English teachers are often not equipped to go into depth in the terminology required in specific trade sectors. For this reason, supplementary core vocabulary sheets go a long way in helping teachers provide adequate materials for students needing an intensive study of vocabulary in very targeted areas. This core vocabulary reference sheet provides keywords and phrases used by a business’ human resources department.
This list can be used as a starting point for vocabulary study relating to employment and working. Knowledge of these terms can help people get a job and understand employee handbooks of policies that they are required to follow upon employment at a company. The list contains British and American spellings of terms and phrases, as noted by the use of “(UK)” and British spellings such as “labour,” which is spelled “labor” in the United States.
Human Resources Vocabulary
- absentee
- absenteeism
- absenteeism rate
- accident at work / industrial injury
- applicant/candidate
- application form
- apprenticeship
- aptitude test
- assessment of applicants
- assistant
- back pay
- bargaining power
- basic salary
- blue-collar worker
- business hours / office hours
- Christmas bonus
- clerical work / office work
- company bargaining / company negotiation
- compensation for permanent disability
- contractual situation
- cost-of-living allowance
- credentials
- day shift
- direct labour (UK)
- disability pension
- disciplinary measure / disciplinary sanction
- discrimination
- dismissal
- dismissal for cause
- dismissal without notice
- early retirement
- employer
- employment agency
- employment card / working papers
- employment contract / labour contract (UK)
- employment for a trial period
- employment office
- employment rate
- executive cadres
- executive personnel
- exit permit
- experienced person
- family allowances
- family leave
- federal holiday / national holiday (US) / public holiday (UK)
- freelance
- full employment
- full time
- full-time employment
- general strike
- gross wages and salaries
- harassment
- have an accident at work
- healthcare
- higher education / advanced education
- human relations (US) / human relationships (UK)
- independent unions
- index-linked wages
- indirect labour (UK)
- industrial tribunal (UK) / labour court (UK)
- internal regulations
- irregular work / discontinuous work
- job / employment
- job application
- job description
- job evaluation
- job satisfaction
- job security
- job sharing
- junior clerk / junior employee
- labor costs
- labor disputes
- labor force / manpower
- labor market
- labor mobility
- labor relations (US) / industrial relations (UK)
- labor relations / trade-union relations
- labor retraining
- labor supply
- labor union (US) / trade union (UK)
- layoff
- learning by doing
- leave
- letter of appointment
- lock-out
- management training
- managing director
- maternity leave
- middle management
- minimum rate of pay
- minimum wage
- moonlighting
- motivation
- night shift
- occupation / employment
- office hours
- office manager
- office staff / office personnel
- on-the-job training
- outsourcing
- overtime pay
- overtime work
- part time
- part-time job
- partial disability
- pay
- pay envelope (US) / wage packet (UK)
- pay formula / retribution diagram
- pay increase for merit
- paycheck / payslip
- payroll / payroll ledger
- pension
- pension fund
- period of notice
- permanent disability
- permanent job / steady job
- permanent staff
- personnel / staff
- personnel department
- personnel requirements
- planner
- pretax
- prevention
- production bonus
- professional qualifications
- professional training
- programmer
- purchasing manager
- re-employment
- redundancy payment
- refresher course
- relationship management
- remuneration
- resign (chairperson) / to give notice (employee)
- resignation (chairperson) / notice (employee)
- retirement
- retirement age
- right to strike
- salaried workers/employees
- salary
- salary range / wage band
- seasonal employment
- seasonal workers
- second shift
- secondary job
- senior clerk / senior employee
- severance pay / dismissal pay
- short-term employment
- sick leave / sick day
- skilled labor (US) / skilled labour (UK)
- skilled work
- skilled workers
- social costs
- social insurance / national insurance
- Social Security (US)
- sole director
- staff costs / personnel costs
- striker
- temporary disability
- temporary staff
- temporary worker / temp
- the job is still vacant
- third shift
- time card
- time clock
- to apply for a job
- to appoint a person
- to ask for a rise
- to be dismissed / to be fired
- to be laid off
- to be on probation / to be on trial
- to be on strike
- to be out of work / to be unemployed
- to dismiss / to fire
- to fill a vacancy
- to go on strike
- to hold a position
- to interview
- to retire
- to risk indemnity
- to secure employment
- to select candidates
- to strike
- to take measures
- to take one’s vacation days (US) / to take one’s holidays (UK)
- to train
- to work at home / to telecommute
- top manager
- total disability
- trade
- training
- training period
- trial period
- under contract
- underemployed
- unemployment
- unemployment benefits
- union dues / union subscription
- union officer / trade unionist
- unjustified dismissal
- unpaid leave
- unskilled labor (US) / unskilled labour (UK)
- unskilled worker
- vacancy / vacant position
- vacation (US) / holiday (UK)
- wage bargaining / pay negotiations
- wage ceiling
- wage claims
- wage dynamics
- wage freeze
- wage pressures
- wage-cost spiral
- wage-earning workers
- welfare contributions
- white-collar worker
- work overtime
- work shift
- workday (US) / working day (UK)
- worker
- working hour
- workload
- workplace