Learn the vocabulary to talk about being absent from jobs in English

Time off

Learn the vocabulary to talk about being absent from jobs in English:

to take time off = to be absent from work, at home or on vacation.

·         I'm going to take a few days off to visit my parents.

·         I'm taking Monday off to go to the dentist and do some jobs at home.

to take a vacation = to take time away from work, especially when you travel for pleasure.

·         I'm taking my vacation next month. We're going to Spain.

·         I have to take my vacation during the school holidays because of my children.

to take a sabbatical = to take time away from work to study or travel, usually while continuing to be paid.

·         He's on a sabbatical while he does his MBA. He'll be back next month.

·         She's on a sabbatical from her job while she does research for her thesis.

to take unpaid leave = to have an authorized absence from work but without salary.

·         She's taken some unpaid leave while she moves house.

·         I don't have any paid holiday left so I'd like to take unpaid leave.

to be off sick = to be absent from work due to illness.

·         When you are off sick, you must provide a doctor's note.

·         He has been off sick for a few days now. I think he'll be back at work on Monday.

sick leave = the time that you can be absent from work, often while being paid part or all of your salary.

·         She is having an operation and so will be on sick leave for the next two months.

·         When you are on sick leave prescribed by your doctor, you get paid your full salary for the first three months.

maternity leave = the period a mother is legally authorised to be absent from work before and after the birth of a child.

·         Her maternity leave finishes next week but she is not coming back to work.

·         Statutory maternity leave is paid for up to 26 weeks and can start 11 weeks before the baby is due.

parental leave = the time that a parent is allowed to spend away from work to take care of their baby.

·         He has taken parental leave to look after the baby while his wife returns to work.

·         You have to work for an employer for one year to qualify for parental leave to look after your children.

statutory sick pay = the money paid by a company to an employee who cannot work due to illness.

·         If you are absent from work due to illness, you may be able to claim sick pay.

·         To claim sick pay, you have to have medical certificate from your doctor stating that you are unable to work.

a public holiday = a day when almost everybody does not have to go to work (for example in the US July 4th or January 1st).

·         We have 25 days paid holiday plus 10 public holidays.

·         When there is a public holiday on a Thursday, many people take the Friday off too.

Time off

Learn the vocabulary to talk about being absent from jobs in English:

to take time off = to be absent from work, at home or on vacation.

·         I'm going to take a few days off to visit my parents.

·         I'm taking Monday off to go to the dentist and do some jobs at home.

to take a vacation = to take time away from work, especially when you travel for pleasure.

·         I'm taking my vacation next month. We're going to Spain.

·         I have to take my vacation during the school holidays because of my children.

to take a sabbatical = to take time away from work to study or travel, usually while continuing to be paid.

·         He's on a sabbatical while he does his MBA. He'll be back next month.

·         She's on a sabbatical from her job while she does research for her thesis.

to take unpaid leave = to have an authorized absence from work but without salary.

·         She's taken some unpaid leave while she moves house.

·         I don't have any paid holiday left so I'd like to take unpaid leave.

to be off sick = to be absent from work due to illness.

·         When you are off sick, you must provide a doctor's note.

·         He has been off sick for a few days now. I think he'll be back at work on Monday.

sick leave = the time that you can be absent from work, often while being paid part or all of your salary.

·         She is having an operation and so will be on sick leave for the next two months.

·         When you are on sick leave prescribed by your doctor, you get paid your full salary for the first three months.

maternity leave = the period a mother is legally authorised to be absent from work before and after the birth of a child.

·         Her maternity leave finishes next week but she is not coming back to work.

·         Statutory maternity leave is paid for up to 26 weeks and can start 11 weeks before the baby is due.

parental leave = the time that a parent is allowed to spend away from work to take care of their baby.

·         He has taken parental leave to look after the baby while his wife returns to work.

·         You have to work for an employer for one year to qualify for parental leave to look after your children.

statutory sick pay = the money paid by a company to an employee who cannot work due to illness.

·         If you are absent from work due to illness, you may be able to claim sick pay.

·         To claim sick pay, you have to have medical certificate from your doctor stating that you are unable to work.

a public holiday = a day when almost everybody does not have to go to work (for example in the US July 4th or January 1st).

·         We have 25 days paid holiday plus 10 public holidays.

·         When there is a public holiday on a Thursday, many people take the Friday off too.

Useful phrasal verbs 1

Learn the most common phrasal verbs used in Human Resources in English:

'close down' = to shut

·         We have closed down the small local branches and created bigger regional offices.

·         The factory closed down in the 1970's because it was too expensive to produce here.

'fight against' = to make an effort to stop something happening

·         All the workers fought against the closure but the plant was no longer profitable.

·         The unions have been fighting against the proposed changes as they think it will mean job losses.

'go back on something' = to change an agreement

·         We had come to an agreement but now she has gone back on it.

·         The company promised to review the situation but went back on its word and didn't.

'put back' = to postpone, delay in time

·         They promised to make a decision today but it has been put back until next week.

·         My visit has been put back until a later date when it will be easier to plan.

'fall behind' = not risen as fast as, fail to do something as fast as required

·         We have fallen behind schedule. It won't be completed on time.

·         Our salaries have fallen behind the national average with the small increase we have had.

'turn down' = to refuse, not accept

·         We offered a two per cent increase but it was turned down.

·         We offered him a much higher salary but he turned it down and didn't join our team.

'fill in for someone' = to replace someone during an absence

·         I need to brief the person who will be filling in for me while I am on maternity.

·         I filled in for Jamie while he was on holiday.

'back someone up' = to support or to help

·         Whenever there is a dispute with someone in my team, my manager always backs me up.

·         Nobody backed him up when he said he had been discriminated against.

'work out' = to calculate

·         I don't know how much holiday I have left. I need to work it out.

·         We need to work out how much this is really going to cost.

'drag on' = to last a long time, go on longer than anticipated

·         The negotiations are dragging on. I think we'll never reach an agreement.

·         The meeting dragged on and on. I thought I'd never get home.

Common Phrasal Verbs 2

In English, we use a lot of phrasal verbs. These are verbs with more than one part; the verb and one or two particles. Let's continue looking at some of the most common in the area of Human Resources:

'get on' = to have a good relationship

·         I don't like my boss. We just don't get on.

·         The atmosphere is terrible. He doesn't get on with his co-workers.

'follow up' = to find out more about or take further action on something.

·         Before we offer her the job, we need to follow up on her references.

·         The training is followed up by regular refresher courses over a six-month period.

'set up' = to arrange for an activity or event to happen

·         I'd like to discuss it further. Can we set up a meeting?

·         I've set up interviews with the remaining three candidates.

'make up' = do or pay extra to cover a difference.

·         I'd like to leave early on Friday. I'll make up the time next week.

·         There was an error in your expenses. We'll make up the difference next month.

'hand in' = to give something

·         He's leaving at the end of the month. He has handed in his resignation.

·         I haven't handed my time sheet in yet. I must do it now.

'work out' your notice = to continue working through the period after you have resigned.

·         They asked him to leave immediately. He didn't have to work out his notice.

·         He negotiated a deal so he didn't have to work out his notice and could leave sooner.

'sort out' = to resolve

·         We don't know who is going to replace Sue. We have to sort it out soon.

·         I have finally sorted out the error on the time sheets. It's all correct now.

'carry on' = to continue

·         We still haven't found a suitable candidate. We'll have to carry on looking.

·         Until we get the new software installed, we'll have to carry on using the old.

'back out' = to decide not to do something previously agreed.

·         They had agreed to do it but then backed out.

·         He had accepted the post but backed out at the last minute so we're considering other candidates.

'go with' = to adopt or support an idea or plan.

·         I think your idea is a good one. I think we should go with it.

We're not really sure which agency to go with. We don't think any of them are really what we are really looking for.