Warm up
1. What do you want from work? Discuss in pairs. While discussing use the following word partnerships:
High salary; long holidays; helpful colleagues; a friendly boss; travel opportunities; fast promotion; flexible hours; sports facilities; company car; parking facilities; mobile phone, I enjoy the most about my work that there is no such thing for me as a typical day because I…
Say now about yourself answering the following questions
When are you busy during the day?
When are the quiet times for you?
Which days are you busy during the week?
When are the busy times during the month/year?
When are the quiet times during the month/year?
Which moments in the year do you particular enjoy? Why?
How many days’ holiday per year do you think people should get?
Tell your partner about your typical working day and your holidays.
I am a product manager/I am engaged in … business. I work for… company.
I get up…
I travel to work by…
I arrive at work… When I get to the office, I have a meeting…
I check my e-mail…
I am busy…
I have lunch at… At lunch time I usually…
At work, I spend a lot of time… I do work very long hours …
What I enjoy the most about the work that I do is that… /I feel about my job ….
I finish my office day ….
I usually do not leave the office before…
I travel on business…
I have /I don’t have enough time for leisure…
I like to spend all my free time with….
At the weekend, I … or ….
What’s important for me is …
Now talk about your leisure activities
At the weekends, I spend a lot of time…
I try to go out ….as it is very relaxing…I think it is very important to get outside into the fresh air and…
On Saturday nights, I meet my friends for a… or we go ….
On Saturday evenings, I sometimes invite my friends round for …
I absolutely like quiet weekends…
I sometimes go for a meal at…
I love sports I really enjoy going to… I also like … I am interested in … but I am not very good at…
I often work on the weekend, so my work-life balance is not good... Too much work, not enough time for leisure activities, not enough time for my family...
To make a conversation you may need the following questions:
What do you like to do in your spare time?
How do you spend your evenings/weekends?
What’ your favourite hobby/pastime?
Where are you going for your holiday this year?
Can you tell me about any interesting places to visit?
What/how about you?
What do you usually do after work?
Work in pairs. Tell your partner how you feel about your work or studies. Use the phrases given below.
Work in pairs. Tell your partner about what you do in your free time. Use the phrases given below.
Change partners. Tell your new partner about your likes and dislikes.
Asking questions
What do you do at work/in your studies?
during the day?
in your free time?
at the week end?
after work?
in the evening?
Expressing feelings
| I like/love… | I don’t like… |
| I am really into… | I am not into…. |
| I am keen on… | he is not really keen on… |
| I really enjoy… | She does not enjoy… |
| I am interested in… | We are not interested in … |
Now match the questions (1-6) to the answers (a-f).
| 1. What do you do in your job? | A. Usually about six o’clock |
| 2. What do you like best about your job? | B. I manage a web team at an IT company. |
| 3. How many hours a week do you work/study? | C. From time to time. We sometimes go to a café or restaurant. |
| 4. When do you finish work? | D. I play golf |
| 5. Do you meet your colleagues after work? | E. I work flexible hours, which is great. |
| 6. What do you do in your free time? | F. Between 30 and 35 hours. |
Interview a staff member and ask questions using the questions suggested. Think of the additional ones.
Position: (What / job?)
Routine: (What / do/ each day?)
Hours: (What / hours/ work?)
Breaks: (How often / breaks?)
Lunch: (When and where / have lunch?)
Feelings about job: (What / like/ not like about job?)
Travelling: (Have / ever /travelled/ abroad/ business?) (Where/ go?)
Polite expressions
We use a lot of standard polite expressions in social situations. Here are examples of some important ones.
| Asking people to do things | Agreeing | Refusing |
| Can you…? | Yes, certainly | I am sorry, but … |
| Will you…? | Yes, of course | I am afraid… |
| Could you…? | No, not at all | |
| Would you…? | ||
| Could you possibly…? |
| Asking for permission | Agreeing | Refusing |
| Can I…? | Yes, certainly | I am sorry, but… |
| Could I…? | Yes, of course | I am afraid… |
| May I …? | Please do | |
| Could I possibly…? | By all means | |
| Would you mind if I used your phone? | No, not at all |
| Thanking | Replies |
| Thanks | You are welcome |
| Thank you very much indeed | Don’t mention it |
| It’s very good of you | Not at all |
| It’s a pleasure |
| Apologizing | Replies |
| Sorry | It’s OK |
| I am extremely sorry | No problem |
| It doesn’t matter | |
| Don’t worry about it |
| Offering help | Accepting | Refusing |
| Do you want a hand? | That would be great | No, it’s all right, thanks |
| Can I…? | Yes please. Thank you very much | That’s kind of you, but I can manage. |
Work - life balance.
Read the text and answer the following questions.
1. What is a good work-life balance for you?
2. Why is work-life balance so important for you?
3. Do you like working under pressure? Why? Why not?
4. Is it important to have a certain level of stress in the workplace?
5. What should companies do to reduce stress at work?
6. How important is the working environment in reducing stress?
Work-life balance is the ability to give a good amount of time to your work and to outside interests, e.g. family. It is an interesting question as everybody has a different sense of what works for him/her. People like work that is rewarding and gives them satisfaction. However, the fact is that most jobs nowadays have become demanding with longer hours and greater pressure. That is why more and more people want to get away from what they call the rat race, the feeling that work is too competitive. They are looking for lifestyle that is less stressful or completely unstressful. They are looking for more relaxed ways of living and working. Some of them choose to work from home to be nearer to their families. People are looking for a better quality of life, healthier work-life balance. Choosing to work in less stressful ways is known as rebalancing. Specialists are sure that stress might be part of people’s job satisfaction. There are lots of things that can make people feel under pressure at work –for example, having too much to do, not feeling in control, and also not having good relationships with the people that they work with. All of these things can build up, and when pressure gets too much, it spills over into feelings of stress. Many companies can really help their employees by being flexible in how they expect staff to work. To solve the problem if some employees do not like travelling in rush hour, they could come in a little bit early and leave a little bit early or company ‘management could ban staff from working at weekends or introduce flexitime for parents with young children or perhaps, allow some staff work from home. Not a bad idea to set up a counseling service with a professional counselor. Staff could go there and talk about their problems.
Speak on the following.
What are the most stressful situations for you both in your everyday life and at work?
What do you do to relax? Which of the activities are the most effective for you?
1. Many employees feel uncertain about their jobs and careers when working for a company. They worry about the future, they are constantly anxious.
2. Some staff are stressed because they feel they have no control over their work and they do not participate in decisions. They feel worthless and are not valued by management.
What about you? Comment on point 1 and 2.
Ways to cope with stress.
Get up 15 minutes earlier. Prepare for the morning the night before. Don’t rely on your memory…write things down. Repair things that don’t work properly. Make duplicate keys. Say ‘no’ more often. Set priorities in your life. Avoid negative people. Always make copies of important papers. Ask for help with jobs you dislike. Break large tasks into bite sized portions. Look at problems as challenges. Smile more. Be prepared for rain. Schedule a playtime into every day. Avoid tight fitting clothes. Take a bubble bath. Believe in you. Visualize yourself winning. Develop a sense of humour. Stop thinking tomorrow will be a better today. Have goals for yourself. Say hello to a stranger. Look up at the stars. Practice breathing slowly. Do brand new things. Stop a bad habit. Take stock of your achievements. Do it today. Strive for excellence, not perfection. Look at a work of art. Maintain your weight. Plant a tree. Stand up and stretch. Always have a plan B. Learn a new doodle. Learn to meet your own needs. Become a better listener. Know your limitations and let others know them too. Throw a paper airplane. Exercise every day. Get to work early. Clean out one closet. Take a different route to work. Leave work early (with permission). Remember you always have options. Quit trying to ‘fix’ other people. Get enough sleep. Praise other people. Relax, take each day at a time… You have the rest of your life to live.
Arranging a visit
An invitation
…We would be very pleased if you could visit our company …
Other similar phrases: We are holding a conference in London and would be pleased if you could attend. We would like to invite you to an evening reception. (The formal language of invitation).
Please join us for lunch tomorrow. Would you like to visit our new factory? (The informal ways to invite people).
Please let us know your availability. (Formal)
When would be convenient? Are you free on Tuesday? (Informal)
Replying to an invitation
