Tag: work

Wanted: Wedding Guests!

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The business of renting has been proved to be very profitable. You can have a house rented out, a car and also some services. But, wedding guests?

Read the article below about a specific business in Korea that’s all about hiring friends for your wedding.

In a sharing economy, people rent out goods, services, and expertise, and the trend has grown in recent years. Many of the successful companies begin in the US, but soon expand around the world. After all, there are resources everywhere, and everyone wants to earn more cash if they can fulfill a need.

Airbnb is one recognizable example. People rent out their homes or spare rooms to vacationers on a nightly, weekly, or even monthly basis. Uber, which is an Internet taxi service, is also very popular, and anyone with a car, accident insurance, and a driver’s license can become a taxi driver or chauffeur. There’s Elance too, where professionals can freelance their skills as a writer, web designer, translator, accountant, and so on. However, perhaps one of the more unique examples of the sharing economy comes from South Korea, where weddings hire fake friends to attend the ceremony.

It might seem that hiring fake friends on such an important occasion is inconceivable. Weddings are a big deal in South Korea, though. There is a lot of pomp in the ceremony, such as musical numbers, skits, and several hundred guests in attendance. According to Korean tradition, the immediate family, extended family, and family friends must all be invited. As such, it can be a problem if, for example, the groom has two hundred guests and the bride has only fifty guests. In order to save face, the solution is to hire actors.

Fake guests get reimbursed roughly $20 per ceremony, and the actors might attend several weddings in one day during the busy season. The service that offers wedding guests contains a database of 20,000 actors, and these people can also be hired as fake bosses, office employees, family members, spouses, and even mistresses.

Source: headsupenglish.com

Discussion Questions:

  1. How would you feel about working as a fake guest to attend a wedding or another important event?
  2. How would you feel about working as a fake boss? How about as a husband or wife?
  3. Do you think that hiring fake wedding guests shows a problem with society? Why/not?
  4. What do you know about the sharing economy and companies like Airbnb and Uber? Please explain.
  5. What sort of jobs would you be able and willing to do in a sharing economy?

Brown Shoes Could Lose You a Job

B2 – Upper Intermediate

When you show up for a job interview, you need to ‘dress the part’. This means that you need to wear clothes that would make you look very suitable for the job you are applying for.

If you dream of being an investment banker in the UK, you need to be wearing the right color of shoes to get that job. According to a report published by the U.K. Social Mobility Commission, it’s possible to lose a chance at a job if you don’t fit the classic look of a ‘polished city banker’.

http://www.cnbc.com/2016/09/01/wearing-brown-shoes-could-lose-you-a-banking-job-in-uk.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. Describe a complete outfit you’d wear to a job interview.
  2. Should a job applicant be judged by what they are wearing rather than their skills or qualifications?
  3. One respondent in this study said he even had to change his accent. What is something that you changed or willing to change in order to get a job?
  4. Why are looks very important in some jobs?
  5. Talk about some ‘unwritten expectations’ of Spanish workers in your own industry.

TGI Thursday!

B2 – Upper intermediate

Fridays are awesome. Fridays are the best. It reminds us that we survived the week and that the weekend is coming. Yet, for some employees, Thursdays are what they look forward to.

Read the article then express your thoughts about different work schedules.

Although the workweek varies from country to country, the majority of people in the majority of places around the globe work five days per week. Some cultures maintain an older, six-day workweek. A few countries and/or businesses have reduced the number of days work to four, but instead require employees to work longer hours. The four-day workweek has begun to demonstrate massive positives. This suggests that people may soon say, “TGIThursday!”

With a four-day workweek, companies immediately reduce energy costs. The buildings are closed for three days. This saves millions of dollars for the largest employers. Employees also feel more refreshed after longer weekends, which lead to less stress, fewer health problems, and a drop in absenteeism. Productivity increases too.

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “TGI” stand for in “TGI Thursday“? “This suggests that people may soon say, “TGI Thursday!” Use the expression in a sentence.
  2. What does “around the globe” mean? “Although the workweek varies from country to country, the majority of people in the majority of places around the globe work five days per week.” Give two (2) synonyms or similar expressions and use ‘around the globe’ in your own sentence.
  3. What does “absenteeism” mean? “Employees also feel more refreshed after longer weekends, which lead to less stress, fewer health problems, and a drop in absenteeism.” Use this word in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your thoughts on a four-day workweek?
  2. What are the positives and negatives of a four-day workweek?
  3. Would a four-day workweek likely be adopted in your country? Would it work? Why or why not?
  4. For you, what is the ideal number of working days a week and why?
  5. Do you think longer days off could help decrease absenteeism and increase productivity? Share your opinion.

Work You Were Meant to Do

B2 – Upper Intermediate

We often wonder why people choose to settle over something which don’t seem to suit them. We often feel like he or she is too good for whatever they choose to do.

Each person has a different calling in life. Have you found yours?

http://ideas.ted.com/7-lessons-about-finding-the-work-you-were-meant-to-do/

Discussion Questions:

1. How would you explain the term “calling”?
2. How satisfied are you with your life at the moment?
3. Can you say that you’ve found your purpose in life?
4. What are some of the changes that you wish you could do?

Getting Paid to Play

B2 – Upper Intermediate

We’ve all seen ads of odd jobs for big bucks. Getting paid to watch videos or to answer surveys. But most of them turn out to be hoaxes. Too good to be true.

Read the article below and be ready to answer the questions that follow.

David Storey of Australia purchased a private island for $26,500. The sum may sound like a ridiculously cheap price. However, the island cannot be reached by any boat or plane because it’s virtual. In other words, the place doesn’t exist in the real world. It’s part of a computer program for players in the role-playing game, Entropia. The island was recently recognized as the priciest virtual object ever purchased with real money by Guinness World Records.

You now may wonder if Storey is a little bit crazy. However, don’t judge him so quickly because the twenty-seven-year-old graduate student currently earns more than $100,000 per year from the game. He is able to mix recreation and work. He runs the island like a rare game preserve, where hunters are taxed to use the land. He then exchanges the virtual money, known as Entropian dollars, for real cash. There are similar businesses online, like an asteroid space resort and a space station. If either of these properties were sold, they could earn hundreds of thousands of dollars!

People who are unfamiliar with online role-playing games may see the whole concept as ridiculous. Yet you have to give kudos to the gamers who have been able to succeed in an often competitive virtual world. David Storey and others like him don’t just live from paycheck to paycheck. If they did so, then the money would suddenly dry up if they quit playing to take a vacation or deal with a personal crisis. Instead, these individuals are making a lot of money. Even the most cynical individual has to respect the money earned. Gamers like Storey are getting paid to play.

Source: headsupenglish.com

Discussion Questions:

1. Would you want to get paid for playing a video game? Why/not?
2. Would you want to get paid for doing something you really love? Why/not?
3. How is buying a virtual object different from buying luxury goods you don’t really need?
4. Are people like Storey just very lucky, or do they have some special quality?
5. If someone you knew wanted to make money online, what sort of advice would you give?

Entitled Millennial or Starving Ex-Employee?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Talia Jane was recently dismissed from her job. she feels it was an unfair dismissal, but some think otherwise.

Read on and discover why this woman’s post became viral on the internet.

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-35636280

Discussion Questions:

  1. Who is Talia Jane and what were the problems she cited?
  2. What do you think about her and what she did?
  3. Would you support or fund “Help a Yelper EAT”? Why or why not?
  4. What was your life like when you were a fresh graduate/in your 20s?
  5. How do you display work ethic?

Japanese Managers Tell Employees to Learn English

B2 – Upper intermediate

It’s no surprise that English has become the world’s language when it comes to business and learning English in companies is now the norm.

Click the title and read the article to know more about the company Rakuten and its journey with the English language.

http://www.english-online.at/news-articles/business-economy/japanese-managers-tell-employees-to-learn-english.htm

Discussion Questions: 

  1. Explain the reason why Japanese managers would like their employees to be able to speak in English. Do you agree with their logic?
  2. How do you feel about the whole experience of learning English?
  3. In the article, it said that “…it is humiliating for Japanese workers to speak English. It is thought of as a way of getting rid of unwanted workers.” What is your reaction to this?
  4. Aside from English, what other languages do you think are very useful to learn?
  5. How would you describe your country’s education of English in schools?

97-Year-Old ‘Sees Future’ at Google

B2 – Upper Intermediate

97-year old Olive Horrell had her wish of a lifetime to see the future when she got to visit Google in California.

Read the article and watch the video below to know more about Ms. Horell and her wish.

http://www.voanews.com/a/olive-horrell-gets-wish-and-visits-google-sergey-brin/3023295.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. Who is Olive Horell and what was her wish? What do you think of her wish?
  2. If you were 90+ years old and a wish of yours would be granted by an organization like Make a Wish, what would your wish be and why?
  3. If you were to ‘see the future’, what would you like to see and why?
  4. What socio-civic activities is your company involved in?
  5. What are some of the programs that your city or region has for senior citizens?

It Only Takes One Bad Apple

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Recent studies have shown that negative vibes have stronger influence in the workplace. An employee with a negative behavior could easily influence the rest of the team and might have undesirable effects on the team dynamics and quality of work.

Read the article to learn more about how negative behavior at work affect others around.

There is an old saying: It only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch. The idiom can be applied to every day life. A recent research report indicates that “one bad apple” can quickly spoil the atmosphere of the office. An employee with a negative attitude brings conflict and stress to the workplace. A problem employee usually doesn’t do an equal amount of work, is always unhappy and complaining, and bullies others.

Negative behavior, the researchers found, is much stronger than positive behavior. As such, several positive employees can’t change the mood created by one negative teammate. In fact, it often leads to a downward spiral, with more and more employees becoming unhappier and unhappier as time continues. The news comes out of the University of Washington.

In order to solve the problem, companies need to deal with the negativity immediately. One answer is to have the employee work alone as much as possible. In effect, he should be isolated from other team members work-wise. Better yet, ensure that effective hiring practices prevent the problem from entering the building. Training managers to better determine potential hires helps, as do personality tests. These can identify and remove emotionally unstable or disagreeable people.

Case in point: The wife of the report’s lead author noticed that when a problem employee at her office was sick for several days, the atmosphere quickly changed. People began to help one another. They played classical music on their radios. Many went out for drinks after work. However, once the problem returned, the toxic atmosphere returned, too.

Source: headsupenglish.com

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you agree, that “one bad apple spoils the bunch?” Why/not?
  2. Have you ever had a similar experience as the example? What happened when the negative person was away?
  3. If your office were “toxic,” would you consider quitting? Why/not?
  4. What other solutions do you think might work with a bad apple? Why?
  5. Do you think that a bad apple usually knows he creates a negative atmosphere? Why/not?

Job Promotions Unhealthy

B2 – Upper Intermediate

As employees, we always strive to go up the corporate ladder as we stay longer in a company. As we become more successful in our career, we are faced with more responsibilities and challenges. These things cause stress. Studies in the past indicate that stress is a silent and deadly killer.

Read the article below then express your thoughts.

Ambition drives people at work to succeed, receive recognition, and eventually move up the chain of command.  And with promotions and increased responsibilities also come dreams of new cars, bigger homes, more exotic vacations, and perhaps an earlier, more fulfilling retirement.  Yet new research out of Britain irrefutably showed that promotions at work may actually harm the health of people.

Research indicated that the mental health of people worsened with a promotion.  What’s more, it wasn’t a short-term deterioration but instead continued for the long term.  Mental strain increased by an average of 10%.  In addition, people were more likely to skip visits to the doctor, citing stress and a general lack of time that unexpectedly came with the new job.  The research also showed that a promotion offered no health benefits whatsoever.

Past studies have shown what a silent and deadly killer stress can be, as it affects every part of the body.  Stress can lead to heart disease, cancer, depression, and even more bouts with the common cold because it slows or shuts down important bodily functions like digestion, physical growth, and parts of the immune system.  Although this is just temporary, frequent and severe stress causes the slow down to occur again and again.  The effects are compounded over time.

The findings came from an annual survey which also included information from roughly 1,000 newly promoted people.  And although the poor economy and the threat of joblessness loom large enough to cause stress for some, there’s now something else to worry about too: recognition and job promotion.

Source: headsupenglish.com

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “chain of command” mean, “Ambition drives people at work to succeed, receive recognition, and eventually move up the chain of command.”? Use this phrase in a sentence.
  2. What does “bout” mean here, “Stress can lead to heart disease, cancer, depression, and even more bouts with the common cold because it slows or shuts down important bodily functions like digestion, physical growth, and parts of the immune system.” Use this word in a sentence.
  3. What does “compounded” mean, “The effects are compounded over time.” Use this word in a sentence.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are some areas that generally cause stress at work? How about areas for you at your job?
  2. Do you agree that the new job responsibilities that come with a promotion are stressful?
  3. Why are some people so ambitious that they seek promotions again and again?
  4. Have you ever heard the term “work-life balance?” What do you think it means?