in whose employ

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "in whose employ" is correct and usable in written English.
It is typically used to refer to someone who is employed by a particular person or organization. Example: "She is a talented designer in whose employ many successful brands have flourished."

✓ Grammatically correct

Academia

Encyclopedias

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

The Universal Company, in whose employ some of the recipients then were, was at the time in no way connected with the Unopco Company or any of its stockholders.

Cornell University

After his return to London in 1597, Donne became secretary to Sir Thomas Egerton, lord keeper of the great seal, in whose employ Donne remained for almost five years.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

His first job was in a chemist's shop, but he soon became a clerk with the Great Western Railway, in whose paternalistic employ he shone in exams.

The Guardian - Business

(access to services  —  retail or social programs, whose employed in your company, hiring/firing).

Huffington Post

In this paper, we examine two related questions about these initiatives: how does the institutional design of certification initiatives affect the way science is used in the development of certification standards and in whose interest is science employed?

Journal of Environmental Management

Some (Gilson 1926 7, Lynch 1941, McEvoy 1982) take his treatment of Aristotle's account of scientific knowledge to accord no role to Aristotle's notion of abstraction, in whose place Grosseteste instead employs an Augustinian conception of divine illumination.

SEP

But there is darkness here: the heroine is a noblewoman who has disguised herself as a gardener after barely surviving a knife attack by her fiancé, who left her for dead and who of course turns up at the house in whose garden she's "employed".

Huffington Post

There are more than 14,000 immigrant entrepreneurs in Indiana whose businesses employ more than 66,000 people.

HuffPost

The manuscript has been in the possession of descendants of Jose Ogden Hoffman, in whose law office Irving was employed.

The New Yorker

In order not to endanger the efficacy of this measure, I have avoided issuing any notification beforehand, and I have notified only those regional labor offices in whose districts free Jewish manpower was employed in large numbers.

Yale University

There is evidence that Italian masons were employed by James IV, in whose reign Linlithgow was completed and other palaces were rebuilt with Italianate proportions.

Wikipedia

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "in whose employ" in formal writing to denote a professional or hierarchical relationship, particularly when the employer is significant or well-known.

Common error

Avoid using "in whose employ" in informal contexts. The phrase is relatively formal and can sound unnatural in casual conversation or informal writing. Opt for simpler alternatives like "working for" or "employed by" in less formal situations.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "in whose employ" functions as a prepositional phrase modifying a noun or pronoun. It indicates the employer of a person or the entity for which someone works. As shown by Ludwig, it connects an individual to their place of employment.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Academia

33%

Encyclopedias

33%

News & Media

33%

Less common in

Science

0%

Wiki

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "in whose employ" is a formal prepositional phrase used to specify the entity for which someone works. As confirmed by Ludwig, the phrase is grammatically correct and appears primarily in academic, encyclopedic, and news contexts. While grammatically sound and accepted, its relative formality makes it less suitable for informal settings. Consider simpler alternatives like "working for" or "employed by" in less formal contexts. Remember to prioritize context and audience when selecting this phrase for your writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

employed by whom

Rephrases the possessive structure to a question of employment.

by whom employed

Inverts the structure for a more formal tone.

under whose employment

Uses a slightly more formal and less common variation.

with whom someone is employed

Rephrases to emphasize the relationship as a passive condition.

working for whom

Simplifies the phrase to a more direct question of employment.

in the service of whom

Emphasizes service rather than direct employment.

under the authority of whom

Highlights the aspect of authority and reporting structure.

whose employee is someone

Restructures the sentence to focus on the employee.

who employs someone

Changes the focus to the employer rather than the employment.

for which employer does someone work

Clarifies the question to directly ask about the employer.

FAQs

How can I use "in whose employ" in a sentence?

Use "in whose employ" to indicate the person or organization that someone works for. For example, "He became secretary to Sir Thomas Egerton, lord keeper of the great seal, "in whose employ" Donne remained for almost five years."

What are some alternatives to "in whose employ"?

Alternatives include "working for", "employed by", or "in the service of", depending on the context.

Is "in whose employ" formal or informal?

"In whose employ" is a formal phrase best suited for professional or academic writing. Simpler options are generally better for casual conversation.

How does "in whose employ" differ from "who employs"?

"In whose employ" focuses on the person being employed and their relationship to the employer. "Who employs" focuses on the employer. For example, "He is an employee "in whose employ" I have great confidence" versus "She is the CEO who employs hundreds of people."