"You're Fired!" Expressions for Joining and Leaving Companies
In November of 2023, Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI was fired by a powerful group of his colleagues. OpenAI is becoming more important due to its main product, ChatGPT, a powerful chatbot that is having a big impact on many industries and society in general.
While people were shocked by the news of Altman's sudden firing, the fact that he was quickly re-hired by OpenAI was just as surprising. Of course, news of both events spread quickly, especially within the tech industry.
While hirings and firings usually aren't this dramatic, media coverage of these stories often include unique terms that language learners and those wanting to work in English-speaking countries should know. This article will help you to understand some of the most important ones.
Expressions for firing
Oust
The verb “fire” is commonly used as the opposite of “hire.” However, it has a slightly informal tone. "Oust" has the same meaning but sounds more formal. You are more likely to read this word in an article than you are to hear it in a normal conversation.
Sam Altman was suddenly ousted by OpenAI's board of directors on November 17, 2023.
Dismiss
This is another synonym for fire that has a professional tone.
The president was dismissed when the public learned about the skeletons in his closet.
This word also has a usage that is unrelated to firing; a class or meeting is “dismissed” when it is finished and the participants can leave.
Any questions? OK, then. Class dismissed.
Remove
In a business context, even this simple verb can be another way of expressing someone losing their job.
The board members voted to remove John from office because of his lack of leadership skills.
Sack
As a noun, a “sack” is a plain bag made of cloth. In business and politics, however, it’s a verb that is a bold and direct synonym for fire.
The public called for the dirty politician to be sacked and replaced immediately.
Sometimes it is used in the short phrase "get the sack."
The company puts intense pressure on its employees; if they don’t meet high sales targets, they get the sack.
Resign
“Resign” is different from the words we've covered so far because it means to leave a job due to one’s own choice, not because of someone else’s.
The CEO announced that he would resign at the end of the year.
On the other hand, people can sometimes be forced to resign, which is basically the same as being fired. The nuance of resign, however, sounds much less negative.
The chairman ignored the calls from the public for him to resign.
The noun form is "resignation."
He was pressured to hand in his letter of resignation by the end of the week.
Lay off
Employees who are "laid off" lose their jobs because of changes in their company, not necessarily because they didn't perform their duties well.
Because the company's profits were falling, its leaders were forced to lay off a large amount of its workforce.
Make redundant
Similar to the above expression, workers are "made redundant" when the work they do is no longer needed by the company.
Many workers are worried that developments in AI will make their jobs redundant.
Expressions for hiring
Employ
"Employ" is simply the verb form of the nouns "employment," "employee" and "employer."
The international company employs thousands of workers in countries around the world.
Recruit
This is a common term for hiring someone. It is also used in the military when people agree to become soldiers.
The company plans on recruiting social media experts to strengthen its presence online.
It can also be used as a noun to refer to new employees.
I'm hosting a training seminar for our new recruits this afternoon.
Onboard
“Onboarding” refers to the process of bringing someone into a company and training them. Just like a passenger gets "on board" a plane or a train, the new employee is entering an organization and beginning a kind of journey with his or her colleagues.
My new supervisor said it would take a few weeks to fully onboard me.
Snap up
"Snapping up" something means grabbing it quickly. It can be used in a variety of situations, but in the context of human resources, it means to hire someone as soon as they are available.
The tech company has a reputation for snapping up the brightest students as soon as they graduate from university.
Appoint
“Appoint” is a formal way to express choosing someone to do a specific task.
I was appointed to Director of Sales when the person who held that position before me resigned.
Engage
"Engage" is a formal term for employing someone for a particular job.
We're planning to engage a graphic designer to help us with our company rebranding.
Put (someone) on the payroll
When someone is “put on the payroll," they have been hired to do a job. After all, you do not get paid without doing work!
She's the best candidate for the job; put her on the payroll immediately!
Reinstate
This verb means to return someone to a job they previously left or lost.
Sam Altman was reinstated as CEO of OpenAI less than a week after being ousted.
It can also be used for things like rules and laws.
The late-night curfew was reinstated because of the dangerous conditions caused by the storm.
Wrap-up
No matter what industry you work in, all English learners should know these common terms for both starting and ending work agreements. Some you will only hear in the news, but others are very common when discussing work casually.
Hopefully your own work situation is not as unpredictable as Sam Altman's!
