Doing business online + e-commerce – Vocabulary and Phrases
admin/paperwork – Work involving the handling of reports, letters, and forms
There is a lot of paperwork involved in getting a work permit.
to get snowed under paperwork – to overwhelm with a larger amount of something than can be conveniently dealt with.
We are completely snowed under with applications for the job.
to be chained to a desk – to confine or restrain
His work chained him to his desk.
to get recognition for one's achievement/to be recognised – to have a feeling that your employers understand and value what you do by giving positive feedback
The Queen recognized his services to the state by awarding him a knighthood.
to have a good rapport with one's colleagues – to have a good harmonious or sympathetic relation with sb.
a teacher trying to establish close rapport with students.
to put ideas into practice – to do, as opposed to planning etc
It will be very difficult to put his plan of restructuring into practice.
advancement – how far you will be promoted in the organization, how far you will go up the career ladder
The job offers good opportunities for advancement.
to be promoted – to advance in rank, dignity, position, etc.
Univision Holdings has promoted four executives to new posts as part of a reorganization.
to climb a career ladder – a graded series of stages or levels in status; a hierarchical order of position or rank:
Women's chances to climb the career ladder have always been less than men's.
to delegate/delegation of work – handing of a task over to another person, usually a subordinate
Decision-making on a day-to-day basis will be delegated to team managers.
outsourcing/to outsource – (of a company or organization) to purchase (goods) or subcontract (services) from an outside supplier or source.
As more companies outsource design skills and expertise, the sector is likely to expand.
to be made redundant/to be fired – to lose a job
Lee Iacocca worked his way up to the presidency of Ford Motor Company, from which he was abruptly fired by Henry Ford II.
to let sb. go – to cease to employ; dismiss
Business was slack and many employees were let go.
to hire sb. – to engage the services of (a person or persons) for wages or other payment
He was hired as the company's chairman last year.
freelance work – a person who works as a writer, designer, performer, or the like, selling work or services by the hour, day, job, etc., rather than working on a regular salary basis for one employer
Sheila set up her own business called Editorial Services and now works freelance from home.
unemployment benefits – the money paid to people without jobs
How long have you been receiving unemployment benefits?
sick pay/leave – wages or other compensation received from an employer during an illness.
Werner never used a day of sick leave during his first 10 years as a fire-fighter.
maternity leave – a leave of absence for an expectant or new mother for the birth and care of the baby.
The share of first-time mothers receiving maternity leave has nearly tripled in recent years.
paternity leave – a leave of absence from a job for a father to care for a new baby.
Lost Arrow, a company with only 25 employees, provides up to eight weeks of paid paternity leave.
heavy workload – too much to do in the limited time available
She was forced to retire because her health could not stand up to a 66-hour weekly workload.
commission – a sum or percentage allowed to agents, sales representatives, etc., for their services, Payments often will be calculated on the basis of a percentage of the goods sold.
All of our sales staff are on commission.
perks – various non-wage compensations provided to employees in addition to their normal wages or salaries.
Employees must pay tax on anything regarded as a perk.
trade union – an association of wage-earners for the purpose of maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment.
Under pressure from the company union, Toyota has promised to reduce work schedules.
a strike, stoppage or walk-out – mass refusal by employees to perform work.
Lorry drivers have been on strike for three weeks.
all-out strike – a strike involving all the workers in a company or union
This week 96 Winchester City Council manual employees went on an all-out strike aimed at paralysing the city’s services.
token strike – a short strike, usually lasting only a few hours, that is used
The one-day ‘Token Strike’ call given by the All India Motor Transport Congress saw a complete success all over the country.
to bully one's subordinates/to be a bully – to use one's senior position of power to hurt or threaten other employees, e.g. verbally
The older boys bullied him at school.
burnout – fatigue, frustration, or apathy resulting from prolonged stress, overwork, or intense activity.
If he carries on working so hard, he will burn himself out.
minimum-wage – the lowest hourly, daily or monthly wage that employers may legally pay to employees or workers.
He claimed that Labour's plans to introduce a national minimum wage would lead to job losses.
employment tenure – status granted to an employee, usually after a probationary period, indicating that the position or employment is permanent
Mr.Armstrong is not worried about the effect of the study on his job, as he has tenure.
self-employment – Earning one's living directly from one's own trade or business rather than as an employee of another
One of the services we offer to the self-employed is a series of free consultations with financial and legal experts.
seasonal work – jobs that are only available during certain parts of the year
The company hired seasonal workers to process and pack salmon.
shift work – a group of employees working together during a particular part of the day, e.g. morning shift, afternoon shift, night shift
Catering assistants work split shifts (7-10am, 4-7pm) to cover breakfasts and evening meals.
permanent contract – contract for an indefinite period without regard to unforeseeable conditions
The company has created 650 permanent jobs.
part-time contract – employed to work less than the usual or full time
He provides science expertise on a part-time basis.
to terminate a contract – to bring to an end; put an end to
The company has terminated several managers.
remuneration – reward; pay
He received little remuneration for his services.
sense of accomplishment – anything brought to its goal, finished successfully, a deed; an achievement
If the work is never-ending, you never have the sense of accomplishment of a job well done.
high staff turnover – employees of that company have a shorter tenure than those of other companies in that same industry.
Morale among child-care workers is low, and turnover is more than 40% a year.
flexitime – a system in which employees can choose the times at which they start and finish work (within certain limits)
Staff wishing to avail themselves of this flexitime arrangement should discuss it with the manager.
headhunting – the act or practice of actively searching for new employees, esp. for professionals or executives
Every June the electronics manufacturers go headhunting among the newly graduated engineers.
vacancy – an unoccupied position or office
We haven’t been able to find anyone to fill this vacancy.
shortlist – a list of those people or items preferred or most likely to be chosen, as winnowed from a longer list of possibilities
I was shortlisted for the job but I didn’t get it in the end.
to be fed up with one's job – to be impatient; disgusted; bored
I' fed up with people being rude to me all the time.
to recruit – to attempt to acquire the services of (a person) for an employer:
She recruits executives for all the top companies.