Unit5_employement

Republic of Tunisia Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and TechnologyVirtual University of Tunisia

Business EnglishEmployment

Sebri Chokri

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Specific objectives:

In this unit you are going to look at the factors that are important in getting a job, and

their relative importance. And discuss your attitudes to work and career. By the end of

the unit you will have:

- Learnt verbs used to talk about recruitment and words used to describe

candidates and workers

- Worked on indirect questions and statements.

- Learnt the language of negotiating with people.

Starting up

A- In your opinion, which factors below are important for getting a job? Choose

the seven most important? Is there anything missing from the list?

Age/sex appearance record

contacts and connections experience family background hobbies

handwriting intelligence marital status personality

qualifications references sickness blood group

B- Discuss these statements.

1- At work appearance is more important than performance. NO

2- You should keep your private life totally separate from your work. NO

3- People don’t change much during their working lives. NO

4- It is best to work for as few companies as possible. NO

5- Everybody should retire at 50. NO

Reading

A- Discuss these questions before you read the article.

1 The article talks about people who are high performers. What does this phrase mean?

What sort of people are they?

2 What do you think motivates high performers to stay with the same company?

Motivating high-calibre staff

By Michael Douglas

An organization’s capacity to identify, attract and retain high-quality, high-performing people who can develop winning strategies has become decisive in ensuring competitive advantage.

High performers are easier to define than to find. They are people with apparently limitless energy and enthusiasm, qualities that shine through even on their bad days. They are full of ideas and get things done quickly and effectively. They inspire others not just by pep talks but also through the sheer force of their example.Such people can push their organizations to greater and greater heights.

The problem is that people of this quality are very attractive to rival companies and are likely to be headhunted. The financial impact of such people leaving is great and includes the costs of expensive training and lost productivity and inspiration.

However, not all high performers are stolen, some are lost. High performers generally leave because organizations do not know how to keep them. Too many employers are blind or indifferent to the agenda of would be high performers, especially those who are young.Organizations should consider how such people are likely to regard important motivating factors. Money remains an important motivator but organizations should not imagine that it is the only one that matters. In practice, high performers tend to take for granted that they will get a good financial package. They seek motivation from other sources.

Empowerment is particularly important motivating force for new talent. A high performer will seek to feel that he or she 'owns' a project in a creative sense. Wise employers offer this opportunity.

The challenge of the job is another essential motivator for high performers. Such people easily become demotivated if they sense that their organization has little or no real sense of where it is going.

A platform for self development should be provided. High performers are very keen to develop their skills and their curriculum vitae. Offering time for regeneration is another crucial way for organizations to retain high performers. Work needs to be varied and time should be available for creative thinking and mastering new skills. The provision of a coach or mentor signals that the organization has a commitment to fast-tracking an individual's development.

Individuals do well in an environment where they can depend on good administrative support,

They will not want to feel that the success they are winning for the organization is lost because of the inefficiency of others or by weaknesses in support areas.

Above all, high performers -especially if they are young -want to feel that the organization they work for regards them as special. If they find that it is not interested in them as people

but only as high- performing commodities, it will hardly be surprising if their loyalty is minimal. On the other hand, if an organization does invest in its people, it is much more likely to win loyalty from them and to create a community of talent and high performance that win worry competitors.

From the Financial Times

Virtual University of Tunisia Business EnglishEmploymenet

B- Read the article and answer these questions.

1 What qualities of high performers are mentioned in the article?

2 What are the problems of losing high performers?

3 Which motivating factors are mentioned in the article?

C- Use these words or phrases from the article to answer the questions

below.

Pep talk mentor CV fast-tracking head hunting financial package

Which word or phrase:

1 is British English for the American English résumé?

…………………………………

2 refers to stealing employees from companies?

………………………………………..

3 do you often find in job advertisements referring to money and

benefits?.................

4 refers to an older, more experienced person who helps you?

………………………………

5 usually leads to quick promotion? ……………………………..

6 means a short chat to motivate staff? ……………………………

D- What are the advantages and disadvantages of:

1 headhunting?

2 having a mentor system?

3 fast-tracking certain employees?

4 frequent pep talks?

Language review

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Indirect questions and statements

We often use indirect questions and statements to sound more polite, for

example when asking for personal or sensitive information.

CouId you tell me what your salary is?

Would you mind telling me how old you are?

I'm not sure when the interview finishes.

Indirect questions have the same word order as direct statements

She left the job. ( direct statement)

CouId you tell me why she left the job?

We can use the following expressions to introduce indirect questions and

statements.

I wonder / I can 't remember / I have no idea / l' d like to know / I am not sure. ..

when the post will be advertised.

For yes / no questions we use if or whether. We can also use if or whethe

in statements.

Will he apply for the job? ( direct question)

I wonder whether he'll apply for the job.

A- In which of these questions and statements is the word order correct?

Rewrite the incorrect ones.

1 Could you tell me what your strengths are?

2 l'd like to know what would your colleagues say about you.

3 Could you tell me how have you changed in the last five years?

4 Do you happen to know what salary I will start on?

5 I am not sure where want I to be in five years' time.

B- Put the words in the right order to form indirect questions or statements.

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1 do know where you the room interview is?

2 I ask you old are you how could?

3 I wonder you if could me tell what time is it?

4 l'd like why to know we you should hire.

5 do you mind I ask if your weaknesses are what?

6 could I you ask why left you your last job?

C- You are interviewing someone for a job. How would you politely find out

the

following information?

1 Their age 3 Their reasons for leaving their last job

2 Their current salary 4 Their weaknesses

Negotiations: tricky conversations

Introduction

All managers sometimes have to have difficult conversations with people

working under them. What is the best way to give negative feedback?

Think

Imagine you are unhappy with the behaviour of a member of your team. You

have decided to raise the issue with this person and tell him or her that you

would like to see an improvement. What words or phrases might be useful in

this tricky conversation?

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Listen

Now listen to a tricky conversation at work between a manager and an

employee. Michelle has come to Sean complaining that she did not get a job

recently. How does Sean react? As you listen, try to hear the phrases above.

Practise

Now test yourself with our quiz!

Negotiations - Tricky Conversations Quiz

Instructions: Finish the sentence with the correct phrase.

1. You’ve got to ______ out of it.

A sort B cutC snapD lift

2. I _______ you to try a bit harder.

A expectB likeC requestD hope

3. ______, what you’ve done isn’t good enough.

A ProbablyB Maybe

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C ClearlyD Hopefully

4. I really want to see __________.

A your tryingB betterC better effortD some improvement

Negotiations: resolving difficulties

Introduction

Next, we’re going to hear another difficult conversation between the team leader

and the employee we heard in the first unit. We’ll encounter some more phrases

useful for expressing dissatisfaction.

Think

Imagine that you are giving a second warning to an employee whose work or

attitude is not of a high standard. What words or phrases might be useful in this

conversation?

Listen

It’s been two weeks since the conversation between Sean and Michelle in unit 1.

Sean thinks that Michelle’s attitude still hasn’t improved, and he has decided to

raise this with her. As you listen, try to hear the phrases above.

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Practise



1. I’ll_________________________________.

A come straight on the pointB come straight beside the pointC come straight up to a pointD come straight to the point

2. ________, I’ve seen very little change in your behaviour in the last few weeks.

A SurelyB FranklyC To be franklyD Stanley

3. I don’t want to _________ to any conclusions.

A jumpB climbC reachD jog

4. Well, __________ what you say, I’m not very happy.

A despiteB thoughC althoughD even though

Negotiations: asking for a pay rise

Introduction

It’s never easy to talk about your salary, but it might sometimes be necessary!

How is it possible to do this without sounding rude or too desperate?

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Think

Imagine that you have been working for your company for three years, but you

haven’t yet received a pay rise or a significant bonus. You have decided to raise

this issue with your manager. What words and phrases might be useful in your

conversation with him or her?

Listen

Now listen to a conversation about pay rises between an employer and an

employee. In the clip, you'll hear Abigail ask her boss for a pay rise. Listen

without reading the text and try to hear the phrases listed above.

Practise



1. I ________ I have made good progress.

A guessB really feelC really knowD suppose

2. I think that 3%________________.

A is the least you could offerB isn’t enough

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C is too much to askD isn’t too much to ask

3. I really feel it’s _____________ considered for promotion.

A about now I amB about now I was C about time I amD about time I was

4. Should I ______________?

A put my request into wordsB write the requestC put this request in writingD write off my request

Negotiations: difficult clients

Introduction

If your company offers a service, you may find that you have to deal with

complaints from customers and clients. In this unit, we look at some phrases that

may be helpful in this situation.

Think

Imagine that you work in a travel agency and a customer comes in to complain

about a recent holiday. The customer tells you that they experienced a bad delay

at the airport which ruined their holiday. How do you respond?

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Listen

Now listen to two audio clips of people making complaints. As you listen, see if

you can hear the phrases above.

Practise


Instructions: Finish the sentence by choosing the correct words and writing them

into the empty boxes.

1. I know that you were delayed for well over 2 hours and

__________ ______________ _____________ ______ _________ _______

wait / sorry / I’m / very / the / for

2. If you give me all the relevant information about the problems you had on your holiday,

_____ _________ ______ _________ __________ _____________

can / into / look / for / it / you / I

3. ____ ______ _______ ________ _____ ______ we’re doing everything we can to ensure that this situation never happens again.

you / assure / can / I

4. There was a technical problem on Saturday and, ____ ______ ______ ________ , you weren’t the only one affected.

imagine / can / as / you

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Documents

Unit5_employement