Tag: Work and Workplace

B2 – Upper Intermediate

If you haven’t noticed, the world as we know it is changing ever so fast. No one is spared from keeping up with the times. No employee remains indispensable.

For one to stay competitive in their industry and relevant in the workplace, there is a  compelling need to be honing or discovering new skill sets. 

Read the article below about the importance of upskilling.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220412-what-upskilling-means-for-the-future-of-work

Discussion Questions:

1. Why is upskilling important?
2. Does your company offer training sessions on various subjects and do you normally sign up for them? What is the most significant skill have you acquired so far?
3. Is this statement true in your industry or kind of job: “the skills required in the workforce are changing fast”? Explain.
4. What are ways you get yourself ahead of the curve professionally?
5. What other hard and soft skills do you wish to acquire and why?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Any perceptive company would be wise enough to put their money on their employees’ mental health and overall wellness to ensure they remain motivated and feeling supported. 

Read the article below about some companies that support and reward their employees.

https://www.inc.com/graham-winfrey/best-workplaces-editors-list-2022.html?cid=sf01002

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you agree that “companies should be invested in their employees’ success, no matter the cost”? Explain.
2. Which perk/s mentioned in the article do you also want to get?
3. What are things your company invest in when it comes to its employees’ wellness?
4. In what other ways do you think your company supports its employees?
5. Where is the best place you’ve ever worked in and why?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

It is essential to perceive that retirement is a man-made process, not a step backwards or an indispensable moment in time. But given all the changes in time, retirement might not be how we perceive it anymore.

Have you contemplated on what you’re going to do after you retire from your job? Is it globe trotting? Are you spending time at home or do nothing and simply relax? Gardening? Or simply having a good time with your grandkids? Should you run your own business instead?
Is there so much more to do? What exactly would your retirement years be like?

To find out more, let’s take a moment to read the full article.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220526-is-this-the-end-of-retirement-as-we-know-it

Discussion Questions:

1. How has retirement changed over the years? Is this happening in your country as well?
2. What do you think of the tendency for “people to expect and need to work past traditional retirement age”?
3. How do you picture your retirement in your head?
4. Do you think people who retire miss working? Why or why not?
5. What’s the best age for retirement and why?
6. In what ways do you think retirement might be gleeful?
7. In what ways do you think retirement might be stressful?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

How we convey ourselves in the organization is kept in check by implicit ’emotional laws.’ Interestingly, not all sentimental outbursts are evaluated evenly.

According to one study, ‘feeling rules’ are administered differently depending on ethnic and gender identity.

Let us read the full text to find out more about the gender gap regarding these so-called “feeling rules”.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20211029-the-people-penalised-for-expressing-feelings-at-work

Discussion Questions:

1. How do you deal with emotional outbursts at work?
2. Who is responsible for emotional outbursts at work?
3. What is your personal view on getting punished at work for expressing one’s emotions?
4. How can this gap be bridged?
5. Do you think that these unspoken “feeling rules” exist in the companies that you have worked for? Talk about some instances where they were displayed.

B2 – Upper Intermediate

A food blogger has already become a popular job nowadays, but some people still don’t understand how to earn money by just posting food photos, recipes, or pretty much anything that’s food-related. That’s why there are a lot of myths about this job.

Read the article to check if your vision of food blogging was correct.

Discussion Questions:

1. Is there any information that surprised you about food blogging?  What was it?
2. If you decided to become a food blogger, what direction would you choose? Why?
3. What ideas for food blogs can you think of?
4. What food blogs, if any, do you follow? What attracts you about these blogs?
5. Share your thoughts on this statement: “Food Bloggers can’t be trusted because their food is free.”

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Just about everyone faces a moment in their professional life when they question the job that they do, when it doesn’t challenge them anymore or simply having that feeling that they should be somewhere else. However, some time after the outbreak of the pandemic, it appears that there has been a significant increase in the number of people reconsidering their career opportunities.

A vast career coaching industry has sprung up in recent years, with the goal of sustaining and enhancing a different approach in professionals’ careers, as well as gaining the skills for them to be established and eventually being able to reach their dreams.

Let’s take a look at the article below to find out how a career coach can help you find your dream job.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220103-can-a-career-coach-find-you-your–dream-job

Discussion Questions:

1. Would you ever consider having a career coach? Why or why not?
2. How would you go about it when the moment comes and you feel you aren’t where you want to be professionally?
3. What are some of the worst and best jobs you can think of and why do you consider them as such?
4. What kinds of jobs interest you the most and the least?
5. Talk about your dream job and how you intend to land it.