Business as usual – Putting out fires at work!

Click on the link to listen to the dialogue “Business as usual – Putting out fires at work” and then do the activities below.

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Dialogue comprehension – True, False or I don´t know?

Tony´s and Steve´s companies are both doing well. True ___ False ___ I don´t know ___
Steve often goes jogging in parks to relax. True ___ False ___ I don´t know _
Both Tony and Steve like casual Friday. True ___ False ___ I don´t know ___
Steve is going on vacation soon. True ___ False ___ I don´t know ___

Focus on words & expressions – Find words or expressions in the dialogue that mean the same as:

Rest for a period of time in order to feel energetic again: _____________________
Without enough workers: ______________________________
Growing rapidly: __________________________
The amount of work that a person has to do: __________________________
As soon as possible: __________________________________
Deal with urgent problems at work: _______________________________
Employ: __________________________________
Absent with permission from work or duty: ______________________________
Difficult: ______________________________
The possibility of future success: ____________________________
A working day on which it is acceptable to dress casually at work: ______________
Benefits beyond regular pay: ______________________________
A period of three months: _____________________________
Relaxed: _____________________________
People who belong to the same professional group as another person: __________
Besides that: ________________________

Match the words and expressions below to the definitions.

ON DUTY GAME PLAN STAFF TEAMWORK

ALL SET RED TAPE HIGHLIGHTS AT STAKE

The most significant or interesting parts of something. _______
Too much paperwork that slows down business; bureaucracy. _______
Cooperative effort done by a team in order to achieve a common goal. _______
A group of people who work for a company. _______
At risk; in danger of being lost. _______
Ready. _______
Doing one´s job; at work. _______
Plan of action; strategy. _______

Use the business vocabulary and expressions in the box to fill in the gaps in the sentences below

HIGHLIGHTS TEAMWORK RED TAPE AT STAKE

STAFF ALL SET ON DUTY GAME PLAN

“You have to have a ______________ for your career if you want to move up the corporate ladder.”, said Sean to a friend.
“Jeff works for a small company with a ______________ of just over twenty employees.”, Hank told Monica.
“I´ll be ______________ from noon to nine pm today.”, said Don to a friend.
“Can you brief me on the ________________ of the conference?”, Gary asked a coworker.
“Some of the applicants interviewed this week showed great _____________ skills.”, said the human resources manager to a coworker.
“I wish there was a way to cut through the ______________ and speed up the process.”, said Richard to a coworker.

7. ”We´d better call a meeting ASAP and try to come up with a solution to this problem. There´s a lot _____________ here.”, Mr. Gordon told his team.

“Is everything ____________ for the presentation tomorrow morning?”, Howard asked Melanie.

Listen & Write & Answer – Write the questions you listen to and then choose the right answer.

_________________________________________________?

a) Yes, it´s already been scheduled.
b) The shareholders are not aware of what´s been going on here.
c) I don´t have a clue.
d) I have no idea what´s on the agenda.

_________________________________________________?

a) I have no doubt about it. The work environment does feel more relaxing when people are dressed casually.
b) It´s pretty casual. I often wear sneakers to work.
c) He´s in a bad mood now.
d) Jim´s always in a good mood. That´s why everybody likes him.

_________________________________________________?

a) I don´t think it will help us boost sales.
b) We can probably do without it. Let´s see how things pan out first.
c) It provides high speed internet service.
d) Sure, all important news and messages are posted on the intranet. It´s very useful.

_________________________________________________?

a) I´m doing fine, thanks! How about you?
b) Pretty good. We´ve reached all our sales goals for the past three quarters.
c) No, I´m not doing that today. I´m busy with something else.
d) I have no idea what they´re doing now. Why don´t you ask Carol?

Dialogue script: Business as usual – Putting out fires at work!

Tony: Hey Steve! How´s it going? You look kind of tired.
Steve: I´m okay, but I´m feeling a little stressed out. I´ve had to put out more fires than usual at work recently.
Tony: I see. I´ve also had a rough week in the office. We have three coworkers on leave right now and our workload has increased considerably.
Steve: Yeah, I know exactly what you´re talking about. My department is short-staffed. We need to hire at least two more qualified professionals ASAP. Other than that things are coming along fine, I mean business is booming and we´ve had record sales in the past two quarters.
Tony: Great! It´s good to hear that. I can´t complain either. My company seems to be growing really fast and they are treating us very well. What kind of perks do you guys get at your company?
Steve: Uh, it depends a lot on the position, but I´d say the benefits offered are quite generous. All managers get a company car, a notebook computer and a cell phone.
Tony: Sounds great! By the way, do you have casual Friday?
Steve: We do. I mean, the office people do, not the factory guys. They have to wear a uniform every day. I really enjoy dressing more informally on Fridays, we all feel more at ease and it does help create a more relaxed atmosphere in the office, you know.
Tony: Sure, I agree with you completely. I think casual Friday is great!
Steve: So your company is growing fast, right? I bet the prospects for promotion must be really good.
Tony: They are and I´m really excited about them. I´m really glad I get along with all my peers and fortunately I have a great relationship with my boss.
Steve: That´s really important. My boss is very demanding, but he´s also very supportive and kind. It´s great to work with him. So, I remember you told me you´re going on vacation soon, aren´t you?
Tony: I am. Three weeks from now actually.
Steve: Great! Are you guys traveling anywhere for vacation?
Tony: Yep, we´re visiting my wife´s family up in Pittsburgh. Most of my in-laws live there, so we´ll be there for a week.
Steve: Sounds like fun. I think it will also be a great time for you to recharge your batteries. Enjoy!
Tony: Thanks Steve!