can return to work (while they
are on sick leave).
Some job advertisements give the annual salary; some others give the hourly, weekly or monthly.
The lowest legal amount of money, which can be paid to workers is called the minimum wage.
Some companies offer stock options in addition to or instead of cash bonuses.
They receive free or subsidized housing.

A demanding / fulfilling job A high-powered job Family commitments

A stimulating work environment Vocational training Motivated workforce
A competitive salary Career prospects Increased productivity
Work life balance Promotion opportunities Reduced absenteeism
A nine-to-five job My long-term goal is to Improved recruitment and
A steady job A good team player Retention
A well-paid job Flexible working

USEFUL VERBS AND PHRASES

o To develop professionally o To help people make connections
o To gain work experience o To develop / create a good rapport
o To show initiative o To demonstrate empathy / fairness
o To thrive on responsibility o To be approachable
o To be able to take charge o To help someone reach their full potential
o To be stuck behind a desk o To get the most out of someone
o To deal with people o To be charismatic
o To work under pressure o To be firm but fair
o To meet deadlines o To make a valuable contribution.
o To be highly motivated o To be a good role model
o To be inspirational o To have an impact on
o To be well qualified o To look up to somebody
o To work (ir)regular hours o To work tirelessly
o To be motivated by money o To inspire others
o To have job satisfaction o To take responsibility
o To instil interest / confidence o To offer an essential service
o To bring a subject to life o To work overtime
o To put something across clearly o To serve the public /
o To be knowledgeable about a subject nation
o To be an expert in their field

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 o To offer moral / spiritual guidance o To get the balance right
o To be lost without someone o To work flexitime
o To be stuck in a rut / groove aburrido o To take unpaid leave coger una baja sin cobrar
o To suffer from stress o To take a career break
o To be overworked o To spend quality time
o To find a compromise llegar a un acuerdo o To pursue interests outside of work

I like to delegate: Creo que es bueno delegar en los dems.

I feel totally out of my depth: (Esta situacin/problema) me sobrepasa/supera.
I get very irate about all their time-wasting: Me cabrea un montn que pierdan el tiempo.
to juggle the demands of work and family hacer malabarismos para compatibilizar las
responsabilidades del trabajo con las del hogar
The city council is encouraging jobsharing sistema en el cual dos personas comparten un puesto de trabajo
to make it easier for parents of young children to work.
He's very knowledgeable (= knows a lot) about German literature.

I'll draw up the contract and have it sent to you: Redactar el contrato y hare que te lo enven.
Don't hassle me! I've got a lot on my plate at the moment: Deja de fastidiarme! Djame en paz! Ya
tengo bastante con lo que tengo encima.
That was a bit insensitive, wasn't it? Fue una observacin / comentario, hecho con muy poco
tacto, verdad?
There's no need to snap: No hay porque decir las cosas de manera tan
brusca.
He seems to think I'm Superwoman: Se piensa que soy una superwoman.
I'm absolutely knackered by Friday: Para el viernes ya voy hecho polvo.
They're having a crackdown on stealing office stationery. Estn tomando
medidas enrgicas contra el robo de material de oficina.
I find manual work slightly demeaning: Creo que el trabajo manual es un tanto servil.
Teaching is emotionally very demanding: La enseanza es agotadora desde un punto de vista
emocional.
He's a very conscientious / thorough worker: Es un trabajador muy concienzudo/ meticuloso.
I find the job immensely rewarding: Creo que el trabajo es altamente gratificante.
I've got some very tough sales targets to meet: Debo alcanzar objetivos muy altos en las ventas.
When's the deadline for this work: Cundo es la fecha tope / lmite para entregar este trabajo?