Tag: work

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Some people become somewhat tolerant of the nuisances that come with being surrounded by coworkers and more socially apprehensive after achieving full control over business settings at home. Others, on the contrary, could be so content to be in an office among coworkers that they end up breaking social norms that used to exist.

Have employees spent considerable time at home that they have neglected the workplace standards?

Let’s make time to read the entire article to learn more.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220627-have-people-forgotten-how-to-behave-in-the-office

Discussion Questions:

1. Are you skeptical about returning to the office because of social anxiety?
2. What can managers and employees do to help the transition go smoothly?
3. Are there any complicating factors you’d be happy to disclose that might make returning to the office incredibly tough or troublesome for you?

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.”