Business English Vocabulary · Lesson 19

Sound Professional When Discussing Rules and Regulations

From complying with regulations to dealing with grey areas: the phrases senior professionals use to talk about rules, laws and compliance – clear, precise and easy for everyone to understand.

ARead: living with regulation

Read the text. Pay attention to the phrases in bold – you will need them in exercise B.

Why every business needs to understand the rules

Every business has to adhere to – or comply with – the rules that govern its industry, from data protection to health and safety. Large companies now employ whole compliance teams, whose job is to make sure that the business follows every law and regulation that applies to it.

Some rules are strict, or even stringent, with no exceptions and severe penalties. Others are more lenient: if you break them slightly, nothing much happens, or you just receive a warning.

Governments and regulators regularly impose new rules on companies, introducing them whether businesses like it or not. These measures can include new taxes, reporting requirements, fines and even bans. Once a law applies to your company, you are subject to it – you have no choice but to follow it.

After a scandal or a crisis, regulators often tighten regulations, making the existing rules stricter. And companies that breach regulations – in other words, break the rules – can face fines worth millions, as well as serious damage to their reputation.

BKey words from the text

Based on the context of the text, choose the phrase that matches each definition. Then complete the example sentence. You may need to change the form of the phrase.

Official actions taken to deal with a problem

“The new safety will come into force in May.”
To break a rule or a law

“The company was fined for on air pollution.”
Not strict; allowing people to break rules slightly without punishment

“Some regulators are more with small businesses.”
To follow a rule, a law or a standard

“All our suppliers must our code of conduct.”
Affected by a rule, and required to follow it

“All imports are customs checks.”
To make rules stricter than they were before

“After the banking crisis, the government .”
Very strict, allowing no exceptions

“The EU has very rules on data protection.”
The process of following rules and laws (also the department that checks this)

“The bank has increased its spending on by 40%.”
To officially introduce a rule, a tax or a punishment that people must accept

“The government has a new tax on sugary drinks.”

CRead: asking the lawyers

Now read the meeting. The phrases in bold are for exercise D.

Can we use the data?

An online retailer wants to send customers personalised offers based on their browsing history. The Marketing Director is checking with the company’s General Counsel and the CEO.

MarcoMarketing DirectorIngrid, we’d like to start sending personalised offers based on what customers look at on our website. Is that allowed?

IngridGeneral CounselHonestly, it’s a grey area. The law doesn’t clearly say yes or no, and different lawyers interpret it differently.

MarcoSo there’s some room for manoeuvre? We could find a way to do it without actually breaking any rules?

IngridA little. But I would strongly prefer that we do this by the book – exactly as the rules say, with customers’ clear permission. Regulators are watching our sector closely, and we can’t get away with cutting corners the way companies could five years ago.

SanaCEOAgreed. And whatever we do has to align with our values. We’ve always promised customers that we respect their privacy, so the campaign needs to be in alignment with that promise.

IngridOne more thing. If we introduce new consent forms, let’s make the change across the board – in all twelve countries, not just here. It’s simpler, and it’s safer.

SanaGood. Marco, can you work with Ingrid on a version that ticks every box?

DKey words from the meeting

Based on the meeting, choose the phrase that matches each definition. Then complete the example sentence. You may need to change the form of the phrase.

ESay it better

Each sentence below is correct, but it sounds simple. Rewrite it using a phrase from this lesson, then compare your version with the model answer.

“We always follow the rules exactly.”

Use: by the book

Show model answer
“We always do things by the book.”
“The rules aren’t clear about this.”

Use: grey area

Show model answer
“Legally, this is a grey area.”
“The government made the rules stricter.”

Use: tighten

Show model answer
“The government has tightened the regulations.”
“The company broke the rules.”

Use: breach

Show model answer
“The company breached the regulations.”
“This change is for everyone in the company.”

Use: across the board

Show model answer
“This change applies across the board.”
“We have a little bit of flexibility.”

Use: room for manoeuvre

Show model answer
“We have some room for manoeuvre.”

FKey words in a new context

Complete the email from the Head of Compliance with the phrases from the box. You may need to change the form of some of the words.

Word box

impose
subject to
stringent
measures
tighten regulations
lenient
breach
compliance
across the board
grey area
room for manoeuvre
by the book

From: Petra Lind, Head of ComplianceTo: All staffSubject: New data protection rules from 1 March

Dear colleagues,

From 1 March, the regulator will new rules on how companies in our sector store customer data. As a result, we will all be much more checks than before.

These are part of a wider effort to after last year’s data leaks in our industry. In the past, the regulator was quite with first-time mistakes; this will no longer be the case. Companies that the new rules could face fines of up to 4% of their annual revenue.

Our team has prepared a short online course, which every employee must complete by 15 February. The new rules will apply : to every department, every country and every level of seniority.

I know that some situations will feel like a . If you are not sure whether something is allowed, please ask us before you act. There is very little in the new law, so our approach is simple: we will do everything .

Thank you for your support.
Petra

Use it well

Three things professionals often mix up when they talk about rules.

Follow, comply with or adhere to?

Follow the rules – neutral and everyday.

Comply with the law – formal; common in legal contexts.

Adhere to standards or guidelines – formal.

The nouns are compliance and adherence.

Strict, stringent or lenient?

Strict – everyday word for rules with no exceptions.

Stringent – more formal; very strict and very detailed.

Lenient – the opposite: not strict.

Stringent safety rules, strict deadlines, a lenient judge.

Impose on, subject to

You impose a rule, a tax, a fine or a ban on someone:

They imposed a ban on plastic bags.

Subject to can also mean “depending on”:

The deal is subject to board approval.

Glossary

All the phrases from this lesson.

Rules and regulators

to adhere to / to comply withto follow a rule, a law or a standard
compliancethe process of following rules and laws
strict / stringentvery strict, allowing no exceptions
lenientnot strict; allowing people to break rules slightly
to imposeto officially introduce a rule, a tax or a punishment
measuresofficial actions taken to deal with a problem
subject toaffected by a rule, and required to follow it
to tighten regulationsto make rules stricter
to breach regulationsto break rules or laws

Rules in practice

a grey areaa situation in which the rules are not clear
room for manoeuvresome flexibility to act in a different way
by the bookexactly according to the rules
can’t get away withnot able to do something wrong without being punished
to align with / to be in alignment withto fit with or match a plan, a rule or a value
across the boardaffecting everyone or everything