Dictionary of Human Resourcesand Personnel Management

sabbatical 230 salary ceiling

S

sabbatical /sə_b_t k(ə)l/ noun, ad-jective (referring to) paid or unpaid time off, for the purposes of research or study or travel The union claimed sabbati-cal leave for every six years worked. She is due for a sabbatical next year.sack /s_k/ noun to get the sack to be dismissed from a job verb to dis-miss someone from a job He was sacked after being late for work.sackable offence /s_kəb(ə)l ə-_fens/ noun behaviour which automati-cally means dismissal Being drunk in the office is a sackable offence here.sacking /_s_k ŋ/ noun a dismissal from a job The union protested against the sackings.s.a.e. abbr stamped addressed enve-lope Send your application form to the Human Resources manager, with an s.a.e. for reply.safeguard /_se f ɑ_d/ verb to protect

The duty of the directors is to safe-guard the interests of the shareholders.safety /_se fti/ noun the fact of being free from danger or risk to take safety precautions or safety measures to act to make sure something is safesafety audit /_se fti ɔ_d t/ noun a check of the workplace to see how safety regulations are being implemented

safety committee /_se fti kəm ti/ noun a committee set up to examine the health and safety policy of a particular companysafety measures /_se fti me"əz/ plural noun actions to make sure that something is safesafety offence /_se fti əfens/ noun behaviour which can cause a hazard

safety officer /_se fti ɒf sə/ noun an official who inspects places of work and work methods to make sure that they are safesafety precautions /_se fti pr -kɔ_ʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun actions to try to make sure that something is safesafety regulations /_se fti re jυ-le ʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun rules to make a place of work safe for the employeessafety representative /_se fti repr zentət v/ noun a trade union rep-resentative for health and safety problemssalaried partner /s_lərid _pɑ_tnə/ noun a partner, often a junior one, who receives a regular salary in accordance with the partnership agreementsalaried staff /_s_lərid stɑ_f/ noun staff earning salaries, as opposed to those paid on different termssalary /_s_ləri/ noun 1. a regular pay-ment for work done, made to an em-ployee usually as a cheque at the end of each month The company froze all salaries for a six-month period. If I get promoted, my salary will go up. The salary may be low, but the fringe benefits attached to the job are good. She got a salary increase in June. sal-ary bands all salaries at certain levelsThe pay structure is made up five salary bands. 2. an amount paid to an em-ployee, shown as a monthly, quarterly or yearly total (NOTE: plural is salaries)salary ceiling /_s_ləri si_l ŋ/ noun1. the maximum amount which can be earned for a particular job or by a partic-ular class of employee, as set by a gov-ernment or by an agreement between a trade union and an employer 2. the high-est level on a pay scale that a particular

salary cheque 231 sales representative

employee can achieve under his or her contractsalary cheque /_s_ləri tʃek/ noun a monthly cheque by which an employee is paidsalary club /_s_ləri kl$b/ noun a meeting of representatives from various companies to discuss the salary struc-ture in an industrysalary cut /_s_ləri k$t/ noun a sud-den reduction in salarysalary deductions /_s_ləri d -d$kʃənz/ plural noun money which a company removes from salaries to pay to the government as tax, National In-surance contributions, etc.salary differentials /_s_ləri d fə-renʃəlz/ plural noun same as pay differentialssalary drift /_s_ləri dr ft/ noun same as earnings driftsalary expectations /_s_ləri ekspekte ʃ(ə)nz/ plural noun thehopes of an employee that their salary will increasesalary package /_s_ləri p_k d"/ noun same as pay packagesalary-related pension scheme/s_ləri r le t d _penʃən ski_m/ noun a pension scheme where the pension re-ceived is based on the final salary of the contributorsalary review /_s_ləri r vju_/ noun same as pay review She had a salary review last April or her salary was re-viewed last April.salary rise /_s_ləri ra z/ noun same as pay rise (NOTE: American English is raise in this meaning)salary scale /_s_ləri ske l/ noun same as pay scale He was appointed at the top end of the salary scale.salary structure /_s_ləri str$ktʃə/ noun the organisation of salaries in a company with different rates of pay for different types of job

‘…the union of hotel and personal service workers has demanded a new salary structure and uniform conditions of service for workers in the hotel and catering industry’ [Business Times (Lagos)]

sales /se lz/ plural noun money re-ceived for selling something Sales have risen over the first quarter.sales analysis /_se lz ən_ləs s/ noun an examination of the reports of sales to see why items have or have not sold well

sales assistant /_se lz əs stənt/ noun a person in a shop who sells goods to customerssales budget /_se lz b$d" t/ noun a plan of probable salessales campaign /_se lz k_mpe n/ noun a series of planned activities to achieve higher salessales chart /_se lz tʃɑ_t/ noun a dia-gram showing how sales vary from month to monthsales clerk /_se lz klɑ_k/ noun US a person who sells goods to customers in a store

‘…the wage agreement includes sales clerks and commission sales people in stores in Toronto’ [Toronto Star]

sales department /_se lz d -pɑ_tmənt/ noun the section of a com-pany which deals in selling the com-pany’s products or servicessales drive /_se lz dra v/ noun a vig-orous effort to increase salessales executive /_se lz zekjυt v/ noun a person in a company or depart-ment in charge of salessales force /_se lz fɔ_s/ noun a group of salespeople or sales representatives responsible for the sales of either a sin-gle product or the entire range of an or-ganisation’s productssalesman /_se lzmən/ noun a man who sells an organisation’s products or services to customers Salesmen are paid a basic salary plus commission.sales manager /_se lz m_n d"ə/ noun a person in charge of a sales departmentsalesmanship /_se lzmənʃ p/ noun the art of selling or of persuading cus-tomers to buysales representative /_se lz repr -zentət v/, sales rep /_se lz rep/ noun a person who sells an organisation’s

sales target 232 schedule

products or services to customers We have six sales representatives in Eu-rope. They have vacancies for sales representatives to call on accounts in the north of the country.sales target / _se lz tɑ_ t/ noun the amount of sales a sales representative is expected to achievesaleswoman /_se lzwυmən/ noun 1. a woman who sells an organisation’s products or services to customers 2. a woman in a shop who sells goods tocustomers (NOTE: plural issaleswomen)sandwich course /_s_ndw tʃ kɔ_s/ noun a course of study where students at a college or institute spend a period of time working in a factory, office or other organisation as part of gaining their qualificationsatisfaction /s_t s_f_kʃən/ noun a good feeling of happiness and content-ment He finds great satisfaction in the job even though the pay is bad.satisfy /_s_t sfa / verb 1. to give sat-isfaction or to please to satisfy a cli-ent to make a client pleased with what they have purchased 2. to fill the re-quirements for a job (NOTE: satisfies –satisfying – satisfied)save-as-you-earn /se v əz ju_ ___n/ noun a scheme where employees can save money regularly by having it deducted automatically from their wages and invested in National Savings. Abbr SAYE

savings account /_se v ŋz əkaυnt/ noun an account where you put money in regularly and which pays interest, of-ten at a higher rate than a deposit account

savings and loan (association)/_se v ŋz ən _ləυn əsəυs _e ʃən/ noun US a financial association which ac-cepts and pays interest on deposits from investors and lends money to people who are buying property. The loans are in the form of mortgages on the security of the property being bought. S&Ls are regulated by the Office of Thrift Super-vision and are protected by the Savings Association Insurance Fund. Abbr S&L(NOTE: the S&Ls are also called thrifts;

the British equivalents are the building societies)

COMMENT: Because of deregulation of interest rates in 1980, many S&Ls found that they were forced to raise interest on deposits to current market rates in order to secure funds, while at the same time they still were charging low fixed-interest rates on the mortgages granted to bor-rowers. This created considerable prob-lems and many S&Ls had to be rescued by the Federal government.

SAYE abbr save-as-you-earnscab /sk_b/ noun an employee who goes on working when there is a strike(informal)scalar /_ske lə/ adjective working ac-cording to a scalescalar principle /_ske lə pr ns p(ə)l/ noun the principle that employees should only communicate with their seniors through the estab-lished hierarchy

scale /ske l/ noun a system which is graded into various levels scale of salaries a list of salaries showing different levels of pay in different jobs in the same companyscale down /ske l _daυn/ verb to lower in proportionscale up /ske l _$p/ verb to increase in proportionScanlon plan /_sk_nlən pl_n/ noun a type of gain sharing plan that pays a bonus to employees when they improve their performance or productivity by a certain amount as measured against a previously established standardschedule /_ʃedju_l/ noun 1. a timeta-ble, a plan of time drawn up in advance

The managing director has a busy schedule of appointments. Her secre-tary tried to fit me into her schedule. on schedule at the time or stage set down in the schedule The launch took place on schedule. to be ahead of schedule to be early The building was completed ahead of schedule. to be on schedule to be on time The project is on schedule. to be behind schedule to be late I am sorry to say that we are three months behind schedule. to have a heavy schedule of meetings to have a large number of meetings ar-

Schedule A 233 secondary action

ranged 2. a list, especially additional documents attached to a contract the schedule of territories to which a con-tract applies See the attached sched-ule or as per the attached schedule. Please find enclosed our schedule of charges. 3. a list of items verb 1. to list officially We offer a 10% reduc-tion on scheduled prices or scheduled charges to selected customers. 2. to plan the time when something will happenThe building is scheduled for comple-tion in May.Schedule A /ʃedju_l _e / noun a schedule under which tax is charged on income from land or buildingsSchedule B /ʃedju_l _bi_/ noun a schedule under which tax was formerly charged on income from woodlandsSchedule C /ʃedju_l _si_/ noun a schedule under which tax is charged on profits from government stockSchedule D /ʃedju_l _di_/ noun a schedule under which tax is charged on income from trades or professions, in-terest and other earnings not derived from being employedSchedule E /ʃedju_l _i_/ noun a schedule under which tax is charged on income from salaries, wages or pensionsSchedule F /ʃedju_l _ef/ noun a schedule under which tax is charged on income from dividendsscheme /ski_m/ noun a plan, arrange-ment or way of working Under the bonus scheme all employees get 10% of their annual pay as a Christmas bonus. He has joined the company pension scheme. We operate a profit-sharing scheme for managers. The new pay-ment scheme is based on reward for in-dividual effort.

school-leaver /_sku_l li_və/ noun a person who has just left schoolscientific management/sa ənt f k _m_n d"mənt/ noun a theory of management which believes in the rational use of resources in order to maximise output, thus motivating work-ers to earn more moneyscope /skəυp/ noun a range of sub-jects being dealt with the scope of an agreement

screen /skri_n/ verb to examine some-thing carefully to evaluate or assess it to screen candidates to examine candi-dates to see if they are completely suitable

screening /_skri_n ŋ/ noun the screening of candidates the examining of candidates to see if they are suitableseagull manager /_si_ $l m_n d"ə/ noun a manager who is brought in to deal with a project, makes a lot of fuss, achieves nothing, and then leaves (slang)

search /s__tʃ/ verb 1. to look for something The company is searching for a formula which will be acceptable to the unions. 2. to examine thoroughly

Members of staff were searched as they left the building.season /_si_z(ə)n/ noun 1. one of four parts into which a year is divided, i.e. spring, summer, autumn and winter 2. a period of time when some activity usu-ally takes place the selling seasonseasonal /_si_z(ə)n(ə)l/ adjective which lasts for a season or which only happens during a particular season seasonal variations in sales patterns The demand for this item is very seasonal.

seasonal employment/_si_z(ə)n(ə)l mplɔ mənt/, seasonal work /_si_z(ə)n(ə)l w__k/ noun a jobwhich is available at certain times of the year only (such as in a ski resort)seasonal worker /_si_z(ə)n(ə)l w__kə/ noun a worker who is em-ployed for a few months during the high season

second /s _kɒnd/ verb to lend a mem-ber of staff to another company, organi-sation or department for a fixed period of time He was seconded to the De-partment of Trade for two years.secondary /_sekənd(ə)ri/ adjective second in importancesecondary action /sekənd(ə)ri__kʃən/, secondary strike/sekənd(ə)ri _stra k/, secondary picketing /sekənd(ə)ri _p k t ŋ/ nounindustrial action aimed at a company which is not a party to an industrial dis-pute, to prevent it from supplying a

secondary boycott 234 security

striking factory or receiving supplies from itsecondary boycott /sekənd(ə)ri _bɔ kɒt/ noun US pressure put on an employer by those not directly involved in an industrial dispute. primaryboycott

secondary group /_sekənd(ə)ri ru_p/ noun a group which is small enough

to allow its members to interactinformallysecondary industry /_sekənd(ə)ri ndəstri/ noun an industry which usesbasic raw materials to produce manufac-tured goodssecondary picketing /sekənd(ə)ri _p k t ŋ/ noun same as secondaryactionsecondary sector /_sekənd(ə)ri sektə/ noun industries which use basic raw materials to make manufactured goods

secondary strike /sekənd(ə)ri _stra k/ noun same as secondaryactionsecond-class mail /sekənd klɑ_s _me l/ noun a less expensive, slower mail service The letter took three days to arrive because he sent it second-class.

secondee /s kɒn_di_/ noun a person who is seconded to another jobsecondment /s _kɒndmənt/ noun the act or period of being seconded to another job for a period He is on three years’ secondment to an Australian college.

second quarter /sekənd _kwɔ_tə/ noun a period of three months from April to the end of Junesecret /_si_krət / adjective which is not known by many people The MD kept the contract secret from the rest of the board. The management signed a se-cret deal with a foreign supplier. noun something which is hidden or which is not known by many people to keep a secret not to tell secret infor-mation which you have been toldsecretarial /sekr _teəriəl/ adjective referring to the work of a secretarySecretarial work is seen as a step to-wards management positions. He is

looking for secretarial work. We need extra secretarial help to deal with the mailings. Their secretarial duties are not onerous, just boring.secretarial course /sekr _teəriəl kɔ_s/ noun a course of study for secre-taries She is taking a secretarial course.

secretary /_sekrət(ə)ri/ noun 1. a person who helps to organise work, types letters, files documents, arranges meetings, etc., for someone My secre-tary deals with incoming orders. Her secretary phoned to say she would be late. 2. an official of a company or soci-ety 3. a member of the government in charge of a department the Trade Sec-retary the Foreign Secretary the Education Secretarysecretary and personal assis-tant /sekrət(ə)ri ən p__s(ə)n(ə)l ə-_s st(ə)nt/ noun a secretary to a top-level member of an organisation, such as director, or senior managerSecretary of State /sekrət(ə)ri əv _ste t/ noun 1. GB a member of thegovernment in charge of a department the Secretary of State for Trade and In-dustry 2. US a senior member of the government in charge of foreign affairs(NOTE: the British equivalent is the For-eign Secretary)Secretary of the Treasury/sekrət(ə)ri əv ðə _tre"əri/ noun US a senior member of the government in charge of financial affairssecret ballot /si_krət _b_lət/ noun an election where the voters vote in secret

sector /_sektə/ noun a part of the economy or the business organisation of a country All sectors of the economy suffered from the fall in the exchange rate. Technology is a booming sector of the economy.

‘…government services form a large part of the tertiary or service sector’ [Sydney Morning Herald]

secure /s _kjυə/ adjective safe, which cannot change secure job a job from which you are not likely to be made redundantsecurity /s _kjυər ti/ noun the fact of being protected against attack office

security of employment 235 self-employment

security the act of protecting an office against theftsecurity of employment /s -kjυər ti əv m_plɔ mənt/ noun a feel-ing by an employee that they have the right to keep their job until they retireselect /s _lekt/ verb to choose The board will meet to select three candi-dates for a second interview.selection /s _lekʃən/ noun 1. a choice2. the process of choosing someone for a job Assessment of candidates for fi-nal selection will depend on tests and interviews.selection instrument /s _lekʃən nstrυmənt/ noun a psychometric testused as a method of selecting people for a job or for trainingselection interviewing /s _lekʃən ntəvju_ ŋ/ noun the interviewing of anumber of candidates in order to select one or more for a job or for trainingselection of personnel /s lekʃən əv p__sə_nel/ noun same asrecruitmentselection procedure /s _lekʃən prəsi_d"ə/ noun the general method of choosing a candidate for a jobselection test /s _lekʃən test/ noun a test to assess whether someone should be selected for a job or for trainingself- /self/ prefix referring to yourselfself-actualisation /self _ktʃuəla -_ze ʃ(ə)n/ noun the process of develop-ing your skills and talents to the fullest possible extent or to the point where they are most beneficial to you (NOTE:also called self-fulfilment)self-administered pension scheme /self ədm n stəd _penʃənski_m/ noun a scheme where the trust-ees actively administer the funds and are responsible for its performanceself-appraisal /self ə_pre z(ə)l/ noun a person’s own assessment of their capabilities and character The appli-cation forms contain room for a short self-appraisal.self-assessment /self ə_sesmənt/ noun 1. the process of calculating how much tax you should pay and reporting it to the Inland Revenue on time

Self-assessment forms should be re-turned to the tax office by 31st January.2. a systematic and regular review of its own activities carried out by an organi-sation, which compares the results against a model of excellence (NOTE:Self-assessment allows an organisa-tion to identify its strengths and weak-nesses and to plan improvementactivities.) 3. same as self-appraisalCandidates are asked to write a two-page self-assessment as part of the job application. Self-assessment can be an embarrassing process for many applicants.self-certification /self sət f -_ke ʃ(ə)n/ noun a procedure that allows an employee who takes sick leave for seven days or less to avoid loss of earn-ings by filling in a form when they re-turn to work, indicating the nature of the illness and how long it lasted, and by having the form countersigned by a managerself-confidence /self _kɒnf dəns/ noun the quality of feeling confident in your own ability After a month of suc-cessful sales, my self-confidence im-proved dramatically. Her lack of self-confidence was obvious at the interview.

self-confident /self _kɒnf dənt/ ad-jective referring a person who is confi-dent in their own ability The trainee was self-confident to the point of arrogance.

self-development /self d -_veləpmənt/ noun same as personal developmentself-directed team /self d _rekt d ti_m/ noun same as autonomous teamworkingself-employed /self m_plɔ d/ ad-jective working for yourself or not on the payroll of a company a self-employed engineer He worked for a bank for ten years but is now self-employed.

self-employment /self m-_plɔ mənt/ noun the business or activity of someone who is not an employee of somebody else under a contract of em-ployment, but either works as a free-lance or owns a business (NOTE:

self-fulfilment 236 separation

Self-employment has an important ef-fect on how a person’s earnings are treated for tax purposes and on the de-gree of employment protection they have.)self-fulfilment /self fυl_f lmənt/ noun same as self-actualisation(NOTE: the usual US spelling is self-fulfillment)self-image /self _ m d"/ noun an idea that a person has about their own char-acter and abilitiesself-instruction /self n_str$kʃən/ noun the process of teaching oneselfHe learnt the language at home, entirely through self-instruction.self-made man /self me d _m_n/ noun a man who is rich and successful because of his own work, not because he inherited money or positionself-made woman /self me d _wυmən/ noun a woman who is richand successful because of her own work, not because she inherited money or positionself-managed (work) team /self m_n d"d _w__k ti_m/, self-managing (work) team /self m_n d" ŋ _w__kti_m/ noun same as autonomous teamworkingself-regulation /self re jυ_le ʃ(ə)n/ noun the regulation of an industry by it-self, through a committee which issues a rulebook and makes sure that members of the industry follow the rules (NOTE:For example, the Stock Exchange is regulated by the Stock Exchange Council.)self-starter /self _stɑ_tə/ noun a per-son who can be relied on to take the ini-tiative in a new situation without asking for instructionsself-taught /self _tɔ_t/ adjective re-ferring to a person who has taught themselvessellout /_selaυt/ noun the act of giving in to demands in exchange for financial concessions a sellout to the management

semi- /semi/ prefix half or partseminar /_sem nɑ_/ noun the teaching of a small class of advanced studentsHe attended a seminar on direct selling.

She is running a seminar for senior managers.semi-retired /semi r _ta əd/ adjec-tive having retired on a pension, but still working part-timesemi-skilled /semi _sk ld/ adjective having had or involving some trainingsenior /_si_niə/ adjective 1. referring to an employee who is more important decision taken at senior level a deci-sion taken by directors or senior manag-ers 2. referring to an employee who is older or who has been employed longer than anotherseniority /si_ni_ɒr ti/ noun 1. the fact of being more important in order of seniority 2. the fact of being being older or being an employee of the company longerseniority system /si_ni_ɒr ti s stəm/ noun a way in which employ-ees can gain seniority in an organisationsenior management /si_niə _m_n d"mənt/ noun the main directorsof a companysenior manager /si_niə _m_n d"ə/,senior executive /si_niər -_zekjυt v/ noun a manager or director who has a higher rank than otherssenior partner /si_niə _pɑ_tnə/ noun the most important partner in a firm of solicitors or accountantssenior staff /_si_niə stɑ_f/ noun 1. older members of staff 2. people in more important positions in a companysenior vice-president /si_niə va s _prez d(ə)nt/ noun one of a few mainexecutive directors of a companysensitivity training /sens _t v ti tre n ŋ/ noun the development of char-acter and awareness by social interac-tion in small groups Sensitivity training has helped him to be forceful without offending others in the department.

separation /sepə_re ʃ(ə)n/ noun US the act of leaving a job (resigning, retir-ing or being fired or made redundant)The interviewer asked the candidate whether the separation mentioned in his CV was due to resignation, redundancy or dismissal. The exit interviews at-

sequester 237 sex

tempted to find out what employees re-ally felt about separation.sequester /s _kwestə/, sequestrate/_si_kw stre t, s _kwestre t/ verb to take and keep a bank account or prop-erty because a court has ordered it The union was fined for contempt of court and its funds have been sequestrated.sequestration /si_kwe_stre ʃ(ə)n/ noun the taking and keeping of property on the order of a court, especially seiz-ing property from someone who is in contempt of courtsequestrator /_si_kw stre tə, s -_kwestre tə/ noun a person who takes and keeps property on the order of a courtSERPS / s__ps/ abbr state earn-ings-related pension schemeserve /s__v/ verb 1. to deal with a cus-tomer to serve an apprenticeship to work with a skilled worker for a legally agreed period in order to learn from them 2. to serve someone with a writ, to serve a writ on someone to give someone a writ officially, so that they have to receive it 3. to work She served ten years as an accounts clerk.service /_s__v s/ noun 1. the work done by an employee for his or her em-ployer of company After a lifetime’s service to the company he was rewarded with a generous golden handshake. 2. the business of providing help in some form when it is neededservice agreement /_s__v s ə- ri_mənt/, service contract /_s__v s kɒntr_kt/ noun a contract between acompany and a director showing all conditions of work The service agree-ment says very little about hours of work.service job /_s__v s d"ɒb/ noun a job in an industry which does not make products, but offers a service (such as banking, insurance or transport)session /_seʃ(ə)n/ noun a period of time spent on a specific activity, espe-cially as part of a larger event The morning session or the afternoon ses-sion will be held in the conference room.set /set/ noun a group of items which go together, which are used together or

which are sold together a set of toolsadjective fixed or which cannot be

changed There is a set fee for all our consultants. verb to fix or to arrange

We have to set a price for the new computer. The price of the calculator has been set low, so as to achieve maxi-mum unit sales. (NOTE: setting – set) set the bar to motivate staff by setting targets that are above their current level of achievement settle /_set(ə)l/ verb to solve a prob-lem or dispute to settle a claim to agree to pay what is asked for The in-surance company refused to settle his claim for storm damage.settlement /_set(ə)lmənt/ noun an agreement after an argument or negotia-tions a wage settlement to effect a settlement between two parties to bring two parties together to make them agree

‘…he emphasised that prompt settlement of all forms of industrial disputes would guarantee industrial peace in the country and ensure increased productivity’ [Business Times (Lagos)]

settlement day /_set(ə)lmənt de / noun the day on which shares which have been bought must be paid for (on the London Stock Exchange the account period is three business days from the day of trade) (NOTE: also called ac-count day)set up /set _$p/ verb to begin some-thing or to organise something new to set up an inquiry or a working party to set up a company to start a company legally

seven-point plan /sev(ə)n pɔ nt _pl_n/ noun a list of items used in as-sessing the potential of job candidates

COMMENT: The seven points are: physi-cal appearance, educational qualifica-tions, general intelligence level, special skills (not necessarily connected to their current employment), outside interests, mental and emotional disposition, per-sonal and family circumstances.

severance pay /_sev(ə)rəns pe / noun money paid as compensation to an employee whose job is no longer neededsex /seks/ noun one of two groups (male and female) into which people can be divided

Sex Discrimination Act 1975, 1986238 shift differential

Sex Discrimination Act 1975, 1986 /seks d skr m _ne ʃ(ə)n _kt na nti_n sev(ə)nti _fa v, na nti_ne ti _s ks/ noun Acts of Parliament which ban discrimination on grounds of sexsexism /_seks z(ə)m/ noun the belief that one sex is superior to the othersexist /_seks st/ adjective showing a belief that one sex is superior to the other He was reprimanded for making sexist remarks about her.sexual /_sekʃuəl/ adjective relating to sexsexual discrimination /sekʃuəl d skr m _ne ʃ(ə)n/, sex discrimina-tion /seks d skr m _ne ʃ(ə)n/ nounthe practice of treating men and women in different ways (usually favouring men) The company was accused of sex discrimination in its appointment of managers. Sex discrimination has made it difficult for women to reach managerial posts in the organisation.sexual harassment /sekʃuəl _h_rəsmənt, hə_r_smənt/ noun thepractice of making unpleasant sexual gestures, comments or approaches to someone She complained of sexual harassment by the manager.shakeout /_ʃe kaυt/ noun a complete change, where weak or inefficient peo-ple or companies are removed Only three companies were left after the shakeout in the computer market.shakeup /_ʃe k$p/ noun a total reor-ganisation The managing director or-dered a shakeup of the sales departments.

shape up or ship out /ʃe p $p ɔ_ ʃ p _aυt/ interjection an order to im-prove your performance at work be-cause if you do not you will be firedshare /ʃeə/ noun 1. a part of some-thing that has been divided up among several peoole or groups 2. an one of many equal parts into which a com-pany’s capital is divided (the owners of shares are shareholders or, more for-mally, ‘members’) He bought a block of shares in Marks and Spencer. Shares fell on the London market. The company offered 1.8m shares on the

market. verb 1. to own or use some-thing together with someone else It is very awkward having to share a tele-phone. I don’t want to share an office with her because she smokes. 2. to di-vide something up among several peo-ple or groups Three companies share the market.shareholder /_ʃeəhəυldə/ noun a person who owns shares in a company to call a shareholders’ meeting (NOTE:Formally called a ‘member’.)

‘…as of last night the bank’s shareholders no longer hold any rights to the bank’s shares’ [South China Morning Post]

share issue /_ʃeər ʃu_/ noun an act of selling new shares in a company to the publicshare option scheme /ʃeər _ɒpʃən ski_m/ noun an arrangement where an employee has regular deductions made against their pay against the right to buy shares in the company at a fixed low price at a later dateshare ownership scheme /ʃeər _əυnəʃ p ski_m/, share incentive scheme /ʃeər n_sent v ski_m/ nouna scheme whereby employees in a com-pany can buy shares in it and so share in the profits Share ownership schemes help employees to identify more closely with the company they work for.shed /ʃed/ verb to lose (NOTE: shed-ding – shed) to shed staff to lose staff by making them redundantsheet /ʃi_t/ noun sheet of paper a piece of papershelve /ʃelv/ verb to postpone or to put back to another date The project was shelved. Discussion of the prob-lem has been shelved.shift /ʃ ft/ noun 1. a group of employ-ees who work for a period, and then are replaced by another group to work double shifts to work with two shifts of workers on duty 2. a period of time worked by a group of employeesshift differential /_ʃ ft d fərenʃəl/ noun a payment made to employees in addition to their basic pay to compen-sate them for the inconvenience of the pattern of shift work

shift transfer 239 sick

shift transfer /_ʃ ft tr_nsf__/ noun the act of changing an employee’s shift or working hoursshift work /_ʃ ft w__k/ noun a system of work with shiftsshoddy /_ʃɒdi/ adjective of bad qual-ity shoddy workmanshipshop /ʃɒp/ noun 1. a place where goods are stored and sold a computer shop an electrical goods shop 2. the place in a factory where goods are madeshop assistant /_ʃɒp əs stənt/ noun a person who serves the customers in a shopshop floor /ʃɒp _flɔ_/ noun 1. the space in a shop given to the display of goods for sale 2. on the shop floor in the factory, in the works or among the ordinary workers The feeling on the shop floor is that the manager does not know his job.shop floor workers /ʃɒp _flɔ_

Shortlisted candidates will be asked for an interview.short-range forecast /ʃɔ_t re nd" _fɔ_kɑ_st/ noun a forecast which covers a period of a few monthsshort-staffed /ʃɔ_t _stɑ_ft/ adjective with not enough staff We’re rather short-staffed at the moment.short-term /ʃɔ_t _t__m/ adjective 1. for a period of weeks or months She is employed on a short-term contract. on a short-term basis for a short period 2. for a short period in the future We need to recruit at once to cover our short-term manpower requirements.short-term contract /ʃɔ_t t__m _kɒntr_kt/ noun a contract of employ-ment for a short period (such as six months)short-term forecast /ʃɔ_t t__m _fɔ_kɑ_st/ noun a forecast which covers a period of a few monthsshort time /ʃɔ_t _ta m/ noun reducedworking hours resulting in less than half

shopping centre /_ʃɒp ŋ sentə/ a normal week’s pay Several machin-noun a group of shops linked together ists will be on short time as long as thewith car parks and restaurants shortage of orders lasts. The companyshop steward /ʃɒp _stju_əd/ noun has had to introduce short-time working

because of lack of orders.an elected trade union official who rep-show of hands /ʃəυ əv _h_ndz/resents employees in day-to-day negoti-

ations with the management noun a vote where people show howshort /ʃɔ_t/ adjective, adverb for a they vote by raising their hands Thesmall period of time in the short motion was carried on a show of hands.term, in the short run in the near future shut /ʃ$t/ adjective not open for busi-or quite soon ness The office is shut on Saturdays.shortage /_ʃɔ_t d"/ noun a lack or verb to close to shut a shop or a ware-low availability of something a short- house (NOTE: shutting – shut)age of skilled staff We employ shut down /ʃ$t _daυn/ verb to makepart-timers to make up for staff a factory or office stop working for ashortages. time The offices will shut down forshorthanded /ʃɔ_t_h_nd d/ adjec- Christmas.Six factories have shuttive without enough staffWe’re down this month.rather shorthanded at the moment. shutdown /_ʃ$tdaυn/ noun the shut-shortlist /_ʃɔ_tl st/ noun a list of can- ting of a factory or officedidates who can be asked to come for a shutout /_ʃ$taυt/ noun the locking oftest or interview (drawn up after all ap- the door of a factory or office to stop theplications have been examined and the

staff getting inmost obviously unsuitable candidateshave been rejected) to draw up a sick /s k/ adjective ill to be off sickshortlist She is on the shortlist for the to be away from work because you arejob. verb to make a shortlist Four ill to report sick to say officially thatcandidates have been shortlisted. you are ill and cannot work

w__kəz/ plural noun manual workers and technical workers as opposed to of-fice workers

sick building syndrome 240 sit-down protest

sick building syndrome /s k _b ld ŋ s ndrəυm/ noun a conditionwhere many people working in a build-ing feel ill or have headaches, caused by blocked air-conditioning ducts in which stale air is recycled round the building, often carrying allergenic substances or bacteriasickie /_s ki/ noun a day of sick leave, usually one taken when the employee is only pretending to be ill (slang)sickness /_s knəs/ noun the condition of being illsickness and accident insur-ance /s knəs ənd __ks d(ə)nt n-ʃυərəns/ noun a form of health insur-ance that may be sold to a person who takes a loan or uses a credit card, so that, if the borrower is unable to work be-cause of accident or illness, the policy covers the regular payments to the lender or the credit card companysickness benefit /_s knəs ben f t/ noun a payment made by the govern-ment or private insurance to someone who is ill and cannot work The sick-ness benefit is paid monthly.sickout /_s kaυt/ noun a form of pro-test in which a group of employees try to achieve their demands by not going to work and claiming that they are ill(slang)sideline /_sa dla n/ noun a business which is extra to your normal workHe runs a profitable sideline selling postcards to tourists.sign /sa n/ verb to write your name in a special way on a document to show that you have written it or approved itThe letter is signed by the managing di-rector. The new recruit was asked to sign the contract of employment.signature /_s n tʃə/ noun a person’s name written by themselves on a cheque, document, etc. All our com-pany’s cheques need two signatures. The contract of employment had the HR director’s signature at the bottom.sign on /sa n _ɒn/ verb 1. to start work, by signing your name in the hu-man resources office to sign on for the dole to register as unemployed 2. to give someone a job by offering a signed

contract of employment We are sign-ing on more admin staff next month.silver circle rate /s lvə _s__k(ə)l re t/ noun US a system whereby pay in-creases are based on length of serviceThe silver circle rate is partly designed to encourage employees to stay with firm a long time.similar work /s m lə _w__k/ noun work done by men and women in the same organisation which has equal value

simulation /s mjυ_le ʃ(ə)n/ noun an imitation of a real-life situation for training purposes The simulation ex-ercises for trainee air hostesses include applying first-aid treatment to passengers.

sinecure /_s n kjυə/ noun a job which is well-paid but involves very lit-tle work His job in his father’s firm was little more than a sinecure.single /_s ŋ (ə)l/ adjective 1. one alone 2. not married marital status: single noun a person who is not married

single door policy /s ŋ (ə)l _dɔ_ pɒl si/ noun the organisation of a hu-man resources department, where vari-ous managers are of equal rank and can each deal with any problem that arisessingle-employer bargaining/s ŋ (ə)l m_plɔ ə bɑ_ n ŋ/ noun ne-gotiations, especially on pay and condi-tions, between trade unions and a single employersingle industry union /s ŋ (ə)l _ ndəstri ju_njən/ noun a union whosemembers work in only one industry (such as the mineworkers’ union)single status /s ŋ (ə)l _ste təs/ noun an arrangement where managers and ordinary staff all enjoy the same conditions of work, pay structures, rec-reational facilities, etc., with no extra perks for anyonesingle table bargaining /s ŋ (ə)l _te b(ə)l bɑ_ n ŋ/ noun bargaining at one table, with several unions taking part on behalf of all employees em-ployed by a company. Abbr STBsit-down protest /_s t daυn prəυtest/, sit-down strike /_s t daυn

site 241 slack

stra k/ noun a strike where the employ-ees stay in their place of work and re-fuse to work or to leave They staged a sit-down strike but were forced to leave the premises by the police.site /sa t/ noun 1. the place where something is located We have chosen a site for the new factory. The super-market is to be built on a site near the station. 2. a website which is created by a company, organisation or individual, and which anyone can visit How many hits did we have on our site last week? verb to place or position to be sited to be placed The factory will be sited near the motorway.

site engineer /_sa t end" n ə/ noun an engineer in charge of a building be-ing constructedsite foreman /_sa t fɔ_mən/ noun a foreman in charge of workers on a building sitesit-in /_s t n/ noun a strike where the employees stay in their place of work and refuse to work or leave (NOTE: plu-ral is sit-ins)sitting /_s t ŋ/ noun sitting next to Nellie a training method, where a new employee learns a manual process by sitting beside an experienced worker who shows how the work is done (infor-mal)situation /s tʃu_e ʃ(ə)n/ noun a jobsituational /s tʃu_e ʃ(ə)n(ə)l/ adjec-tive referring to a situationsituational interview /s tʃu-e ʃ(ə)n(ə)l _ ntəvju_/, situa-tion-based interview /s tʃue ʃ(ə)n be st _ ntəvju_/ noun an interviewwhere a candidate is asked specific questions about situations which may occur in a jobsituational test /s tʃue ʃ(ə)n(ə)l _test/ noun a test where a candidate is placed in certain imaginary situations and is asked to react to themsituations vacant /s tʃue ʃ(ə)nz _ve kənt/ noun a list in a newspaper of jobs which are availablesituations wanted /s tʃue ʃ(ə)nz _wɒnt d/ noun a section of a newspaper where workers advertise for jobs or of-fer services

skeleton service /_skel tn s__v s/ noun a service provided by skeleton staff

skeleton staff /_skel tn stɑ_f/ noun a small number of staff who are left to carry on essential work while most of the workforce is awayskill /sk l/ noun an ability to do some-thing because you have been trainedWe are badly in need of technical skills now that we have computerised the pro-duction line. She has acquired some very useful office management skills. He was not appointed because he didn’t have the skills required for the job.

‘Britain’s skills crisis has now reached such proportions that it is affecting the nation’s economic growth’ [Personnel Today]‘…we aim to add the sensitivity of a new European to the broad skills of the new professional manager’ [Management Today]

skill centre /_sk l sentə/ noun a cen-tre which gives adults accelerated voca-tional trainingskilled /sk ld/ adjective having learnt certain skillsskilled job /sk ld _d"ɒb/ noun a job for which certain skills are neededskilled workers /sk ld _w__kəz/, skilled labour /sk ld _le bə/ nounworkers who have special skills or who have had long trainingskills analysis /_sk lz ən_ləs s/ noun the process of obtaining informa-tion about the technical and behavioural skills that employees possess or that are required in a particular jobskills inventory /_sk lz nvənt(ə)ri/ noun a list of all the skills, qualifica-tions, etc., of each member of staff, so that they can be redeployed rather than be made redundant if their job ceases to exist

skills mapping /_sk lz m_p ŋ/ noun same as skills analysisskills mobility /sk lz məυ_b l ti/ noun same as professional mobilityskills shortage /_sk lz ʃɔ_t d"/ noun a lack of employees with certain skills

slack /sl_k/ adjective not busyBusiness is slack at the end of the week.

January is always a slack period.

slacken off 242 socio-technical system

The foreman decided to tighten up on slack workers.slacken off /sl_kən _ɒf/ verb to be-come less busy Trade has slackened off.

slackness /_sl_knəs/ noun the qual-ity of being lazy She got fired for gen-eral slackness and unpunctuality.slack period /_sl_k p əriəd/ noun the time between finishing a job and starting another oneslack season /_sl_k si_z(ə)n/ noun a period when a company is not very busy

slave labour /sle v _le bə/ noun workers who are owned and exploited by their employerssleeping partner /sli_p ŋ _pɑ_tnə/ noun a partner who has a share in the business but does not work in itsliding /_sla d ŋ/ adjective which rises in stepsslip /sl p/ noun a small piece of paperslow down /sləυ _daυn/ verb to stop rising, moving or fallingslowdown /_sləυdaυn/ noun a reduc-tion in business activitysmall businessman /smɔ_l _b znəsm_n/ noun a man who owns asmall businesssmall change /smɔ_l _tʃe nd"/ noun coinssmall-scale enterprise /smɔ_l ske l _entəpra z/ noun a small businesssmartsizing /_smɑ_tsa z ŋ/ noun the process of reducing the size of a com-pany by making incompetent and ineffi-cient employees redundantsmoking /_sməυk ŋ/ noun the action of smoking cigarettes, pipes or cigarsSmoking is forbidden in the computer room.SMP abbr statutory maternity paysocial /_səυʃ(ə)l/ adjective referring to society in generalSocial Chapter /_səυʃ(ə)l tʃ_ptə/ noun an additional section of the Maastricht Treaty which commits signa-tory states to the promotion of employ-ment, improved working conditions, dialogue between management and la-

bour, development of human resources and the fight against exclusionSocial Charter /səυʃ(ə)l _tʃɑ_tə/ noun European Social Chartersocial dumping /səυʃ(ə)l _d$mp ŋ/ noun the practice of making a company competitive in the international field by reducing pay and living standards for its employeessocial fund /_səυʃ(ə)l f$nd/ noun a government fund which provides one-off grants to low-income familiessocial partners /səυʃ(ə)l _pɑ_tnəz/ plural noun employers and trade unions, working togethersocial security /səυʃ(ə)l s -_kjυər ti/, social insurance /səυʃ(ə)ln_ʃυərəns/ noun a government scheme

where employers, employees and the self-employed make regular contribu-tions to a fund which provides unem-ployment pay, sickness pay and retirement pensions He gets weekly social security payments. She never worked but lived on social security for years.Social Security Act 1975/səυʃ(ə)l s _kjυər ti _kt na nti_n sev(ə)nti _fa v/ noun an Act of Parlia-ment creating benefits for victims of in-dustrial accidents and diseases, and disablement benefitssocio-economic /səυʃiəυ i_kə-_nɒm k/ adjective referring to social and economic conditions, social classes and income groups We have commis-sioned a thorough socio-economic anal-ysis of our potential market.

COMMENT: The British socio-economic groups are: A: upper middle class: se-nior managers, administrators, civil ser-vants and professional people; B: middle class: middle-ranking managers, admin-istrators, civil servants and professional people; C1: lower middle class: junior managers and clerical staff; C2: skilled workers: workers with special skills and qualifications; D: working class: un-skilled workers and manual workers; E: subsistence level: pensioners, the un-employed and casual manual workers.

socio-technical system /səυʃiəυ _tekn k(ə)l s stəm/ noun a system that

soft benefits 243 special leave

studies the interaction of people and ma-chines, in order to improve efficiencysoft benefits /sɒft _ben f ts/ plural noun benefits offered to employees that do not take the form of money (slang)software /_sɒftweə/ noun computer programssole /səυl/ adjective onlysole agent /səυl _e d"ənt/ noun a person who has the sole agency for a company in an area She is the sole agent for Ford cars in the locality.solemn /_sɒləm/ adjective solemn and binding agreement an agreement which is not legally binding, but which all parties are supposed to obeysolidarity /sɒl _d_r ti/ noun the loy-alty of members of a group to each other

Union solidarity meant that members of other unions were unwilling to cross picket lines.solution /sə_lu_ʃ(ə)n/ noun the an-swer to a problem We think we have found a solution to the problem of get-ting skilled staff.solve /sɒlv/ verb to find an answer to a problem The new rates of pay should solve some of our short-term recruit-ment problems.sort out /sɔ_t _aυt/ verb 1. to put into order Did you sort out the accounts problem with the auditors? 2. to settle a problemsought after /_sɔ_t ɑ_ftə/ adjective which everyone wants to have Her skills are widely sought after.sour /_saυə/ verb to make things become unpleasant The struggle for promotion has soured relations in the department.source /sɔ_s/ noun the place where something comes from What is the source of her income? You must de-clare income from all sources to the tax office. income which is taxed at source income where the tax is removed and paid to the government by the em-ployer before the income is paid to the employee

span of control /sp_n əv kən-_trəυl/ noun the number of subordinates whom a person supervises or adminis-

ters at the workplace The job has a large amount of responsibility with a wide span of control. Too wide a span of control can lead to inefficient supervision.spare /speə/ adjective extra, not being used He has invested his spare capital in a computer shop. to use up spare capacity to make use of time or space which has not been fully usedspare time /speə ta m/ noun time when you are not at work He built himself a car in his spare time.spate /spe t/ noun a sudden rush a spate of dismissals or of resignationsspear carrier /_sp ə k_riə/ noun somebody at the second level in an or-ganisation’s hierarchy who is responsi-ble for carrying out commands and communicating messages from the top-level executives (slang)special award /speʃ(ə)l ə_wɔ_d/ noun an award in cases of unfair dis-missal, where the employee was sacked either for joining or for refusing to join a trade union. additional awardspecialise /_speʃəla z/, specialize verb to deal with one particular type of skill, product or service The company specialises in electronic components. They have a specialised product line. He sells very specialised equipment for the electronics industry. After work-ing in all the departments, he finally de-cided to specialise in distribution.specialism /_speʃəl z(ə)m/, spe-cialisation /speʃəla _ze ʃ(ə)n/ nounthe study of one particular subject or concentration on one particular type of workspecialist /_speʃəl st/ noun a person or company that deals with one particu-lar type of product or one subject You should go to a specialist in computers or to a computer specialist for advice. We need a manager who can grasp the overall picture rather than a narrow specialist.

special leave /speʃ(ə)l _li_v/ noun leave that may be granted to an em-ployee in certain special circumstances(NOTE: Special leave includes leave granted for study, for jury service, for

specification 244 staff management

trade union duties, or to candidates in local or national elections.)specification /spes f _ke ʃ(ə)n/ noun detailed information about what or who is needed or about a product to be supplied

specify /_spes fa / verb to state clearly what is needed Candidates are asked to specify which of the three posts they are applying for. (NOTE: specifies-specifying- specified)spelling mistake /_spel ŋ m ste k/ noun a mistake in spelling a wordspiral /_spa ərəl/ verb to twist round and round, getting higher all the time a period of spiralling prices spiral-ling inflation inflation where price rises make employees ask for higher wages which then increase prices againspirit /_sp r t/ noun a general moodsplit /spl t/ adjective which is divided into partssplit shift /spl t _ʃ ft/ noun a form of shift working where shifts are split into two shorter periodssplit vote /spl t _vəυt/ noun a vote where part of a group votes in one way, and another part votes in a different way, so dividing a block votesponsor /_spɒnsə/ noun 1. a person who recommends another person for a job 2. a company which pays part of the cost of making a TV programme by tak-ing advertising time on the programme verb 1. to act as a sponsor for some-thing The company has sponsored the football match. 2. to recommend some-one for a job 3. to pay for someone to go on a training course Six of the man-agement trainees have been sponsored by their companies.sponsorship /_spɒnsəʃ p/ noun the act of sponsoring The training course could not be run without the sponsor-ship of several major companies.spouse /spaυs/ noun a husband or wife All employees and their spouses are invited to the staff party.squeeze /skwi_z/ noun government control carried out by reducing the availability of something

‘…the real estate boom of the past three years has been based on the availability of easy credit.

Today, money is tighter, so property should bear the brunt of the credit squeeze’ [Money Observer]

SSP abbr statutory sick paySSP1 noun a form given to workers who are not eligible for statutory sick pay, so that they can claim sickness benefits

staff /stɑ_f/ noun people who work for a company or organisation The office staff have complained about the lack of heating. (NOTE: staff refers to a groupof people and so is often followed by a plural verb) to be on the staff or a member of staff or a staff member to be employed permanently by a company verb to employ workers The de-partment is staffed by skilled part-timers.

staff agency /_stɑ_f e d"ənsi/ noun an agency which looks for office staff for companiesstaff appointment /_stɑ_f ə-pɔ ntmənt/ noun a job on the staffstaff association /_stɑ_f əsəυsi-e ʃ(ə)n/ noun a society formed by members of staff of a company to repre-sent them to the management and to or-ganise entertainmentsstaff canteen /stɑ_f k_n_ti_n/ noun a restaurant which belongs to a factory or office, where the staff can eatstaff club /stɑ_f _kl$b/ noun a club for the staff of a company, which organ-ises staff parties, sports and meetingsstaffer /_stɑ_fə/ noun US a member of the permanent staffstaff function /stɑ_f _f$ŋkʃən/ noun work in an organisation which is not di-rectly linked to production of goods or services for salestaff incentives /stɑ_f n_sent vz/ plural noun pay and better conditions offered to employees to make them work betterstaffing /_stɑ_f ŋ/ noun the provision of staff for a companystaffing levels /_stɑ_f ŋ lev(ə)lz/ plural noun the numbers of employees required in a department of a company for it to work efficientlystaff management /stɑ_f _m_n d"mənt/ noun management or

staff outing 245 standby duty

administration of the employees of an organisationstaff outing /stɑ_f _aυt ŋ/ noun a trip by the staff to celebrate something away from the officestaff representative /stɑ_f repr -_zentət v/ noun a person who repre-sents the staff on a committeestaff status /stɑ_f _ste təs/ noun the fact of enjoying special perks which are given to some members of staff and not to othersstaff turnover /stɑ_f _t__nəυvə/ noun changes in staff, when some leave and others join The lack of any clear career prospects is the reason for our high staff turnover.staggered /_st_ əd/ adjective refer-ring to holidays or working hours which are arranged so that they do not all begin and end at the same time We have a staggered lunch hour so that there is al-ways someone on the switchboard.staggered day work /st_ əd _de w__k/ noun a working arrangement where groups of employees start and finish work at intervals of 30 minutes or one hour

stakeholder /_ste khəυldə/ noun a person such as a shareholder, employee or supplier who has a stake in a businessstakeholder pension/_ste khəυldə penʃən/ noun a pension, provided through a private company, in which the income a person has after re-tirement depends on the amount of con-tributions made during their workinglife (NOTE: Stakeholder pensions are designed for people without access to an occupational pension scheme.)stamp /st_mp/ noun a device for making marks on documents; mark made in this way The invoice has the stamp ‘Received with thanks’ on it. The customs officer looked at the stamps in his passport. verb 1. to mark a doc-ument with a stamp to stamp an in-voice ‘Paid’ The documents were stamped by the customs officials. 2. to put a postage stamp on (an envelope, etc.)

stamped addressed envelope/_st_mpt ə_drest _envələυp/ noun an

envelope with your own address written on it and a stamp stuck on it to pay for return postage Please send a stamped addressed envelope for further details and our latest catalogue. Abbr s.a.e.standard /_st_ndəd/ noun the normal quality or normal conditions which other things are judged against up to standard of acceptable quality This batch is not up to standard or does not meet our standards. adjective normal or usual a standard model car We have a standard charge of £25 for a thirty-minute session. standard rate of taxation the basic rate of income tax which rises as income moves above a certain level

standard hour /st_ndəd _aυə/ noun a unit of time used to establish the normal time which a job or task is ex-pected to take, and used later to compare with the actual time takenStandard Industrial Classifica-tion /st_ndəd nd$striəl kl_s f -_ke ʃ(ə)n/ noun an international scheme for classifying industries into groups for statistical purposesstandard letter /st_ndəd _letə/ noun a letter which is sent without change to various correspondentsstandard of living /st_ndəd əv _l v ŋ/ noun the quality of personal home life (such as amount of food or clothes bought, size of family car, etc.)standard performance /st_ndəd pə_fɔ_məns/ noun the average outputwhich is achieved by an experienced employeestandard practice /st_ndəd _pr_kt s/ noun the usual way of doing things It’s standard practice to pass an envelope with money in it to the di-rector’s secretary.

standard time system /st_ndəd _ta m s stəm/ noun a method of pay-ment whereby an employee is paid on the basis of units of work performed, each of which has an agreed standard time which is established after work studystandby duty /_st_ndba dju_ti/ noun waiting to see if you are needed or if an emergency happens

standby pay 246 status quo clause

standby pay /_st_ndba pe / noun wages paid when an employee is on standby dutystand in for /st_nd _ n fɔ_/ verb to take someone’s place Mr Smith is standing in for the chairman, who is ill.(NOTE: standing – stood)standing committee /_st_nd ŋ kə-m ti/ noun a permanent committee which deals with matters not given to other committeesstanding order /st_nd ŋ _ɔ_də/ noun an order written by a customer asking a bank to pay money regularly to an account I pay my subscription by standing order.

standing orders /st_nd ŋ _ɔ_dəz/ plural noun rules or regulations which regulate the conduct of any body, such as a councilstand off /st_nd _ɒf/ verb to reduce employees’ hours of work because of shortage of work (NOTE: standing –stood)standstill /_st_ndst l/ noun a situa-tion where work has stopped Produc-tion is at a standstill. The strike brought the factory to a standstill.start /stɑ_t/ noun the beginning verb to begin to do something to start legal proceedings against someone to start begin legal proceedingsstarter /_stɑ_tə/ noun a young person who is starting in a job for the first time.self-starterstarting /_stɑ_t ŋ/ noun the act of beginningstarting date /_stɑ_t ŋ de t/ noun a date on which something startsstarting point /_stɑ_t ŋ pɔ nt/ noun the place where something startsstarting salary /_stɑ_t ŋ s_ləri/ noun a salary for an employee when they start work with a companystart-up /_stɑ_t $p/ noun 1. the begin-ning of a new company or new product

We went into the red for the first time because of the start-up costs of the new subsidiary in the USA. 2. a new, usually small business that is just beginning its operations, especially a new business

supported by venture capital and in a sector where new technologies are usedstate /ste t/ noun 1. an independent country 2. a semi-independent section of a federal country (such as the USA) 3. the government of a country

‘…the unions had argued that public sector pay rates had slipped behind rates applying in state and local government areas’ [Australian Financial Review]

state earnings-related pension scheme /ste t __n ŋz r le t d _penʃən ski_m/ noun a state pensionwhich is additional to the basic retire-ment pension and is based on average earnings over an employee’s career. Abbr SERPSstate enterprise /ste t _entəpra z/ noun a company run by the statestate-owned industry /ste t əυnd _ ndəstri/ noun an industry which isnationalisedstate ownership /ste t _əυnəʃ p/ noun a situation where an industry is nationalisedstate pension /ste t _penʃən/ noun a pension paid by the statestate sickness benefit /ste t _s knəs ben f t/ noun sick pay forself-employed people or others who are not eligible to receive statutory sick paystatistics /stə_t st ks/ plural noun facts or information in the form of fig-ures to examine the sales statistics for the previous six months Government trade statistics show an increase in im-ports. The statistics on unemployment did not take school-leavers into account.status /_ste təs/ noun importance, po-sition in society loss of status the act of becoming less important in a groupstatus agreement /_ste təs ə- ri_mənt/ noun part of a collective agreement which defines the rights and obligations of each of the parties involvedstatus quo /ste təs _kwəυ/ noun the existing structure and procedures in an organisation The contract does not al-ter the status quo.status quo clause /ste təs _kwəυ klɔ_z/ noun a clause in an agreement by which the management guarantees that

status symbol 247 stock level

employees will not be worse off under any new working conditions proposedstatus symbol /_ste təs s mbəl/ noun something which shows how im-portant its owner is The chairman’s Rolls Royce is simply a status symbol.statute /_st_tʃu_t/, statute law/st_tʃu_t _lɔ_/ noun an established written law, especially an Act of Parliament

statutory /_st_tʃυt(ə)ri/ adjective fixed by law There is a statutory pe-riod of probation of thirteen weeks. Are all the employees aware of their statutory rights?

statutory holiday /st_tʃυt(ə)ri _hɒl de / noun a holiday which is fixed by law The office is closed for the statutory Christmas holiday.statutory instrument/st_tʃυt(ə)ri _ nstrυmənt/ noun an order (which has the force of law) made under authority granted to a minister by an Act of Parliamentstatutory maternity pay/st_tʃυt(ə)ri mə_t__n ti pe / noun payment made by an employer to an employee who is on maternity leave. Abbr SMP

statutory notice period/st_tʃυt(ə)ri _nəυt s p əriəd/ noun the time stated in the contract of employment which the employee or employer has to allow between resign-ing or being fired and the employee ac-tually leaving their job (an employee has to give at least one week’s notice and an employer has to give between one week and twelve weeks' notice, de-pending on the employee's length of service)

statutory sick pay /st_tʃυt(ə)ri _s k pe / noun payment made each week by an employer to an employee who is away from work because of sick-ness. Abbr SSPSTB abbr single table bargainingsteady /_stedi/ adjective continuing in a regular way The company can point to a steady increase in profits. There is a steady demand for computers. He has a steady job in the supermarket.

step /step/ noun 1. a type of actionThe first step taken by the new MD was to analyse all the expenses. to take steps to prevent something happening to act to stop something happening 2. a movement forward Becoming assis-tant to the MD is a step up the promo-tion ladder.stepped /stept/ adjective rising in steps according to quantitystepped pay system /stept _pe s stəm/ noun a system of payment forwork according to rising levels of per-formance The civil service has a stepped pay system divided into various grades.step up /step _$p/ verb to increaseThe company has stepped up production of the latest models. (NOTE: stepping –stepped)stiff /st f/ adjective harsh or difficultThey are facing stiff competition from the American chain. He had to take a stiff test before he qualified. There are stiff penalties for not complying with the law.stipend /_sta pend/ noun a regular salary or allowance paid to the person holding a particular officestipulate /_st pjυle t / verb to demand that a condition be put into a contractThe company failed to pay on the date stipulated in the contract. The new manager stipulated that the contract run for five years.stipulation /st pjυ_le ʃ(ə)n/ noun a condition in a contract The contract has a stipulation that the new manager has to serve a three-month probationary period.

stock /stɒk/ noun 1. the quantity of goods for sale in a warehouse or retail outlet 2. shares in a company

‘US crude oil stocks fell last week by nearly 2.5m barrels’ [Financial Times]‘…the stock rose to over $20 a share, higher than the $18 bid’ [Fortune]

stock controller /_stɒk kəntrəυlə/ noun a person who notes movements of stockstock level /_stɒk lev(ə)l/ noun the quantity of goods kept in stock We try

stock option 248 strike

to keep stock levels low during the summer.stock option /_stɒk ɒpʃən/ noun an opportunity for senior managers to buy shares in the company they work for at a later date and at a cheap pricestocks and shares /stɒks ən _ʃeəz/ plural noun shares in ordinary companies

stock valuation /stɒl v_lju-_e ʃ(ə)n/ noun an estimation of the value of stock at the end of an account-ing periodstop /stɒp/ noun the end of an actionThe new finance director put a stop to the reps’ inflated expense claims. verb 1. to make something not move or happen any more The shipment was stopped by customs. The government has stopped the import of luxury items.

to stop a cheque, to stop payment on a cheque to ask a bank not to pay a cheque you have written 2. not to do anything any more The work force stopped work when the company could not pay their wages. The office staff stop work at 5.30. We have stopped supplying Smith & Co. 3. to stop someone’s wages to take money out of someone’s wages We stopped £25 from his pay because he was late.stoppage /_stɒp d"/ noun money taken regularly from an employee’s wages for insurance, tax, etc.

‘…the commission noted that in the early 1960s there was an average of 203 stoppages each year arising out of dismissals’ [Employment Gazette]

stop-work meeting /stɒp _w__kmi_t ŋ/ noun (in Australia and New Zealand) a meeting held by employees during working hours to discuss issues such as wage claims and working condi-tions with union representatives or managementstorage capacity /_stɔ_r d" kə-p_s ti/ noun the space available for storagestrategic /strə_ti_d" k/ adjective based on a plan of actionstrategic planning /strə_ti_d" k _pl_n ŋ/ noun the process of planning the future work of a company

strategy /_str_təd"i/ noun a plan of future action What is the strategy of the HR department to deal with long-term manpower requirements?(NOTE: plural is strategies)streamline /_stri_mla n/ verb to make something more efficient or more sim-ple to streamline the accounting sys-tem to streamline distribution servicesstreamlined /_stri_mla nd/ adjective efficient or rapid We need a more streamlined payroll system.streamlining /_stri_mla n ŋ/ noun the process of making something efficient

stress /stres/ noun nervous tension or worry, caused by overwork, difficulty with managers, etc. People in posi-tions of responsibility suffer from stress-related illnesses. The new work schedules caused too much stress on the shop floor.

‘…manual and clerical workers are more likely to suffer from stress-related diseases. Causes of stress include the introduction of new technology, job dissatisfaction, fear of job loss, poor working relations with the boss and colleagues, and bad working conditions’ [Personnel Management]

stressful /_stresf(ə)l/ adjective which causes stress Psychologists claim that repetitive work can be just as stressful as more demanding but varied work.stress management /_stres m_n d"mənt/ noun a way of copingwith stress-related problems at workstress puppy /_stres p$pi/ noun someone who complains a lot about be-ing stressed but actually seems to enjoy it (slang)stretch /stretʃ/ verb to pull out or to make longer The investment programme has stretched the com-pany’s resources. he is not fully stretched his job does not make him work as hard as he could

strike /stra k/ noun 1. stopping of work by the workers (because of lack of agreement with management or because of orders from a union) 2. to take strike action to go on strike to try to avert a strike to try to prevent a strike from taking place verb 1. to stop working because there is no agreement

strike ballot 249 subjective test

with management to strike for higher wages or for shorter working hours to strike in protest against bad working conditions 2. to strike a bargain with someone to come to an agreementstrike ballot /_stra k b_lət/, strike vote /_stra k vəυt/ noun a vote by em-ployees to decide if a strike should be heldstrikebound /_stra kbaυnd/ adjec-tive not able to work or to move because of a strike Six ships are strikebound in the docks.strikebreaker /_stra kbre kə/ noun an employee who goes on working while everyone else is on strikestrike call /_stra k kɔ_l/ noun a de-mand by a union for a strikestrike committee /_stra k kəm ti/ noun a group of employees representing various parts of an organisation formed to organise a strikestrike fund /_stra k f$nd/ noun money collected by a trade union from its members, used to pay strike paystrike notice /_stra k nəυt s/ noun advance notice that a strike will take place on a certain datestrike pay /_stra k pe / noun wages paid to striking employees by their trade unionstriker /_stra kə/ noun an employee who is on strike Strikers marched to the company headquarters.structural /_str$ktʃərəl/ adjective re-ferring to a structure to make struc-tural changes in a companystructure /_str$ktʃə/ noun the way in which something is organised the ca-reer structure within a corporation The paper gives a diagram of the com-pany’s organisational structure. verb to arrange in a specific way to struc-ture a meeting

structured interview /str$ktʃəd _ ntəvju_/ noun an interview using pre-set questions and following a fixed pat-tern. Compare unstructured interviewstructuring /_str$ktʃər ŋ/ noun the act of bringing order into an organisation

student apprenticeship /stju_dnt ə_prent sʃ p/ noun a scheme where astudent at a college is sponsored by a commercial company and is apprenticed to that companystudy /_st$di/ noun 1. an act of exam-ining something carefully The com-pany has asked the consultants to prepare a study of new production tech-niques. He has read the government study on sales opportunities. 2. learning something from books or from attending classes verb 1. to examine something carefully We are studying the possi-bility of setting up an office in New York. 2. to learn something from books or from classes He is studying the principles of human resource management.

study leave /_st$di li_v/ noun time off work to allow a employee to follow a coursestyle /sta l/ noun a way of doing or making something a new style of product old-style management techniques

sub /s$b/ noun wages paid in advancesub- /s$b/ prefix under or less important

subcontract noun /s$b_kɒntr_kt/ a contract between the main contractor for a whole project and another firm who will do part of the work They have been awarded the subcontract for all the electrical work in the new building. We will put the electrical work out to subcontract. verb /s$bkən_tr_kt/ (of a main contractor) to agree with a company that they will do part of the work for a project The electrical work has been subcontracted to Smith Ltd.subcontractor /s$bkən_tr_ktə/ noun a company which has a contract to do work for a main contractorsubjective /səb_d"ekt v / adjective considered from the point of view of the person involved, and not from any gen-eral point of view Her assessments of the performance of her staff are quite subjective. (NOTE: the opposite isobjective)subjective test /səb_d"ekt v test/ noun a test where the examiner evalu-

subject to 250 sum

ates the answers according to their own judgement (as opposed to an objective test) (NOTE: the opposite is objectivetest)subject to /_s$bd" kt tu_/ adjective depending on the contract is subject to government approval the contract will be valid only if it is approved by the governmentsubmit /səb_m t/ verb to put some-thing forward to be examined The reps are asked to submit their expenses claims once a month. The union has submitted a claim for a ten per cent wage increase. (NOTE: submitting –submitted)subordinate /sə_bɔ_d nət/ noun a person in a lower position in an organi-sation Her subordinates find her diffi-cult to work with. Part of the manager’s job is to supervise the train-ing of their subordinates.subsidise /_s$bs da z/, subsidize verb to help by giving money The government has refused to subsidise the car industry.subsistence /səb_s stəns/ noun a minimum amount of food, money, hous-ing, etc., which a person needssubsistence allowance /səb-_s stəns ə_laυəns/ noun money paid by a company to cover the cost of hotels, meals, etc., for an employee who is trav-elling on businesssubstandard /s$b_st_ndəd/ adjec-tive not of the necessary quality or quan-tity to meet a standard The workers were criticised for substandard performance.

substantive agreement /səb-st_nt v ə_ ri_mənt/ noun an agree-ment between management and unions relating to pay, working hours, etc.substitute /_s$bst tju_t/ noun a per-son or thing that takes the place of someone or something else verb to take the place of someone or something else

succeed /sək_si_d/ verb 1. to do well, to be profitable The company has suc-ceeded best in the overseas markets. His business has succeeded more than he had expected. 2. to do what was

planned She succeeded in passing her computing test. They succeeded in putting their rivals out of business. 3. to take over from someone in a post Mr Smith was succeeded as chairman by Mrs Jones.success /sək_ses/ noun 1. an act of doing something well The launch of the new model was a great success. The company has had great success in the Japanese market. 2. the act of get-ting a good result or getting the desired result He has been looking for a job for six months, but with no success.successful /sək_sesf(ə)l/ adjective having got the desired result The suc-cessful candidates will be advised by letter.successfully /sək_sesf(ə)li/ adverb well or getting the desired result She successfully negotiated a new contract with the unions. The new model was successfully launched last month.successor /sək_sesə/ noun a person who takes over from someone Mr Smith’s successor as chairman will be Mrs Jones.

suggestion /sə_d"estʃən/ noun an idea which is put forwardsuggestion box /sə_d"estʃən bɒks/, suggestions box /sə-_d"estʃənz bɒks/ noun a place in a company where employees can put for-ward their ideas for making the com-pany more efficient and profitablesuggestion scheme /sə_d"estʃən ski_m/ noun a system whereby employ-ees can make suggestions on how the organisation should be run more effi-ciently or profitably The suggestions scheme takes the form of a monthly meeting where employees can offer ideas for improvement of production techniques.

suitable /_su_təb(ə)l/ adjective conve-nient or which fits Wednesday is the most suitable day for board meetings. We had to readvertise the job because there were no suitable candidates.sum /s$m/ noun a quantity of moneyA sum of money was stolen from the hu-man resources office. She received the sum of £5000 in compensation.

sum insured 251 suspend

sum insured /s$m n_ʃυəd / noun the largest amount of money that an insurer will pay under an insurance policysummarily /_s$mər li/ adverb done rapidly, without notice She was sum-marily dismissed.summary /_s$məri/ noun a short ac-count of what has happened or of what has been written The MD gave a sum-mary of her discussions with the Ger-man trade delegation. The sales department has given a summary of sales in Europe for the first six months.adjective done rapidly, without noticesummary dismissal /s$məri d s-_m s(ə)l/ noun a dismissal without giv-ing the employee any notice (usually be-cause of a crime committed by the employee or drunkenness or violent be-haviour towards other employees)summer holidays /s$mə _hɒl de z/ plural noun holidays taken by the work-ers in the summer when the weather is good and children are not at schoolSunday closing /s$nde _kləυz ŋ/ noun the practice of not opening a shop on SundaysSunday trading laws /s$nde _tre d ŋ lɔ_z/ plural noun regulations which govern business activities on Sundays (NOTE: the American equiva-lent is Blue Laws)superannuation /su_pər_nju-_e ʃ(ə)n/ noun a pension paid to some-one who is too old or ill to work any moresuperannuation plan/su_pər_nju_e ʃ(ə)n pl_n/, superan-nuation scheme /su_pər_nju-_e ʃ(ə)n ski_m/ noun a pension plan or schemesuperior /sυ_p əriə/ noun a more im-portant person Each manager is re-sponsible to their superior for accurate reporting of sales.supervise /_su_pəva z/ verb to moni-tor work carefully to see that it is being done well She supervises six people in the accounts department.supervision /su_pə_v "(ə)n/ noun the fact of being supervised New staff work under supervision for the first three months. She is very experienced

and can be left to work without any supervision.supervisor /_su_pəva zə/ noun a per-son who supervises The supervisor was asked to write a report on the work-ers’ performance.supervisory /_su_pəva zəri/ adjec-tive as a supervisor Supervisory staff checked the trainees’ work. He works in a supervisory capacity.supervisory board /_su_pəva zəri bɔ_d/ noun a board of directors which deals with general policy and planning (as opposed to the executive board, which deals with the day-to-day running of the company in a two-tier system)supervisory management/_su_pəva zəri m_n d"mənt/ noun the most junior level of management within an organisation (NOTE: The activ-ities involved in supervisory manage-ment include staff recruitment, handling day-to-day grievances and staff discipline, and ensuring that qual-ity and production targets are met.)supplement noun something which is added The company gives him a supplement to his pension. verb to add We will supplement the ware-house staff with six part-timers during the Christmas rush.

supplementary /s$pl _ment(ə)ri/ adjective in addition tosupplementary training/s$pl ment(ə)ri _tre n ŋ/ noun train-ing to increase employees’ efficiencySupplementary training is needed to sharpen up performance.supply and demand /səpla ən d -_mɑ_nd/ noun the amount of a product which is available and the amount which is wanted by customerssurplus /_s__pləs/ noun more of something than is needed We are pro-posing to put our surplus staff on short time. adjective more than is needed surplus to requirements not needed any moresuspend /sə_spend/ verb 1. to stop doing something for a time We have suspended payments while we are wait-ing for news from our agent. They agreed to suspend the discussions for a

suspension 252 systems analyst

week. 2. to stop someone working for a time He was suspended on full pay while the police investigations were go-ing on.suspension /sə_spenʃən/ noun 1. an act of stopping something for a time a suspension of negotiations 2. the act of stopping someone working for a timesweated labour /swet d _le bə/ noun 1. people who work hard for very little money Of course the firm makes a profit – it employs sweated labour. Most of the immigrant farmworkers are sweated labour. 2. hard work which is very badly paidsweatshop /_swetʃɒp/ noun a fac-tory using sweated laboursweetener /_swi_t(ə)nə/ noun an in-centive offered to help persuade some-body to take a particular course of action (informal)sweetheart agreement /_swi_thɑ_t ə ri_mənt/ noun (in Australia andNew Zealand) an agreement reached between employees and their employer without the need for arbitrationSWOT analysis /_swɒt ən_ləs s/ noun a method of assessing a person, company or product by considering their Strengths, Weaknesses and exter-nal factors which may provide Opportu-nities or Threats to their development.

Full form Strengths, Weaknesses,Opportunities, Threatssympathetic /s mpə_θet k/ adjec-tive showing sympathysympathetic strike /s mpə_θet k stra k/ noun a strike undertaken to show agreement with another group of employees on strikesympathy /_s mpəθi/ noun feeling sorry because someone else has prob-lems The manager had no sympathy for her staff who complained of being overworked. to strike or to come out in sympathy to stop work to show that you agree with another group of work-ers who are on strike The postal work-ers went on strike and the telephone engineers came out in sympathy.system /_s stəm/ noun an arrange-ment or organisation of things which work together Our accounting system has worked well in spite of the large in-crease in orders. What system is being used for filing data on personnel?systems analysis /_s stəmz ə-n_ləs s/ noun the process of using a computer to suggest how a company can work more efficiently by analysing the way in which it works at presentsystems analyst /_s stəmz _nəl st/ noun a person who specialises in systems analysis