There are many reasons why people are not at work. It could be due to problems with health, or problems with the family or simply because someone is on holiday.
In this online exercise, we will look at business English vocabulary to describe the different types of absence from work. In addition, we will look vocabulary that describes the possible consequences. The English vocabulary in this exercise can be used by both people in human resources and in business in general.
Read the following conversation between a team leader (Tony) and a manager (Sally) about employees not being at work.
From the context, try to guess what the meaning of the words/phrases in bold are. Then do the quiz at the end to check if you are right.
Tony:'Sally, can I have a word?'
Sally:'Sure, what is it?'
Tony:'I've just spoken to Sam on the phone. She's not going to be coming in for the next couple of days.'
Sally:'Oh, what's happened?'
Tony:'She had a car crash last night. She hurt her back and has been at A and E at the hospital until 4 this morning.'
Sally:'It's nothing serious, is it?'
Tony:'She told me it's not very serious. She's in pain, the doctor gave her some painkillers. And he gave her a sick note for a week and advised her to stay at home and rest. She has an appointment to see a specialist on Friday.'
Sally:'I bet she's glad she's got private health insurance, otherwise she would be waiting for months to see a specialist.'
Tony:'So, she's going to be on sick leave for at least a week.'
Sally:'That's all we need. We're already short-staffed as it is. You know that Eric is on compassionate leave because his mother died and he has to organise things up in Glasgow. Plus, with Sue being on maternity leave after the birth of her daughter. I think we need somebody to cover Sam's work whilst she's not here. I'll try to move somebody over from another team. Is that OK?'
Tony:'I may be able to cover her work, but I would suggest getting some of my team to work later. We should offer them overtime, I'm sure a couple of them would work later for the extra money.'
Sally:'A good idea.'
Tony:'Also, Rick has asked me if he can have a day off on Friday, he wants to have a long weekend. He wants to take advantage of the bank holiday next Monday to have a four-day weekend.'
Sally:'It's a bit short notice to ask for a holiday for this Friday! I'll have to check if anybody else is taking a day off then. But, because we're short-staffed, I think we're going to have to turn it down. Oh Tony, not long until you take your sabbatical. Are ready to see the world? You must be excited?'
Tony:'I'm looking forward to seeing all the different countries. But I'm only going for 6 months. I'll be back working here before Christmas.'
Below is a definition/description of each of the words/phrases in bold from the above text (which you can also find in the grey box below). Answer each question with one of these words/phrases in bold. Only use one word/phrase once and write it as it is in the text. Click on the "Check" button at the bottom of the quiz to check your answers.
When the answer is correct, two icons will appear below the answer. The icon contains extra information on the word/phrase. In the
icon, you can listen to the pronunciation of the word/phrase.
1. When a person or company pays each month for health care, they have
Private health insurance: |
Private health insurance: |
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2. Another way to say 'do somebody's work' when they're not there, is
Cover: |
Cover: |
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3. Another way to say 'refuse a request', is
Turn it down: |
Turn it down: |
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4. When you are paid extra money to work more hours than normal, you do
Overtime: |
Overtime: |
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5. When you don't go to work because of a death or injury to somebody in your family, you are on
Compassionate leave: |
Compassionate leave: |
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6. The piece of paper from a doctor that says you can't work, is called a
Sick note: |
Sick note: |
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7. When you make a request to do something, just before you want to do it, is
Short notice: |
Short notice: |
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8. The place in a hospital you go to if you have had an accident, is called
A and E: |
A and E: |
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9. When you want to see a doctor or lawyer, you have to make an
Appointment: |
Appointment: |
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10. When you don't go to work because you are pregnant or have a young baby, you are on
Maternity leave: |
Maternity leave: |
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11. When you take a long period of time off work, it is called a
Sabbatical: |
Sabbatical: |
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12. A day which is a public holiday for the whole country, is called a
Bank holiday: |
Bank holiday: |
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13. When a company doesn't have enough workers to do the work, it is
Short-staffed: |
Short-staffed: |
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14. When you don't go to work because you are ill, you are on
Sick leave: |
Sick leave: |
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Now that you understand the meaning of the words/phrases and when to use them, practise using them by creating your own sentences with them in English. Also click on the "" icon under each correct answer and listen how each is pronounced correctly.
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