Answer — Exercise 1
9 - The world of work·Outcomes Upper-Intermediate - Student's Book
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- positive. Cause: new job / role. Result: improve skills.
- 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.
- positive. Cause: you gain experience; work hard. Result: you have less stress; keep your job!
- 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.
- 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.
- positive. Cause: you feel you help people; see progress; people are grateful / compliment you. Result: you feel positive about yourself; stay in your job.
- positive. Cause: you do lots of different things; learn new things; test yourself. Result: you feel positive about your job; stay in your job.
- 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.
- negative. Cause: work is boring, repetitive, easy. Result: it is badly paid; you want to leave; lose confidence (not using your skills); less stress!