Workplace & Career

Office life and the long climb — from your first day to your next promotion.

20 words

1. colleague n. /ˈkɑɫiɡ/

a person you work with, especially in a professional job or office.
2. coworker n. /ˈkoʊˈwɝkɝ/

someone you work with, usually at the same level as you in a company.
3. manager n. /ˈmænədʒɝ/

a person who is in charge of a business, a sports team, or a performer's career.
4. supervisor n. /ˈsupɝˌvaɪzɝ/

a person who manages a team or watches over someone's work to make sure it is done correctly.
5. employee n. /ɛmˈpɫɔɪi/

a person who is paid to work for a company or another person. You are an employee if you have a boss and receive a regular salary.
6. boss n. /ˈbɑs/

a person in charge of a workplace or group; also, to tell people what to do in an annoying way, or a powerful enemy in a video game.
7. career n. /kɝˈɪɹ/

a word for your long-term working life and the jobs you have; it can also mean moving very fast and out of control.
8. promotion n. /pɝˈmoʊʃən/

a word for moving up in your job, or for advertising a product to sell more of it.
9. raise v. /ˈɹeɪz/

a common word that means to lift something up, to look after children as they grow, to collect money for a cause, or to increase an amount.
10. bonus n. /ˈboʊnəs/

a common word for something extra and good, such as extra money from your boss or an unexpected benefit in a situation.
11. salary n. /ˈsæɫɝi/

the fixed amount of money you receive from your employer every month or year.
12. deadline n. /ˈdɛdˌɫaɪn/

a common word for a time limit when a task must be finished; it also has a specific military meaning for equipment that is broken.
13. meeting n. /ˈmitɪŋ/

an event where people come together to talk about something, usually for work or a specific purpose.
14. teamwork n. /ˈtimˌwɝk/

the effort of a group of people working together to reach a goal. You use this when everyone helps each other to finish a task.
15. collaborate v. /kəˈɫæbɝˌeɪt/

to work together with other people to achieve a goal, or to help an enemy who has taken over your country.
16. productivity n. /ˌpɹoʊdəkˈtɪvəti/

the measure of how much work or value is produced in a certain amount of time.
17. workload n. /ˈwɝˌkɫoʊd/

the amount of work that a person or machine has to do in a certain period of time. You often use this word when talking about being busy at your job or school. In computing, a workload is the specific amount of processing, data, or tasks that a computer system or cloud service is handling at a given time.
18. overtime n. /ˈoʊvɝˌtaɪm/

extra time spent working beyond your normal hours, the extra pay you get for it, or an extra period in a sports game to decide a winner.
19. commute v. /kəmˈjut/

to travel regularly between your home and your place of work or study; it can also mean to reduce a legal punishment.
20. mentor n. /ˈmɛnˌtɔɹ/

an experienced person who helps and guides you over a long period of time. They share their knowledge to help you succeed in your job or studies.