Losing your job

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Touch wood! ( = odpukać) Let’s hope you will never need the words in this lesson – or at least not to talk about yourself!

Still ( = jednakże), the loss of a job IS a sad reality that many of us are facing, or have experienced, because of the pandemic. Is this also your lot ( = los, dola), or maybe you know someone who has found themselves without a job?

There are a few English words that you can use to talk about losing a job:

1.      To be fired – this means that someone makes you leave your job, sometimes as punishment. You can say:

She was fired for refusing to comply with dress code regulations.

She’s the one responsible for hiring and firing.

In Polish: zostać zwolnionym.

2.      To get the sack, or: to be sacked. This is an informal expression, and means basically the same. You can say:

We didn’t want to risk getting the sack by challenging the manager.

He should be given the sack.

In Polish: zostać wylanym.

3.      To be made redundant – this is a formal expression, and means losing the job because you are no longer needed. This is often connected with organizational changes to your company, or some big employment cuts.

You can say: 200 workers were made redundant after the merger ( = fuzja firm).

The hostile takeover ( = wrogie przejęcie firmy) resulted in all of our mid-level managers being made redundant.

When the employer fires you, you are still employed for the notice period ( = okres wypowiedzenia). And, if it is you making the decision to quit ( = rzucić pracę), then you have to hand in your notice ( = złożyć wypowiedzenie). You usually get the severance package ( = odprawa.) If you’re lucky, you’re given a golden handshake – this is a large amount of money given to senior managers when they leave their job ( = wysoka odprawa, złoty spadochron)

After you lose a job, for some time you usually get the unemployment benefit ( = zasiłek dla bezrobotnych). Then, you can say you are on the dole ( = być na zasiłku). The percentage of people who are unemployed in a country is the unemployment rate ( = stopa bezrobocia).

Losing a job wreaks havoc ( = szerzy spustoszenie) in your life, and triggers ( = pociąga za sobą) a plethora ( = mnogość, obfitość) of negative emotions. These emotions can include feeling shattered ( = zdruzgotany), cheated ( = oszukany), disgruntled ( = rozczarowany, zawiedziony), or down in the dumps ( = w dołku).

I feel blessed ( = szczęśliwa, dosłownie: błogosławiona) in never having experienced such a calamity ( = katastrofa), as I’ve always been self-employed, and it was me always making decisions when I want to work, how, and who with. But I want to express my deepest sympathy ( = współczucie) for those of you who have suddenly found themselves without employment. I sincerely hope that this adversity ( = przeciwność losu) will prove to be ( = okaże się) an opportunity, a chance to change your life for the better, and I do believe that you will find a job which will be even better for you. Or maybe start your own business? I’m keeping my fingers crossed from you! ( = trzymam kciuki)

If you or your friends need support in looking for the new job, you might find it helpful to come to my online training on 29^th September. I will be teaching you about the most common mistakes at a job interview in English, and how to avoid them. You can sign up here: https://angielskizhumorem.pl/rozmowa-o-prace-szkolenie-29-wrzesnia.

See you next week! I’ll tell you about looking for a new job – and a better future! 🙂

Kasia Sielicka, doktor filologii angielskiej i Twoja ulubiona lektorka angielskiego online. Angielski w pracy z humorem