Top 20 Work Vocabulary In English
In today’s world, English has become one of the most important skills that can help you with your job. Whether working with people from different countries, talking to your team, or writing emails, using the right words can make you look more professional.
This blog will share the top 20 English words and phrases you need to know. Learning English work vocabulary gives you more chances to communicate better with your colleagues and partners. Let’s get started!
LIST OF 20 COMMON WORK VOCABULARY IN ENGLISH
- Agenda
The first work vocabulary you should know is agenda. It is a list of items that need to be discussed in a meeting. An agenda keeps meetings organized and on track.
Example 1: The manager sent out the agenda before the meeting.
Example 2: Let’s stick to the agenda to ensure we cover all the topics.
- Benefit
You may care about this work vocabulary most when looking for a job. It is an advantage, such as medical insurance, life insurance, and sick pay, that employees receive from their employer in addition to money.
Example 1: Our company offers a comprehensive benefits package to all employees.
Example 2: Health insurance is a major benefit that attracts many job seekers.
- Contract
A contract is a legal document that states and explains a formal agreement between two different people or groups or the agreement itself. Contracts are important for making things clear at work.
Example 1: They signed a contract to start the new project.
Example 2: Make sure you read the contract carefully before signing.
- Deadline
This is one of the most used work vocabulary. “Deadline” means the latest time or date something should be completed. It is important to meet deadlines.
Example 1: The deadline for submitting the report is next Friday.
Example 2: We need to work fast to meet the deadline for this project, or else we will be in big trouble!
- KPI
KPI – Key Performance Indicator – is also one of the most used work vocabulary. The term describes a value to measure how effectively a company or a person is achieving goals.
Example 1: Sales growth is a major KPI for our department.
Example 2: We track KPIs to measure our progress and performance.
- Maternity leave
This is a period in which a woman is allowed to be absent from work in the weeks before and after she gives birth. Maternity leave is important for the health of female employees.
Example 1: The changes in the company’s policies can affect female employees’ maternity leave.
Example 2: She is on maternity leave. She’s giving birth to her second child.
- Minimum wage
This term means the lowest amount of money an employee can be paid. When looking for a job, you should consider how much you will be paid before signing contracts to see if it is legal or not.
Example 1: The new business couldn’t afford to pay more than the minimum wage.
Example 2: He is working in a coffee shop, making minimum wage.
- Onboarding
The next work vocabulary – onboarding – is the process in which new employees gain the knowledge and skills they need to become effective members of an organization.
Example 1: The onboarding process includes training sessions and team introductions.
Example 2: Effective onboarding can improve employee satisfaction.
- Outsourcing
Outsourcing shows the process of paying to have part of a company’s work done by another company.
Example 1: The company needs more employees, so it has to include outsourcing services in this project.
Example 2: We are considering outsourcing our IT services to reduce expenses.
- Overtime
Overtime is the time spent working after the usual time needed or expected for a job.
Example 1: They are working overtime to get the job done on time.
Example 2: Everyone on the team is working overtime today.
- Personnel
This work vocabulary describes a factor that is really important for every company. Personnel are the people who are employed in a company, or organization.
Example 1: Our company is hiring new personnel for the next project.
Example 2: The company cares about personnel management.
- Promotion
Promotion is raising someone to a higher or more important job or rank. Promotions often come with more tasks and higher pay.
Example 1: She received a promotion because of her hard work.
Example 2: Working hard can lead to a promotion.
- Retention
Retention is the ability of a company to keep its employees and stop them from going to work elsewhere.
Example 1: Employee retention is one of the major issues in business nowadays.
Example 2: Health benefits are an important retention tool.
- Stakeholder
The next work vocabulary shows a person with an interest or concern in something, especially a business.
Example 1: We need to communicate our strategy to all stakeholders.
Example 2: Stakeholders’ feedback is important for project success.
- Strategy
It is a detailed plan for achieving success in situations such as war, politics, business, industry, or sport, or the skill of planning for such situations.
Example 1: Our marketing strategy focuses on digital channels.
Example 2: We need a clear strategy to enter the new market.
- Supervisor
This word describes a person in charge of a group of people or an area of work who ensures that the job is done correctly and according to the rules.
Example 1: My supervisor guided me in improving my report.
Example 2: Supervisors are in charge of tracking project deadlines.
- Talent Acquisition
It is the process of finding skilled workers to meet organizational needs. Talent acquisition allows companies to train skilled and motivated employees, benefitting the company’s long-term success and growth.
Example 1: Talent acquisition strategies focus on attracting the best candidates.
Example 2: Managers really care about talent acquisition projects.
- Turnover
The next work vocabulary is the amount of business that a company does in a period or the rate at which employees leave a company and are replaced by new people.
Example 1: The large number of temporary contracts resulted in a high turnover of staff.
Example 2: The business has an annual turnover of £50,000.
- Workflow
Workflow is an English work vocabulary that shows the way that a particular type of work is organized or the order of the stages in a particular work process.
Example 1: The right tools can improve workflow and productivity.
Example 2: By improving workflow, the whole team has finally met the deadlines.
- Workload
This work vocabulary shows the amount of work to be done, especially by a particular person or machine.
Example 1: They are always complaining about their heavy workload.
Example 2: Her workload increases as she’s promoted to project manager.
An open door to more career opportunities!
With the top 20 most common work vocabulary, you can now be confident in communicating in English with your colleagues and partners or have more job opportunities. Whether you want to join in professional conversations, write emails to foreign clients, or look for promotions, you’ll be ready anytime.
Besides learning new words and phrases, practicing to pronounce them correctly is also important. That’s when you need ELSA Speak!
ELSA is an innovative language-learning app that can help you improve your English, especially speaking skills, in a fun way. A personalized learning plan will be created just for you based on your ELSA scores. With ELSA, you can pronounce this new work vocabulary in English perfectly!
Check out more business expressions here.
