English for Human Resources

Introduction

English for Human Resources is an online course, consisting of 56 units of English, and providing approximately 60 hours of study for students.

Course aims

To give students at Intermediate, CEFR B1/Upper Intermediate B2 level practice in general and business-oriented language required for business contexts at this level, specifically tailored towards human resources situations. The course blends grammatical structures necessary for this level, with vocabulary, reading, listening, writing, speaking, and pronunciation.

Gramatika

By the end of the course, students will be able to

  • Use present and past tenses correctly
  • Use the appropriate conditional forms to talk about situations and consequences.
  • Use the present perfect to describe a link between past and present events.
  • Use going to and will to talk about future predictions and intentions.
  • Use the passive form correctly
  • Distinguish and be able to correctly describe countable and uncountable nouns.

Slovná zásoba

By the end of the course students will have learnt approximately 200 expressions used in the human resources field.

Skills

By the end of the course students will have had exposure to and practice in reading and hearing formal and informal English from a variety of accents and human resources contexts.

Unit summary

Module 1

  • Introduction to Human Resources
  • Gramatika: Present tenses
  • Slovná zásoba: Key HR terminology, basics of employment, types of employees:
  • Čítanie: The evolution and importance of HR in organisations
  • Počúvanie: An interview with an HR manager discussing their role
  • Písanie: Drafting a brief description of one’s HR job role
  • Hovorenie: Discussing the role of HR in an organisation
  • Pronunciation: Anxious and Chess + connected speech

Module 2

  • Recruitment and Selection
  • Gramatika: Past tenses
  • Vocabulary: Job postings, applications, interviews, selection processes
  • Čítanie: The stages of the recruitment process
  • Počúvanie: A mock job interview
  • Písanie: Creating a job advertisement for a fictional position
  • Hovorenie: Job interviews
  • Pronunciation: Beats and Beach + connected speech

Module 3

  • Training and Development
  • Gramatika: Going to and Will
  • Slovná zásoba: Onboarding, training modules, career progression
  • Čítanie: The importance of continuous employee training
  • Počúvanie: A workshop on employee development
  • Písanie: Drafting a training schedule for new employees
  • Hovorenie: Organising initial and ongoing employee training
  • Pronunciation: Bet and But + connected speech

Module 4

  • Compensation and Benefits
  • Gramatika: Present perfect
  • Slovná zásoba: salary, bonuses, benefits, allowances, deductions
  • Čítanie: How companies decide compensation packages
  • Počúvanie: Negotiation of a salary package
  • Písanie: Designing a basic compensation package for a role
  • Hovorenie: Salaries and bonuses
  • Pronunciation: Bud and Bird + connected speech

Module 5

  • Performance Management
  • Gramatika: Countable and uncountable nouns
  • Slovná zásoba: Appraisal, feedback, goals, performance metrics
  • Čítanie: The significance of regular performance reviews
  • Počúvanie: A mock performance review meeting
  • Písanie: Drafting a performance feedback for an employee
  • Hovorenie: Improving performance
  • Pronunciation: Book and But + connected speech

Module 6

  • Employee Relations
  • Gramatika: First conditional
  • Slovná zásoba: Employee engagement, grievances, mediation, workplace culture
  • Čítanie: The importance of maintaining positive employee relations
  • Počúvanie: A mediation session between an employee and a manager
  • Písanie: Drafting a memo addressing a common workplace concern
  • Hovorenie: Conflict resolution
  • Pronunciation: Cart and Cut + connected speech

Module 7

  • Legal and Ethical Aspects of HR
  • Gramatika: Passive
  • Slovná zásoba: Contracts, labour laws, non-discrimination, ethics
  • Reading: An overview of European Union labour laws and their significance
  • Počúvanie: A discussion on ethical dilemmas in HR
  • Písanie: Designing a code of conduct for employees
  • Hovorenie: The implications of a breach in the code of conduct
  • Pronunciation: Day and Ray + connected speech

Module 8

  • Trends in HR and the Future
  • Gramatika: Second conditional
  • Slovná zásoba: Remote work, diversity and inclusion, automation in HR
  • Čítanie: The changing landscape of HR in the digital age
  • Počúvanie: A seminar on the future of HR practices
  • Písanie: Drafting a proposal for incorporating a new HR trend
  • Hovorenie: The future of work
  • Pronunciation: Fine and Vine + connected speech

Follow-up

Students completing the English for Human Resources course should feel confident in tackling any upper intermediate course, including our Upper Intermediate Business Power course.