Working hours

paf07.12.2021

Enjoy the following lesson. 

Working hours 2

Learn more of the vocabulary to talk about working hours in English:

part-time = to work a part of the day or week

• When I was a student, I had a part-time job in a bar.
• We are looking for a part-time receptionist to work mornings.

to be punctual = to start or arrive at the specified time

• She’s very punctual, always here on time.
• Please be punctual. I don’t want to have to wait for late arrivals.

home working = to work from home rather than going into the office 

• Home working misses the social element of going to work.
• Modern technology means that home working has become a real possibility for many people.

time sheet = a record of the numbers of hours worked by an employee

• Fill out this time sheet every day and hand it to your manager on Fridays.
• We no longer have time sheets as this is done automatically by the electronic ID badges.

unsocial hours = hours outside of the normal working week

• Although the hours are rather unsocial, I don’t want a nine to five job.
• Lots of professions work very unsocial hours and don’t necessarily get compensated for it.

to take a break = to stop work for a short time to relax

• You can buy tea or coffee when you take a break.
• Sometimes it’s a good idea to take a break and come back to a job refreshed.

to clock in/out = to record the start or finish time of work on a special machine

• The staff clock in when they arrive and clock out as they leave.
• Flexitime means that everyone has to clock in and out to keep a check on the hours worked.

public holidays = national holidays that are not generally worked

• Your holiday entitlement does not include public holidays like Christmas Day.
• If a public holiday is on a Thursday, many people take the Friday off and have a long weekend.

hourly rate = the salary that is paid per hour of work

• We are paid a considerably higher hourly rate for Sundays or evening work.
• The part-time employees are paid an hourly rate but the permanent staff are paid a fixed salary.

fixed hours = the working hours of an employee do not change or cannot be varied

• The admin staff work fixed hours; nine to five, five days a week.
• As a freelancer, I don’t have any fixed hours but work when the work is there.