Cover of the textbook Outcomes Upper-Intermediate - Student's Book

The key answer of exercise 1

The key to exercise solutions in chapter 9 - The world of work for the textbook Outcomes Upper-Intermediate - Student's Book with authors Hugh Dellar and Andrew Walkley from National Geographic Learning

Question

Work in pairs. Discuss whether the following are usually positive or negative and why? What are the causes and / or results of each thing?

Answer

  1. positive. Cause: you worked hard, did a good job! Result: get more responsibility, more stimulating work; stretch yourself; get a pay rise; have more stress, etc.
  2. positive or negative depending on circumstances. Cause: old job too menial / new one more stimulating; feeling burned out / stressed; struggling to cope; no pay rise / chance of promotion; moving. Result: leave your job.
  3. positive. Cause: you do a good job; got a yearly increment (after working a year); got a new qualification; union negotiated a rise; you met targets (but if it’s a temporary ‘rise’ we usually call this a bonus). Result: you feel happy; stay in your job; can afford something you have wanted.
  4. positive. Cause: new job / role. Result: improve skills.
  5. negative. Cause: recession; company losing money; company restructuring (changing focus); company downsizing (getting smaller); company outsourcing work to another company / country. Result: you lose your job; might get money (redundancy pay); become unemployed; need to look for a new job / set up your own business.
  6. positive. Cause: you gain experience; work hard. Result: you have less stress; keep your job!
  7. negative. Cause: too much work; new job or role; problems outside work; difficult work-life balance. Result: you make mistakes; lose your job; hand in your notice; take a step down.
  8. negative. Cause: they don’t trust staff; they’re controlling / a control freak. Result: can undermine staff; staff have nothing interesting to do; boss may struggle to cope; make mistakes.
  9. positive. Cause: you feel you help people; see progress; people are grateful / compliment you. Result: you feel positive about yourself; stay in your job.
  10. positive. Cause: you do lots of different things; learn new things; test yourself. Result: you feel positive about your job; stay in your job.
  11. negative. Cause: you see lots of upsetting things (e.g. doctor / nurse); deal with demanding people / people with problems. Result: you feel tired / burned out; have less emotion and patience for those outside your job; struggle to cope.
  12. negative. Cause: work is boring, repetitive, easy. Result: it is badly paid; you want to leave; lose confidence (not using your skills); less stress!

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