Word of the Week - 42

LAY OFF

This week's word has also been inspired by the current economic crisis that we are going through. I'm sorry to seem so pessimistic, but perhaps the words will be useful to you in your English conversations and classes.

The phrasal verb 'to lay somebody off' means to stop employing someone, usually because there isn't any work for them to do or because the company can not afford to keep them.

The company has been forced to lay off over fifty workers due to a drop in sales.
John got laid off last week. He is really worried that he won't be able to find another job.

A more formal way of expressing this idea is to 'make somebody redundant'. Companies usually make redundancy payments, if they have the money, to the staff they lay off.

The verbs 'to sack' and 'to fire' can also be used but they have the added connotation that the person being dismissed has done something wrong, such as turning up late for work on a regular basis or breaking a company rule.

John was fired when his boss discovered that he had been stealing money from the till.

Penelope was sacked from her job for poor performance.