noun
company employee; staff member
General term for a person employed by a company. Often contrasted with 公務員 (public servant) or 自営業 (self-employed).
彼は大手商社の社員です。
He is an employee of a major trading company.
新入社員研修
New employee training starts next week.
noun
corporate member; stockholder (legal)
Used in legal or formal contexts to refer to a member of a corporation, including shareholders. In everyday speech, 社員 usually means employee (sense 1).
定款には社員の権利が明記されている。
The articles of incorporation clearly state the rights of corporate members.
この法人の社員は全員が株主です。
All members of this corporation are shareholders.