Unit 5

Word

Definition

Example

summary

a short, clear description that gives the main facts or ideas about something

He gave us a short summary of the meeting

performance

when someone performs a play or a piece of music

Describe when the employee's performance was exceptional

encourage

give support, confidence, or hope to (someone)

We encourage ideas and suggestions from staff

workforce

the people engaged in or available for work, either in a country or area or in a particular firm or industry

Between now and 2050, Europe's workforce will decrease by 70 million

opinion

a thought or belief about something or someone

Give your opinion to the situation, please

motivate

make someone willing to work harder

She's very good at motivating her team

evaluate

to judge or calculate the quality, importance, amount, or value of something

We need evaluate the success of the campaign

reward

something, especially money, that is given to someone because they have done something good

Every effort deserves a reward

appraisal

an act of assessing something or someone

I have my one year appraisal coming up

performance review

a formal assessment in which a manager evaluates an employee's work performance, identifies strengths and weaknesses, offers feedback, and sets goals for future performance

This includes an in-depth performance review

carry out

follow, e.g. instructions

A local contractor carried out all the building work

regular interval

at times that are equally separated

Interviews are held at regular intervals

annually

Once every year without fail, yearly

Sales are increasing by about 17% annually

line manager

a person with direct managerial responsibility for a particular employee

Talk to your line manager about how work stress can be resolved

occur

happen; take place

The accident occurred at about 3.30 p.m

grievance

a real or imagined cause for complaint, especially unfair treatment

The union representing federal prison employees filed a national grievance against the Justice Department

feedback

advice, criticism etc about how successful or useful something is

I am waiting for your feedback

informal context

an informal situation is one which is relaxed and friendly and not very serious or official

It's an informal context where we can share ideas

low-key

simple and not attracting attention

In Japan, it is better to use a low-key sales pitch and give them objective information

clarify

to make something clearer or easier to understand

I need you to clarify a few points

on track

to be likely to achieve a particular result

What can we do to get things back on track?

payrise

an increase in the amount of money you are paid for doing your job

Queensland hospital workers were denied a promised payrise

bonus

a sum of money added to a person's wages as a reward for good performance

Employees hope to receive a bonus at the end of the year

promotion

an activity such as special advertisements or free gifts intended to sell a product or service

Congratulations on your promotion, Dave!

enhance

increase functionality or quality

Volunteering is a unique opportunity to broaden your horizons and enhance your CV

demotivate

to make someone less enthusiastic

Some children disrupt classes and demotivate other pupils

competitive

situation in which people or organisations try to be more successful than others

Advertising is a very competitive industry

collaboration

the situation of two or more people working together to create or achieve the same thing

Can you suggest another form of collaboration?

concern

something that is important to you or that involves you

I understand your concerns about her safety

deter

to stop someone from doing something, by making them realize it will be difficult or have bad results

How can we deter people from trying to break into our system?

alter

To change the form or structure of. To become different

The photos were digitally altered

measure

to find the size, length, or amount of something, using standard units such as inches, metres etc

By measuring income, he was able to assess honesty

objective

a goal that has been fixed for people to achieve

I have clear study objectives

subjective

based on your own feelings and ideas and not on facts

There is always the danger of making a subjective judgement

merit

the quality of being good and deserving praise

Civil servants should be recruited on merit alone

length of service

the number of years an employee has been employed at the company or institution where he or she works

The average length of service for federal government workers is about 27 years

eventual

occurring or existing at the end of or as a result of a process or period of time

Our eventual aim is to design better products

loyalty

the quality of being loyal

His loyalty was never in question

reflection

the throwing back by a body or surface of light, heat, or sound without absorbing it

We could see the reflection of clouds on the water

mobile workforce

a group of employees that isn't bound by a central physical location

I anticipate that the COVID-19 pandemic will lead toward a rise in a mobile workforce around the globe

pool of talent

resource of talent

The self-employed population is a huge pool of talent for our economy