sabbatical
/səˈbætɪkəl/A long break from a post, usually taken to study or travel.
Example: He's on sabbatical in Japan until next September.
C222 words · Proficient
Pay & Progression vocabulary — C2
Pay and progression vocabulary for the modern language of work, covering a sabbatical, a secondment, a portfolio career, and the gig economy.
22 questions
Words in this set
22secondment
A temporary transfer to work in another department or organisation before returning to your own post.
Example:
She is on secondment to the Brussels office this year.
plateau
/plæˈtoʊ/A stage where progress stops and things stay at the same level.
Example:
My career hit a plateau after the third year.
pivot
/ˈpɪvət/To move into a very different kind of work while still using the skills you already have.
Example:
After ten years in law she chose to pivot into tech.
portfolio career
A way of working where someone has several part-time jobs or freelance roles instead of one full-time job.
Example:
She built a portfolio career as a consultant and writer.
glass ceiling
An invisible barrier that stops certain people, especially women, from reaching senior positions.
Example:
The report highlighted how many women still hit the glass ceiling.
outplacement
/ˈaʊtˌpleɪsmənt/Professional support given to employees who are leaving a company, to help them find a new job.
Example:
The firm offered outplacement services to everyone affected by the layoffs.
reskilling
Learning new skills in order to do a different job.
Example:
The company invested in reskilling workers whose roles were automated.
nepotism
/ˈnɛpəˌtɪzəm/Handing jobs and favours to your own relatives instead of to the best person available.
Example:
Everyone knows that appointment was pure nepotism.
meritocracy
/mɛrɪˈtɔkrəsi/A system in which people rise purely on ability and effort, not on family or connections.
Example:
This firm calls itself a meritocracy but promotes friends.
furlough
/ˈfɜrloʊ/A spell when staff are sent home temporarily on reduced pay but still keep their posts.
Example:
Half the staff went on furlough during the shutdown.
attrition
/əˈtrɪʃən/The slow fall in staff numbers that happens when people leave and nobody replaces them.
Example:
We're losing staff to natural attrition, not to cuts.
moonlighting
/ˈmunˌlaɪtɪŋ/Working at a second job, often without your main employer's knowledge, usually in the evening.
Example:
He's been moonlighting as a taxi driver to pay off debt.
gig economy
A way of working in which people do short-term or freelance jobs instead of permanent employment.
Example:
Many young graduates now work in the gig economy.
constructive dismissal
When an employee resigns because their employer's behaviour made it impossible to stay in the job.
Example:
She sued for constructive dismissal after months of unfair treatment.
underemployment
/ˌʌndərɪmˈplɔɪmənt/A situation where people have jobs that do not use their full skills or do not give them enough paid work.
Example:
Underemployment is a hidden problem in many economies.
precarious
/priˈkɛriəs/Not safe or certain; likely to become worse, used to describe unstable jobs or income.
Example:
Gig work often means a precarious income.
stipend
/ˈstaɪpənd/A fixed modest sum paid regularly to cover living costs while somebody studies or trains.
Example:
Research students get a small monthly stipend from the department.
arrears
/ərˈɪrz/Money that is owed and should already have been handed over.
Example:
The company is three months in arrears on our pay.
golden handshake
A very large one off payment made to a senior person as they leave a company.
Example:
The outgoing chief executive walked away with a golden handshake.
accrue
/əˈkru/To build up little by little over a period of time.
Example:
You accrue two days of paid leave every month you work here.
honorarium
/ˌɑnərˈɛriəm/A payment for professional services that are normally given free, offered as a token of thanks.
Example:
The speaker received a small honorarium for the lecture.
