Phrasal verbs: Human Resources

By the end of this Business English lesson, students will have learnt and practised the most common phrasal verbs related to Human Resources. Students will see 14 verbs in context and will discuss various HR-related topics. You can combine it with the worksheets: “Phrasal verbs: Leadership and management”, and “Phrasal verbs: job interviews”.

The lesson starts with 3 discussion questions about HR, and the most common responsibilities of HR professionals.

Then, the first group of phrasal verbs: hold on to (top talent), turn down (an offer), follow up with, hand in (one’s notice) are introduced through a dialogue between 2 HR professionals, discussing strategies to retain talent.  Students match the phrasal verbs to their definitions and discuss the strategies mentioned in the dialogue. Next, they complete 4 questions with the correct phrasal verbs, and discuss the questions in pairs or small groups.

Students see the next group of phrasal verbs (e.g. step down, bring in, fill in for, hand over) in a dialogue between 2 colleagues, talking about a manager leaving. To practise all HR-related phrasal verbs, students complete a multiple-choice activity. 

To discover the meaning of the last group of phrasal verbs (e.g. clock in, clock out, call back, lay off, fill out), students match sentences with similar meaning. As a practice activity, students paraphrase 5 sentences, using a correct phrasal verb.

The last 2 activities are focused on speaking: First, students role-play a job interview, and are asked to incorporate certain phrasal verbs from the lesson. Finally, students debate 3 questions given.

For additional speaking practice and to review these phrasal verbs related to Human Resources, check out the conversation cards.