working week

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working week

(ˈwɜːkˌwiːk) or

workweek

(Industrial Relations & HR Terms) the number of hours or days in a week actually or officially allocated to work: a four-day working week.

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

Translations

أسْبوع العَمَل

arbejdsuge

Arbeitswoche

munkahét

vinnuvika

pracovný týždeň

iş günleri

周一到周五工作日工作周

work

(wəːk) noun

1. effort made in order to achieve or make something. He has done a lot of work on this project

2. employment. I cannot find work in this town.

3. a task or tasks; the thing that one is working on. Please clear your work off the table.

4. a painting, book, piece of music etc. the works of Van Gogh / Shakespeare/Mozart; This work was composed in 1816.

5. the product or result of a person's labours. His work has shown a great improvement lately.

6. one's place of employment. He left (his) work at 5.30 p.m.; I don't think I'll go to work tomorrow.

verb

1. to (cause to) make efforts in order to achieve or make something. She works at the factory three days a week; He works his employees very hard; I've been working on/at a new project.

2. to be employed. Are you working just now?

3. to (cause to) operate (in the correct way). He has no idea how that machine works / how to work that machine; That machine doesn't/won't work, but this one's working.

4. to be practicable and/or successful. If my scheme works, we'll be rich!

5. to make (one's way) slowly and carefully with effort or difficulty. She worked her way up the rock face.

6. to get into, or put into, a stated condition or position, slowly and gradually. The wheel worked loose.

7. to make by craftsmanship. The ornaments had been worked in gold.

-work

1. (the art of making) goods of a particular material. He learns woodwork at school; This shop sells basketwork.

2. parts of something, eg a building, made of a particular material. The stonework/woodwork/paintwork needs to be renewed.

ˈworkable adjective

(of a plan) able to be carried out.

ˈworker noun

1. a person who works or who is employed in an office, a factory etc. office-workers; car-workers.

2. a manual worker rather than an office-worker etc.

3. a person who works (hard etc). He's a slow/hard worker.

works noun singular or plural

a factory etc. The steelworks is/are closed for the holidays.

noun plural

1. the mechanism (of a watch, clock etc). The works are all rusted.

2. deeds, actions etc. She's devoted her life to good works.

ˈwork-basket, ˈwork-box

etc nouns a basket, box etc for holding thread, needlework etc.

ˈworkbook noun

a book of exercises usually with spaces for answers.

ˈworkforce noun

the number of workers (available for work) in a particular industry, factory etc.

working class

the section of society who work with their hands, doing manual labour.

working day, ˈwork-day nouns

1. a day on which one goes to work, and is not on holiday.

2. the period of actual labour in a normal day at work. My working day is eight hours long.

working hours

the times of day between which one is at work. Normal working hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

ˈworking-party, ˈwork-party nouns

a group of people gathered together (usually voluntarily) to perform a particular physical task. They organized a work-party to clear the canal of weeds.

working week

the five days from Monday to Friday inclusive when people go to work.

ˈworkman noun

a man who does manual work. the workmen on a building site.

ˈworkmanlike adjective

1. suitable to a good workman. a workmanlike attitude.

2. well performed. a workmanlike job.

ˈworkmanship noun

the skill of a qualified workman; skill in making things.

ˈworkmate noun

one of the people who work in the same place of employment as oneself. Her workmates teased her about being the boss's favourite.

ˈworkout noun

a period of hard physical exercise for the purpose of keeping fit etc.

ˈworkshop noun

1. a room or building, especially in a factory etc where construction and repairs are carried out.

2. a course of experimental work for a group of people on a particular project.

at work

working. He's writing a novel and he likes to be at work (on it) by eight o'clock every morning.

get/set to work

to start work. Could you get to work painting that ceiling?; I'll have to set to work on this mending this evening.

go to work on

to begin work on. We're thinking of going to work on an extension to the house.

have one's work cut out

to be faced with a difficult task. You'll have your work cut out to beat the champion.

in working order

(of a machine etc) operating correctly.

out of work

having no employment. He's been out of work for months.

work of art

a painting, sculpture etc.

work off

to get rid of (something unwanted or unpleasant) by taking physical exercise etc. He worked off his anger by running round the garden six times.

work out

1. to solve or calculate correctly. I can't work out how many should be left.

2. to come to a satisfactory end. Don't worry – it will all work out (in the end).

3. to perform physical exercises.

work up

1. to excite or rouse gradually. She worked herself up into a fury. (adjective ˌworked-ˈup: Don't get so worked-up!).

2. to raise or create. I just can't work up any energy/appetite/enthusiasm today.

work up to

to progress towards and prepare for. Work up to the difficult exercises gradually.

work wonders

to produce marvellous results. These pills have worked wonders on my rheumatism.

References in periodicals archive ?

The halving of the working week didn't happen by magic.

Work is changing - let's make it for the better

Unfinished tasks also caused anxiety before the start of the working week, while many said working life was improved by flexibility, working from home or having great colleagues.

It's Sunday - time to start worrying about work..

The Wellcome Trust, a medical research charity based in central London, said reducing the working week by a day was one of a "few ideas" being analysed.

4-day week to boost output

In 2019 there will be 242 working days and 103 non-working days, 18 public holidays for a five-day working week.

Non-working days in 2019 declared

At the TUC conference she called for a four-day working week by the end of the century.

Here's to a shorter working week

Labour could back a four-day working week, the party's Shadow Chancellor has hinted.

Labour could back a four-day working week hints Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell; John McDonnell's comments come just days after Labour flatly denied the radical plan was under consideration by the party

Shinsegae will introduce a 35-hour working week starting in 2018.

Shinsegae's example

After months of discussions, the Histadrut and Israeli employers reached understandings that the working week would be shortened by one hour beginning July 11.

Work Week to be Shortened

Millennials in Japan and the United States are in the middle of the pack, with their working week coming to an average of 45 hours.

Where the world's millennials work the longest hours

Sources quoted in the media have suggested that most private companies would introduce the 2-day weekend only if the ministry removes the SR2,400 levy and institutes a 48-hour working week. According to reports, the authorities face a dilemma as they try to boost private sector employment in a period of low oil prices, which are straining state finances and threatening to slow the economy.

Two-day weekend for private sector: New study underway

Barbour staff have accepted a new deal from their bosses after being re-balloted on the offer of a shorter working week.

Gateshead Barbour staff accept new deal from bosses after being re-ballotted; Members of the Unite union at the clothing firm, who had been out on strike, were re-balloted after bosses returned with a new offer

SCOTS should switch to a 30-hour working week to improve the economy, a report claims today.