Advanced General IELTS Words for "Office Life"

quorum

noun

q

k

u

w

o

ɔ

r

u

ə

m

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the minimum number of people that must be present for a meeting to officially begin or for decisions to be made

Example

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The board meeting could not proceed as scheduled because there was not enough members present to meet the quorum requirement.

According to the organization's bylaws, at least 50% of members must be present to establish a quorum for voting on important decisions.

sweatshop

noun

s

w

ea

ɛ

t

ʧ

sh

o

ɑ

p

a workplace, particularly one in which people produce clothing items, with poor conditions where workers are paid very low wages

roster

noun

r

o

ɑ

s

t

e

ɜ

r

a list or plan showing assignments or duties for individuals or groups over a specified period

to lay off

Verb

/lˈeɪ ˈɔf/

to dismiss employees due to financial difficulties or reduced workload

Grammatical Information:

transitive

Phrasal Status

separable

phrase's verb

lay

phrase's particle

off

to downsize

Verb

d

o

a

w

ʊ

n

s

i

aɪ

z

e

(of an organization or company) to reduce the number of employees, often as a means of cutting costs or increasing efficiency

to convene

Verb

c

k

o

ə

n

v

e

i

n

e

to meet or bring together a group of people for an official meeting

Grammatical Information:

intransitive

to lock out

Verb

/lˈɑːk ˈaʊt/

to prevent one's employees from working until they accept new policies or conditions

Grammatical Information:

Phrasal Status

separable

phrase's verb

lock

phrase's particle

out

to pension off

Verb

/pˈɛnʃən ˈɔf/

to force one's employee to retire or leave work and give them a payment

to skive

Verb

s

k

i

aɪ

v

e

to avoid fulfilling a responsibility by staying away from work

to transact

Verb

t

r

a

æ

n

s

z

a

æ

c

k

t

to do business with another person or company

to retrench

Verb

/ɹiˈtɹɛntʃ/

to reduce the expenses of one's company by dismissing a number of employees from their job

to sack

Verb

s

a

æ

ck

k

to dismiss someone from their job

hire

Grammatical Information:

transitive

to troubleshoot

Verb

t

r

ou

ə

b

ə

l

e

sh

ʃ

oo

u

t

to come up with solutions for challenges and difficulties in an organization or company

Grammatical Information:

transitive

to clock in

Verb

/klˈɑːk ˈɪn/

to record one's arrival at work by using a timekeeping system, usually involving the use of a clock or electronic device

clock out

Grammatical Information:

Phrasal Status

inseparable

phrase's verb

clock

phrase's particle

in

to clock out

Verb

/klˈɑːk ˈaʊt/

to record the time of one's departure from work

clock in

Grammatical Information:

Phrasal Status

inseparable

phrase's verb

clock

phrase's particle

out

to punch in

Verb

/pˈʌntʃ ˈɪn/

to manually register the time of one's arrival at work by pushing a button on a machine

clock out

to punch out

Verb

/pˈʌntʃ ˈaʊt/

to manually register the time of one's departure from work by pushing a button on a machine

clock in

organogram

noun

o

ɔ:

r

g

a

æ

n

o

oʊ

g

r

a

æ

m

a diagrammatic representation of the hierarchical structure of an organization

hybrid working

noun

/hˈaɪbɹɪd wˈɜːkɪŋ/

a model where employees split their time between working from home and working on-site

Grammatical Information:

compound noun

exit interview

noun

/ˈɛɡzɪt ˈɪntɚvjˌuː/

a discussion with a departing employee to understand their reasons for leaving and gain feedback on their experience with the organization

Grammatical Information:

compound noun

to liaise

Verb

l

iai

ɪeɪ

s

z

e

to establish a communication or cooperation which links parties or organizations

to liquidate

Verb

l

i

ɪ

q

k

u

w

i

ɪ

d

a

eɪ

t

e

to clear one's debt

Grammatical Information:

transitive

to onboard

Verb

o

ɑ

n

b

oa

ɔ

r

d

to integrate and familiarize a new employee or user with a system or organization

logistics

noun

l

o

ə

g

ʤ

i

ɪ

s

t

i

ɪ

c

k

s

the management of supplying labor and materials as needed for an operation or task

operations department

noun

/ˌɑːpɚɹˈeɪʃənz dɪpˈɑːɹtmənt/

the division within an organization responsible for the day-to-day management and execution of its core business functions

Grammatical Information:

compound noun

assurance department

noun

/əʃjˈʊɹəns dɪpˈɑːɹtmənt/

a division within an organization responsible for ensuring that processes, systems, and products meet established quality and compliance standards

Grammatical Information:

compound noun

blue Monday

noun

/blˈuː mˈʌndeɪ/

a day of low motivation or sadness, commonly occurring at the start of the workweek due to the weekend ending

Grammatical Information:

compound noun

hot desk

noun

/hˈɑːt dˈɛsk/

a shared workspace in an office, available for use by any employee on a first-come, first-served basis, rather than being assigned to a particular individual

Grammatical Information:

compound noun

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