ESL Podcast 716 - Working Without Supervision
to oversee - to monitor and supervise; to carefully watch how other people are doing their work, making sure everything is running smoothly
The regional sales manager will be responsible for overseeing all of the sales representatives working in these 12 states.
day-to-day operations - the tasks and activities that must be completed to keep an office running well, without thinking about long-term strategy
Christof is responsible for most of our day-to-day operations, from contacting potential customers to sending out invoices.
second-in-command - the person who is responsible for a project or organization when the person who is normally in charge is not available
As executive vice-president, Henry is second-in-command and the president relies on him heavily whenever she travels.
MIA - missing in action; absent without an explanation; not where one should be
Bill has a lot of family problems right now, and he has been MIA a few times this past week. I hope he's okay.
budget overrun - expenses that are greater than planned; with something costing more than it was expected to
They'll be really pleased if we can finish this project on time and without any budget overruns.
to shirk (one's) responsibilities - to not do all of the things one is supposed to do
Dan told his wife: "I know you're tired after a long day at work, but that doesn't mean you can shirk your responsibilities here at home."
to phone it in - to complete a task using very little effort and giving it little attention, as though it did not matter very much
Jenny will start her new job in two weeks. In the meantime, she seems to be phoning it in at her old job.
to cover for (someone) - to do or say something to protect another person and not let him or her get in trouble, especially when that person isn't doing all the work he or she is supposed to do
Why do you always cover for your co-workers? It's important that your boss knows you're the one doing all the hard work around here.
to fill in - to try to help when and where it is needed, especially at work
Hugo wasn't feeling well and had to go home early. Do you think you can fill in during this meeting?
loyalty - supporting another person and being faithful to him or her
I've always admired his loyalty to his country.
when push comes to shove - under extreme circumstances; when there is a lot of pressure or a strong incentive to do something
Normally, Ziet obeys all of the traffic laws, but when push comes to shove, he'll speed to avoid being late for work.
to look out for (one's) best interests - to do what will benefit oneself, even if it has negative consequences for other people
It's nice that you want to help your sister, but at some point you have to look out for your best interests.
supervision - monitoring and being responsible for how well another person does his or her work, or for how well a project is completed
Little children need constant supervision in the kitchen so that they don't hurt themselves.
promotion - an increase in the responsibilities, duties, and pay one receives for one's work within a single organization, usually accompanied with a new title for one's position
Janik is hoping for a promotion from Analyst to Senior Analyst.
to fire - to tell someone that he or she no longer has a job and will not continue to work in a particular business or organization
Amie was fired for stealing from the company.
backstabber - a person who secretly says bad things about another person or secretly does bad things to another person to get some advantage or benefit
Franz is such a backstabber! I thought he was my friend, but apparently he was saying terrible things about me to our boss.