5 At work: colleagues and routines

A Colleagues
1
Philip is my opposite number1 in  as the same position / does the same job as me
h
2
the company’s New York office. We way of communicating and working together
3
have a good working relationship2 working together to achieve shared goals
4
and there’s a lot of day-to- more formal equivalent of opposite number
5
day collaboration3. Having a /ræˈpɔː/ communication/relationship
6
4
counterpart like Philip in another branch is a great make decisions without being told what to do
7
support. Last month we got a new boss, who quickly /ˌhaɪəˈrɑːkɪkəl/ has a structure with important
established a good rapport5 with everyone. She and less important people
8
likes us to take the initiative6. The company is very a system where some people have the right to get
benefits/promotions before others
hierarchical7; there’s a pecking order8 for everything. 9
an agreement where two people each share the
I do a job-share9 with a woman called Rose, which suits
same job
us as we each have childcare responsibilities. My office 10
a policy of sharing desks in an office, so people
uses a hot-desking10 system, so I sit in a different place
sit at whichever desk is free on a particular day
every day. I socialise with my workmates11 outside of 11
colleagues you are friendly with (especially in
work, but we try not to talk shop12 on those occasions. non-professional occupations); informal
12
talk about work; informal
B During the day (different work patterns)
I do fairly mundane1 tasks. Occasionally I have to meet a deadline2 or they need
someone to volunteer3 for something. Then the job is more rewarding4 and
stimulating5. Sometimes I have a heavy workload6 but at other times it can be
quite light.
1
ordinary, not interesting  ​2 have something finished by a fixed day or time  ​3 offer to do something without
being asked or told to do it  ​4 making you feel satisfied that you have done something important or useful, or
done something well  ​5 encouraging new ideas or new thinking  ​6 amount of work I have to do

I start work at my machine at seven o’clock when I’m on the day shift. The job’s
mechanical1 and repetitive2. All I ever think about is knocking off3 at three o’clock.
The shift I hate most is the night shift. I start at ten and work till six in the morning.
It’s a bit monotonous4. It’s not a satisfying5 job – I feel I need something a bit more
challenging6.
1
you don’t have to think about what you are doing  ​2 the same thing is repeated every day  ​
3
finishing work; informal  ​4 boring because it never changes  ​5 (does not) make me feel pleased
by providing what I need or want  ​6 that tests my ability or determination

I have a pretty glamorous1 job. I’m a pilot. But the hours are irregular and anti-social2.
I’m not stuck behind a desk3, but long-haul flights can be a bit mind-numbing4; most
of the time the plane just flies itself. We work to very tight schedules5. But I shouldn’t
complain. I feel sorry for people who are stuck in a rut6 or who are in dead-end7 jobs.

1
very exciting, which everyone admires  ​2 do not enable one to have a normal social life  ​3 sitting at a
desk all day; informal  ​4 extremely boring  ​5 very strict or severely limited timetables  
​ stuck/trapped in a job they can’t escape from  ​7 with no prospects of promotion
6

I started off as a technician1. After retraining, I worked for a software company, and later I
went in with2 a friend and we formed our own software company as a start-up3 in 2009,
so now I’m self-employed. My husband is freelance4: he works for several different
companies as and when they need work done – he’s a computer programmer5.
1
person whose job involves practical work with scientific or electrical equipment  ​2 formed a business
partnership with  ​3 a small business that has just started  ​4 or works freelance  ​5 someone who writes
computer programs

16 English Vocabulary in Use Advanced

 Exercises
5.1 Correct seven mistakes in this paragraph.

REAL WORKERS, REAL STORIES |

more stories about

I’m a tecnician in a factory. I think I have a good work relationship

with my colleagues. I tried to establish a good report with them from
the very beginning. The person I like most is my opposite member in
our office in Paris. My boss likes me to make the initiative. Generally,
when I socialise with my jobmates outside of work, we try not to talk
about shop, but it’s not easy and sometimes we have a good gossip
about colleagues and events at work.

5.2 Match the left and right-hand columns to make pairs of sentences.
1 We often work together. a There are several levels of management.
2 The firm’s rather hierarchical. b Deadlines have to be met.
3 Peter’s my counterpart. c It’s a job-share.
4 We work to a tight schedule. d Collaboration is a good thing.
5 I don’t think I’ll be promoted before her. e We do the same job but he’s based in Rome.
6 Jess and I work half-and-half. f There’s a strict pecking order in the company.
5.3 Use words and phrases from the opposite page to complete these sentences.
1 A good friend suggested we set up a small company together, so I her and we
formed a in 2012.
2 I’m really tired; I’ve had a very heavy recently.
3 I don’t want an office job. I don’t want to spend all day stuck .
4 I’d hate to feel trapped in my job and to be stuck in .
5 I work for different companies at different times as it suits me. I’m .
6 I used to work for someone else, but now I’m my own boss; I’m .
7 I stopped working in the hamburger restaurant. It was such a dead .
8 When I was working in the factory, all I could think of all day was the moment when I could knock
.
9 Being a hospital nurse is a good job, but you can’t go out much with friends. The hours are a bit
. (two possible answers)
10 I find annoying, because it means I don't have my own desk where I can keep
things at work.
5.4 Choose adjectives from the box to describe the jobs below. You can use more than one for
each job. Add other adjectives of your own.

glamorous stimulating repetitive stressful monotonous varied mechanical

mundane challenging mind-numbing rewarding

1 assembly-line worker in a car factory 6 lifeguard on a beach

2 supermarket shelf stacker 7 receptionist at a dentist’s
3 public relations officer in a multinational company 8 private detective
4 bodyguard to a celebrity 9 refuse collector in a city
5 surgeon 10 night-security guard

5.5 Over to you

Write down words from this unit that relate to your job, or to a job you would like to do in
the future.

English Vocabulary in Use Advanced 17