Work following credit being cut (4)
I believe the answer is:
crop
'cut' is the definition.
(cropping is a kind of cutting)
'work following credit' is the wordplay.
'work' becomes 'op' (abbreviation for opus).
'following' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'credit' becomes 'cr'.
'op' after 'cr' is 'CROP'.
'being' is the link.
(Other definitions for crop that I've seen before include "Dock" , "Produce - riding whip" , "(Yield from) cultivated plant" , "distress, as it were" , "Short haircut" .)