fal Role play Choose two of the idioms in Activity [Link] you have these problems at work. Spend two minutes thinking about the circumstances. Now work with a partner and role-play a conversation between two friends about work. One of you should explain your problems. The ‘other should sympathise. Begin like this: + So how're things at work? 5 | Listening You're going to listen to two friends - Rachel and Lynn - talking on the phone. Lynn has recently started working as a PA. Before you listen, discuss what you think being a PA involves. Do you think it’s a good job or not? Why? 11 Now listen and decide how things are going for Lynn and why. Roal English: He seems to think... My ‘We use seems to talk about things we feel are true, ‘things that appear true to us. He seems to think Pm some kind of idiot! I All| seem to do all day is just make the tea for t everyone! i | | can't seem to find my keys. Hove you seen them? Find three more examples of scorn in the tapescript at the back of the book. ane 2 Work and office poftics Describing people you work with ‘Complete the sentences with the words in the box. accessible detatorial 1. My boss is really domineering and he never listens to ‘a word anyone else ever says. He's so ! 2. I'l say one thing for her. She's very She doesn't mince her words. She always tells you exactly what's on her mind. 3. He probably doesn't mean to be, but he can be really _ Sometimes. Some of the things he says are very hurtful 4. She's a great boss — very ... ‘treats all of us exactly the same, she favourites or anything. 5. Hes quite .. quite up-and-down. He loses his temper really easily! 6. He seems frighteningly. ~ +I don't think Ive ever met anybody quite so keen to climb the career ladder. To Shs 2 VOY nnn Worker. She always pays a lot of attention to detail and makes sure everything is done properly. & He's avery .. ~nnee Worker. If he says he'll do something, he does it. 9. She can be a bit oan of stuck in her own way 10. She's a great boss, very — Her door's always open to everyone and she's really easy to talk to. Can you use any of these sentences to talk about people you know? Tell a partner. | Rote play ‘You are going to do the role play in Activity 4 again. First, look at the tapescript at the back of the book and underline any expressions you want to use this time. Now find a new partner and do the role play again ~ this time, on the phone! 4516 2 Work and office politics Reading al Vocabulary and listening Read the six newspaper headlines. Then discuss with partner what you think happened in each case. 4. Woman wins £22,000 in sexual harassment case 2. Mother wins posthumous racial dis ton claim 3. New legislation outlaws age discrimination in the workplace 4, ‘Tribunal upholds mother’ right to work part-time 5. Government crackdown on bullying in the workplace 6. Unfair dismissal verdict upheld in landmark case for the disabled 2 Listen to a short extract from a news programme. Which of the stories above do the two reports talk about? What happened in each case? How did the company respond? _2| Listen aga Listen and complete the first report. ‘The family of a black man who committed suicide after ‘being subjected to (1) .. _. bullying have agreed an (2) settlement from his ‘employers, Julian Smith hanged himself ai his family hhome two years ago and his mother (3)... the company for racial discrimination on behalf of her son, ‘The company conducted a (4) . frivestgation, which revealed tat vite clledgus od (Ope _ Julian in his work and ostracised him following an (6) .... he had made to ‘management about abuse and name-calling. Ina statement the company expressed es at its handling of the affair and stated that it was instigating (8) to ‘ensure that all discrimination is stamped out. 3| speaking Discuss these questions with a partner. 1. Have you heard of any cases of unfair dismissal or discrimination in the workplace? What happened? 2. Have you heard of anyone ever suing a company? Why? Did they win? 3. Do you think workers have too many rights or too few? | Describing jobs Make sure you know what the jobs in the box on the left are. Then discuss with a partner which of the expressions in the box on the right you could use to describe the jobs. Use each expression as many times as you want. a care assistant challenging a football manager aGP a history academic a househusband ‘emotionally demanding financially rewarding highly stressful high-powered a housewife immensely rewarding a journalist Incredibly competitive | a labourer incredibly tedious | amanagement consultant || not very fulfilling | a marketing manager physically demanding a plumber slightly demeaning a psychiatrist very varied a refuse collector a social worker a stockbroker a street cleaner ‘Change [Link] your new partner which of the Jobs you would/wouldn’t like to [Link] / why not? Do you know anyone who does any of these Jobst What do they think of their job? _5 | While you read ‘You're going to read an article about a woman ‘who made a change in her work life. Read the article and answer these questions. 4. What change did she make? Why? 2. Do you think she made the right decision? Why / why not?It senting Which of these statements about the article do you agree with? | don't like her. She's a bit smug. [like her. She knows her own She's just kidding herself she's happy. 1 2 ind. 3. 4. Her husband is just taking her for granted. 5. 6 Her mother created unrealistic expectations for her. She had no reason to feel guifty about being a working. mum, 7. Not everyone can afford to make the decision she's made. 8. Companies aren't interested in their employees as people. Bilin re ET LED Loe | reese tem ioe enero ney [75 10.30 av Fast setting down to | talk he got increasingly upset when | Rear the stress and anxiety in hie voice. xy md macening coffe enk-Topen | left ber a the mornings Thad inerebie | se yld me be bed i week hts a the paper and two articles Ip outat | pangs of gut | sll exjoyed my ob, but_| sight deadline to meet. How the hell am sme. The fret Orewmtel Bons lend | whereas before it had been everthing © | going to getit done with you phoning tottal Erlee—repors the findings of | me, nore it seemed somehow more | nasal the tne!’ he anmped. Woen I survey which found Dat over lal die | trv. What was more important | pointed ou hat phoning him once s ‘working population are sored by the- | promoting tileiesorrasing a appy | hardly‘ te ine”, he fs slammed Time they gethome that their ex ives | child? However, the presses of work | down the phone om me are suffering The other article ~Unpil | bada’t changed. there were sillles | Tundertood his station, but did't ‘ovetie tops £23bn mark — reports that ‘targets to meet, new products to be stop me from feeling angry and eoearch conducted by a tade union | pushed ~and Ts frequently home lte. | regent unt Tray thought about reveals that businesses increasingly rely | There were some days when my husband | who or rather what was 1o blame — on staff putting in extra hours without | Alan picked Naom! up when T wouldn't | work. There and then I ook out my ‘entra pay, and that the average person see Naomi awake all day and, yes,1'was | laptop and typed my letter of resignation. wwonld have each eared £4,650 for their | too knackered to speak to my husband. |. "Thue was seven year ago now snd I've ‘fonts if they had received a wage. letalone mate love. hardly looked back. Ofcourse, when Tore reading the newspaper, because | The crunch came one day when Iwas | people askme what do you da”, there seis alway ill farce ike these, | cn may way home fom work The rush | re some who look on meas some Kind ‘which ast confirm to me tht Thave | our was just beginning snd the ol a ieee sien aga Inde the right choice:Tam a suy-at- | underground tn was parsiculaty Tzsceala ber at ed tle ar ao ‘packed. I Just about squeezed on and ‘mine. Isee it as working with children ‘I was not the most obvious candidate | found myself pressed up against the and that can be as rewarding, fulfilling for being 2 stay-atchome mum. My own | sweaty armpit ofa guy holding up pei Caneie a meratie pas mother akvays worked ~ she wat a Conger Waly to hi fice to rea. got off | "Seem a pemtaal pane of ew 1 thnk teacher —and when [became pregnant, | atVictoria to catch my train out of the | irs probably saved our mariage. Of ‘my intention was always to continue my | ity, only to find the place was in chaos. | course, dhe lack of money places a bit of successful career in marketing after my | The main station had been evacuated —_| strain on things every once in a while, first child, Naomi, was born. In fact, | because ofa security alert. Nobody knew | (put sacrificing a new car ara second id go back to work afier my six months | when it would reopen. There were holiday fora better home life seems the ‘of maternity leave. left Naomt at a ‘hundreds of people getting increasingly | sensible option. And of course, Ino childminder’ at eight o'clock in the agitated. longer feel too ill ar too tired, which fe ‘morning and collected her at six o'clock | Lang my childminder to warm her 1 | perhaps why I'm expecting my third {im the evening This worked for a while, | be late. We had a rather terse conversation | chil, Dutas she grew and started to walk and | —it wasn’t the first time, but as it tumed 2 Werk and office politics “7 Vocabulary check ‘Complete the sentences with words from the article. 4. Tm hoping to publish the __ of my research next year. 2. Recent research has blamed the increase in divorce on ‘the mounting of work. 3. The government has set some tough ..... for reducing crime. The question is, can they meet ‘them? 4. She's a nice person, but if it came to the esminnnennee 8 Just don’t think I could rely on her ‘to pull her weight. because of a 6. Were working to a very deadline for this project and we'll be penalised if we miss i. 7. tmsorry |. at you. | shouldn't have spoken to you like that. 8 When | got sacked, it put an enormous (on our marriage. W7