Is employee formal or informal?

Employee is a neutral, formal word. It is common in business, HR, and workplace writing.

What is the difference between employee and employer?

An employee works for pay. An employer gives the job and pays the employee.

Can I say workers instead of employees?

Sometimes, yes. But employees is better when you mean people officially hired by a company.

← Dictionary

employee

/ɪmˈplɔɪ.iː/

IELTSAcademic

noun

An employee is a person who works for a company, organization, or person in exchange for pay. It is the opposite of an employer.

The company has 200 employees.
She is a full-time employee.
Every employee must wear an ID card.

Adinary Nuance

Employee is the person who works for pay. It is not the same as employer, which means the person or company that gives the job. It is also more specific than worker, which can mean many kinds of working people. Use employee in formal, business, or HR contexts.

In other languages

Vietnamese: nhân viên
Spanish: empleado
Chinese: 雇员
Japanese: 従業員
Korean: 직원

Etymology

Employee comes from French employé, from the verb employer, meaning “to use” or “to engage.” It entered English in the 19th century.

Common phrases

full-time employeepart-time employeeemployee benefitsemployee turnover

Synonyms

worker staff member personnel

Related words

employer employment staff colleague

Frequently asked questions

Is employee formal or informal?: Employee is a neutral, formal word. It is common in business, HR, and workplace writing.
What is the difference between employee and employer?: An employee works for pay. An employer gives the job and pays the employee.
Can I say workers instead of employees?: Sometimes, yes. But employees is better when you mean people officially hired by a company.