員工

最近在看"Get to the point!"這本書時看到 staffer 這個字, 書裡面講到開會或宣導時主事者必須力求簡潔(brevity)...

Brevity is a virtue, and most staffers want to go back to their work quickly after attendng a meeting.

這裡的 staffers 指的是員工, 它是由 staff 沿伸出來的, 不過 staff 是集合名詞, 指的是整體員工, 不能用在指單一一個員工, 也不能加"s". 而 staffer 則是可數名詞, 可以指單一員工, 也可以加"s".

例句

The entire staff did a great job this year.

It was probably to be expected that the most senior staffers would go.

同樣是指員工/工作人員, staff 與 employee 又有什麼差呢?

staff 通指不管有沒有給薪的工作人員

employee 則是有給薪的員工, 是可數名詞, an employee, employees...