2009年ESL之商务英语 02 Dealing with Unhappy Employees

02 Dealing 1 with Unhappy Employees 

GLOSSARY 

to get stuck with (something)  to be forced to do something that is unpleasant or boring; to have to do something that one doesnt want to do 

* Why do I get stuck washing dishes every night? 

complaint  something negative that is said or written, explaining what one is unhappy about and why 

* Clarke asked to speak to the store manager so that he could make a complaint about the new higher prices. 

morale 2  the way that a group of people, especially employees, feel in general, especially about whether they like their job 

* The manager improved employees morale when she started giving them free pizza each Friday. 

overworked  having worked too much and too hard; being tired from having worked too much or for too long 

* Last week, three of the five secretaries were on vacation and the other two felt very overworked because they had to do everything. 

underpaid  not receiving enough money for the work that one is doing; feeling that one should be paid more for ones work 

* Keenan feels really underpaid, so hes going to ask his boss for more money. 

to burn out  to become tired from having done too much of something for too long, and not wanting to do that thing anymore 

* Alicia used to love working as a lawyer, but after six years of 12-hour workdays, shes burned out and wants to become a teacher instead.

disgruntled  unhappy, disappointed, and angry because something didnt happen the way that one wanted it to 

* The employees became very disgruntled when the company president announced that they would have to pay for parking. 

to voice  to express something in words; to speak; to say something 

* Some parents called the teacher to voice their concerns about the books that their children were reading in the classroom. 

grievance 3  complaint; something negative that is said or written, explaining what one is unhappy about and why, especially if one thinks that something is unfair or that one has been treated unfairly 

* The female employees have a grievance because they arent being paid as much as male employees who do the same jobs. 

on paper  in writing; written 

* The young man has agreed to sell us the car for just $1,800, but we wont believe it until we see it on paper. 

retaliation 4  revenge 5; something that one does to hurt another personafter one has been hurt by that person; something that one does toget even with the person who is responsible for something bad that happened to oneself 

* When Verna accidentally lost her brothers watch, he hid her necklace as retaliation. 

to resolve  to solve; to address; to fix and end a problem 

* The company said that it would resolve my problem in two days, but I still havent heard back from them. 

blown out of proportion  treated as being much more important or serious than something actually is 

* When the airline employee heard a passenger joking that he had a bomb, it was blown out of proportion and the police came to arrest him.

on the contrary  a phrase used to show that something is completely the opposite of what came before it; a phrase used to show that one completely disagrees with what was just said 

* Bryce thinks the movie was too loud, but on the contrary,I could hardly hear what the actors were saying! 

dysfunctional  not working properly, especially when people have bad relationships with each other 

* Carlita comes from a dysfunctional family where her father left when she was just a baby and her mother is hardly ever at home. 

(ones) back up against the wall  in a position where one doesnt have any options or choices and is forced to do something 

* When the landlord raised our rent, we had our backs up against the wall, because we had to pay more if we wanted to continue living there. 

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS 

1. What are the employees complaining about? 

a) Being overworked and underpaid. 

b) Retaliation from management. 

c) Things that are blown out of proportion. 

2. What would you expect in a dysfunctional workplace? 

a) High employee morale. 

b) Many disgruntled employees. 

c) Problems that have been resolved. 

______________ 

WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN? 

to burn out 

The phrase to burn out, in this podcast, means to become tired from having done too much of something for too long, and not wanting to do that thing anymore: She practiced playing the piano for three hours each day when she was a child, so now shes burned out and doesnt even wantto look at a piano. The phrase to get burned means to be hurt either financially or emotionally: He got burned in the stock market, and now he doesnt like to invest money. Or, Have you ever been burned by someone you loved? Finally, the phrase to be burning up means to have a hot forehead or body because one has a fever: Hes burning up! I think we should take him to see a doctor. 

to voice 

In this podcast, the verb to voice means to express something in words or to say something: How many people have voiced their objections to the companys new policy? The phrase to lower (ones) voice means tospeak more quietly: 

Please lower your voice while youre in the library. The phrase to raise (ones) voice means to speak more loudly, usually shouting in anger: I hope I never raise my voice at my son. The phrase at the top of (ones) voice means to shout or yell 7 as loudly as one can: The concert was so loud that I couldnt hear anything Jenny said, even though she was standing 8 right next to me and shouting at the top of her voice. 

CULTURE NOTE 

Employees in the United States often complain about work and things that make them unhappy in the workplace (the place where one works). One of the most common complaints in favoritism, or the idea that employees are not being treated fairly, with the boss treating one person better or more nicely than other employees. 

Many employees also complain that they are overworked and underpaid. They think that their workload (the amount of work that one has to do) is too heavy, especially if the company is trying to save money by having fewer employees. 

Many employees also complain that they should be paid morefor the work that they do. They think that they deserve (should have) a raise (an increase in the amount of money that one is paid), but their employers either dont agree or dont have enough money to give them raises. Often complaints about salary (the amount of money that one is paid in a year) and benefits (things other than money that employees receive from their employers, like health insurance or free parking) stem from (are based on) differences in the salaries of new and old employees, or the difference in salaries between management and workers. Other people complain about the workplace itself. Employees might complain that a workplace is unhygienic (unclean; unsanitary) or unsafe, or they might complain that they dont have the tools and equipment that they need to do their job well. 

Finally, many employees complain about their bosss managerial style (the way that a person works with the people who report to him or her). They might complain that their boss micro-manages them, trying to control small, unimportant 9 details. Or they might complain that their boss doesnt communicate well or never has time to meet with them. 

______________ 

Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1  a; 2  b 

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT 10

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 452: Dealing with Unhappy Employees. 

This is English as a Second Language Podcast number 452.  Im your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California. 

Our website is eslpod.com. Go there to download a Learning Guide for this episode 11, an 8- to 10-page guide that will help you improve your English even faster. 

This episode is called Dealing with Unhappy Employees.  Its a dialogue between Asa and Samantha, and it talks about some commonproblems that you might have at work. Lets get started. 

[start of dialogue] 

Asa: I dont know how we got stuck with reviewing employee complaints. This has got to be the worst job ever! 

Samantha: This is important work and somebody has to do it. Come on, lets get started. 

Asa: I think its bad for morale to allow employees to file complaints. Were all overworked and underpaid, and most of us are burned out. 

Samantha: How else are disgruntled employees going to voice their grievances 12? Asa: Personally, I think its stupid for employees to put their complaints on paper. Arent they worried about retaliation from the management? 

Samantha: I dont think thats going to happen. Thewhole point of having this system is to resolve any problems before they get blown out of proportion. Its to everybodys benefit to try to make this work. 

Asa: On the contrary, I think it makes for a dysfunctional workplace: Employees thinking of things to complain about and the management with their backs up against the wall. I just dont get it. 

Samantha: No, I guess you dont. If you dont like how things are done around here, Ive got a suggestion for you. 

Asa: What? 

Samantha: File a complaint. 

[end of dialogue] 

The title of this episode is Dealing with Unhappy Employees. To deal with means to take care of a problem, to solve or resolve some sort of problem. Asa says, I dont know how we got stuck with reviewing employee complaints. To get stuck with (something) is a phrasal verb meaningto be forced to do something that is boring or unpleasant, to have to do something you dont want to do: I cooked dinner and my wife got stuck with washingthe dishes. Asa is saying that he doesnt know how they got stuck with reviewing, or looking at, employee complaints. A complaint is something negativethat is said or written, and usually comes with an explanation about why someone doesnt like something. 

Asa says, This has got to be the worst job ever. Samantha says, This is important work, and somebody has to do it. Come on, lets get started, she says. Asa says, I think its bad for morale to allow employees to file complaints. Morale (morale) is the way that a group of people, especially employees, feel about their jobs (their opinions, what they think abouttheir jobs). Its the general feeling that they have. Morale can either be high or low. If you say, My employees have low morale, you mean theyre not very interested, theyre not very happy, theyre not very excited. The opposite would behigh morale. 

Asa is saying that its bad for morale to have the employees file, or submit (give to the company) their complaints. He says, Were all overworked and underpaid, and most of us are burned out. To be overworked means to have too much work and to work too hard, making you tired.  We all think that we are overworked, Im sure! To be underpaid means that you dont get enough money for the work that you do. Once again, most peoplethink that they are overworked and underpaid. This can cause some people to burn out. To burn out is a two-word phrasal verb meaning to become tiredfrom having done too much of something for too long. So, if you continue todo the same thing year after year and its very difficult, you could eventually burn out; you could get to the point where youre too tired to want to continue,that youre no longer effective at what you do. 

Samantha says, How else are disgruntled employees going to voice their grievances? Disgruntled means unhappy, disappointed, perhaps even angry. To voice means to express something in words, to say something. Voice, like burn out, has different meanings in English; take a look at our Learning Guide for some additional explanations of both of those terms.Samantha is saying that she doesnt know how these upset, angry, disgruntled employees are going to voice their grievances, are going to tell the company what they dont like. A grievance is like a complaint that is said or writtenwith an explanation. Often, it is related to people thinking that there is something unfair or that they havent been treated right by their company. 

Asa says, Personally (in my opinion), I think its stupid for employees to put their complaints on paper. On paper just means in writing, written down. Arent they worried about retaliation from the management?Retaliation means revenge, something that you do to hurt another person who has hurt you. So, if I punch you, you could retaliate 13 and punch me back. Asa is saying that if the employees complain, the company could retaliate against them  could do something negative, something bad to them. 

Samantha says, I dont think thats going to happen. The whole point (the main reason) of having this system is to resolve any problems before they get blown out of proportion. To resolve means to solve, to fix or end a problem. So, theyre trying to fix any problems with the employees before they get blown out of proportion. To blow (something) out of proportionmeans to make it more important or more serious than it really is or than it has to be. So, youre trying to stop the problems when theyre small, before they get too big. 

Samantha says, Its to everybodys benefit to try to make this work. Asa says, On the contrary, meaning I think its the exact opposite; I disagree with you. He says, On the contrary, I think it makes for a dysfunctional workplace. Asa is saying that he thinks it makes for, meaning it causes, a dysfunctional workplace. Dysfunctional means not functional 6; not working properly, especially when people have bad relationships with each other. Theres a popular expression youll read or hear about called the dysfunctional family. It would be a family that doesnt communicate very well with each other, doesnt have good relationships with each other. Asa says, employees thinking of things to complain about and the management with their backs up against the wall. Asa is saying this is why it causes a dysfunctional workplace, because the employees are thinking of things to complain about and the managers  the management has their backs up against the wall. To haveones back up against the wall means to be in a position where you dont have a lot of options or choices, that youre forced to do something without necessarily having a lot of flexibility 14. 

Asa says, I just dont get it  I dont understand. Samantha says, No, I guess you dont (meaning no, you dont understand). If you dont like how things are done around here, Ive got a suggestion for you. Asa says, What? Samantha says, File a complaint. Of course, thats what Asa was complaining about: employee complaints. 

Now lets listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed. 

[start of dialogue] 

Asa: I dont know how we got stuck with reviewing employee complaints. This has got to be the worst job ever! 

Samantha: This is important work and somebody has to do it. Come on, lets get started. 

Asa: I think its bad for morale to allow employees to file complaints. Were all overworked and underpaid, and most of us are burned out. 

Samantha: How else are disgruntled employees going to voice their grievances? 

Asa: Personally, I think its stupid for employees to put their complaints on paper. Arent they worried about retaliation from the management? 

Samantha: I dont think thats going to happen. Thewhole point of having this system is to resolve any problems before they get blown out of proportion. Its to everybodys benefit to try to make this work. 

Asa: On the contrary, I think it makes for a dysfunctional workplace: Employees thinking of things to complain about and the management with their backs up against the wall. I just dont get it. 

Samantha: No, I guess you dont. If you dont like how things are done around here, Ive got a suggestion for you. 

Asa: What? 

Samantha: File a complaint. 

[end of dialogue] 

The script for this episode was written by the overworked Dr. Lucy Tse. From Los Angeles, California, Im Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening. Come back and listen to us next time on ESL Podcast. 

English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse, hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan. Copyright 2009, by the Center for Educational Development.