IV. Read the story of a woman called Michela talking about her way of working. What is this way?

I = Interviewer M = Michela

I:OK, Michela. You work from home now. Can you tell me about a typical day?

M: Sure, I always get up around seven and the first thing I do is get the kids ready for school. I take them at eight thirty and then I always start work at nine.

I: Do you ever have a day where you decide to have the morning off and start work later?

M: No, you can’t do that. It’s important with home-working to have a timetable and stick to it. If you end up watching TV or doing the cleaning then it isn’t for you. So I have lunch at twelve and finish work at two thirty to get the children.

I: Was that why you gave up your office job?

M: Yes, I wanted to spend more time with the children. It gives me more flexibility. Sometimes I need to work in the evening but usually it isn’t a problem.

I: So how long have you been doing this kind of work?

M: For about five years. I’ve been with the same company since I left school but with the Internet and technology it’s easy now to be at home.

I: So your employer doesn’t mind.

M: No. It means the company saves money on office space and as long as I get the work done, they are happy. Sometimes I still go into work to meet clients and so on. For example, I’m going in nearly every day this week because we have visitors from another company and I can’t really invite them over to my house. Besides, it’s nice to go in every so often. I like to see people and catch up on the gossip and the news with my colleagues. I miss that side of going into work every day.

I: Is there anything else you miss?

M: Ermm. No, not really. And I’ll tell you what I really don’t miss and that’s having to spend two hours commuting on the bus and train every day…

a) Answer the questions:

1. What does she say is important when working in such a way?

2. What does she think are some of the advantages and disadvantages of this way of working?

b) Read again and answer the following:

1. Complete the notes about Michaela’s typical day

7.00 - ________________________

8.30 - ________________________

9.00 - ________________________

12.00 - _______________________

14.30 - _______________________

2. How long has she been with her current employer?

How long has she been home-working?

3. Is she doing anything different from normal this week?

V. Read about job-sharing. Write these headings into each paragraph.

A	Get organised	E	Set your limits
B	Put pen to paper	F	Two become one
C	Open your mind	G	Plan for disaster
D	Find the perfect partner	H	Don;t feel guilty

HOW TO JOB-SHARE

Wouldn’t it be nice if the working week finished on Wednesday? With a job-share it can. Here’s the essential guide to making it work.

(0________D_______)

Find someone you like. ‘Be prepared to communicate and share credit and blame,’ says Carol Savage, the managing director of Flexecutive, a flexible working consultancy.

(1 )

Bosses should consider requests for flexible working from employees with children under six. So embrace the benefits: ‘Twice as much experience, skills, brainpower and energy,’ Savage says.

(2_____________ )

Always discuss the worst-case scenarios. When Margaret Mills, a teacher, lost her job­-share partner because of a family illness, a return to full-time work seemed inevitable. ‘We had been over-optimistic. I did manage to find someone else who fitted in with me, but I was very lucky.’

(3 )

Plan the system for handing work over carefully and play to each other’s different strengths. Delegate the workload according to each other’s particular skills and qualities.

(4 )

Managers should clarify what they expect in terms of hours, availability and results, and employees should manage their employer’s expectations. Sue Osborn, a job-sharer for 21 years, says, ‘We’re often asked to do five-day weeks. Eventually you just have to say no.’

(5 )

Agree in writing arrangements for holidays, parental leave, retirement, etc. Everyone should know where they stand from the beginning.

(6_____________ )

Do not work until l am at home to make up for not being in the office every day.

(7_____________ )

Clients may not like having to deal with two people so work closely together. As Savage says: ‘A job-share should be like a marriage - one voice, one unit.’

LET’S SPEAK

VI. How easy would it be for you to job-share? Would your employer or boss think it was a good idea?

BRUSH UP YOUR GRAMMAR

VII. Write the verb in brackets in its correct form and complete these tips for working from home.

Working from home

0 Even at home, always _______ (to set) yourself a timetable.

1 You _______ (to need) to find a quite place to work, where there are no distractions.

2 If you _______ (to communicate) with a client on the phone today rather than face-to-face, it’s still important to dress for work as normal.

3 Now that you _______ (to escape) from the office, you’ll still need peace and quiet at home. Don’t answer the door to neighbours or make social calls.

4 Once you ________ (to work) from home for a while, you might feel a bit lonely. It might be worth going into the office once or twice a week.

5 After you _______ (to be) at the computer for a few hours, remember to take a break – why not leave the house and go for a walk outside?

6 Be strong. When a friend calls and asks you out to lunch, say what you would say in any other job: “Sorry but I _________ (to work) on something at the moment. How about after five instead?”

7 Make sure colleagues and clients can reach you and ______ (to answer) the phone as though you are in the office.

PART V. Recruitment

LET’S SPEAK

I. Find someone in your group who …

Name

• has had a part-time job _____ __________________________

• has had more than three jobs ______________________________

• has only spent one week in a job _____ __________________________

• has lost a job ______________________________

• has had the same job twice ______________________________

• has taken redundancy ______________________________

LET’S READ

II.Read the three news stories and match each extract A, B or C to a person described below. In 1 and 5 there are two correct answers. Underline the words in the text which give you the answer.

Which person...

1 has stopped working? __________ ___________

2 has started working? _______________

3 doesn't need to work? _______________

4 has lost a job? _______________

5 didn't speak to their employer face-to-face? __________ ___________

Text A

Text B

Text C

LET’S SPEAK

III. Discuss with your partner.

Ø Doyou think Katy Tanner's employer acted correctly?

Ø Would you do the same as Harry Lane?

VOCABULARY TRAINING

hire recruit give notice dismiss walk out sack fire lay out resign take voluntary redundancy employ take someone on make redundant

IV. Put these verbs for talking about hiring and firing in the table 1. Use the dictionary if you need.

Hiring and Firing

Table 1

give a job	take someone’s job away	leave a job

LET’S READ

V. Read five people’s stories describing what happened to them at work. Match the speakers to actions A-G.

A walked out of the job

Speaker 1B was made redundant

Speaker 2 C took someone on

Speaker 3 D was fired

Speaker 4 E gave notice

Speaker 5 F was hired part-time

G took voluntary redundancy

Speaker 1

I’d really had enough. The people there were great and I really liked my supervisor but it was just too boring. I only started in order to make a bit of extra money when I was a student. I didn’t intend to stay this long and especially not after I finished my degree. So they said they were sad to see me go but they understood. Anyway, I told them when I wanted to leave, but they didn’t actually have to work the full four hour week…

Speaker 2

Someone had to go. We haven’t been getting the orders for a while so it was clear that they’d be laying people off sooner or later. Anyway, I thought rather than wait I’d go now and take the money. It was good deal and it gives me a few months to find another job.

Speaker 3

Well, it’s good position and suits anyone who doesn’t want to work every day of the week. We had three applicants but it was obvious who was right. I think Samantha will be perfect. She’s keen and flexible which works well for both sides. And I think she can work at weekends, too, so that’ll come in useful. Especially around Christmas time…

Speaker 4

I couldn’t believe it. OK, so I’ve been late a couple of times but my boss said it wasn’t a problem as long as I made up the extra hours in the evening. And then someone, and I can guess who, reported me. You know that one who works in accounts who’s always gossiping about other people. She said I’d been taking stationery from the cupboard and using it for personal correspondence. The manager asked me to come into the office so I could see what was coming. I wasn’t going to wait around and get a lecture. I was through that door before anyone could stop me.

Speaker 5

The first thing I’m going to do is take the family on a nice long holiday while we can still afford it. Then I’ll start thinking about what I’ll do next when I get home. There’s plenty of time, though for someone of my age I’m not sure what I’ll get. Maybe I’ll just work part- time until my pension begins. It’s only seven years. Pity really. I would have liked to have stayed on ‘til retirement. Mind you, it’s worse for some of the others. They’ve got another twenty years to go. I mean, where they will get another job round here…

Work in Groups

VI.Discuss in groups the following Employment Issues and then change your opinions with the other groups:

1. Do you think it is unethical to lie about your qualifications on your CV?

2. When a member of staff has a problem at work, how important is it for the manager to discuss the problem before making a final decision?

3. How can good communication between managers and staff avoid potential problems at work?

4. If someone gives their notice, what do you think is a reasonable period? One week? Two months? What will it depend upon?

5. What is important to find out before you take a new member of staff on?

6. What are reasonable grounds for firing someone? How much warning should they be given in such situations?

7. Is it ever right to walk out of a job without giving any notice?

BRUSH UP YOUR GRAMMAR