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Office Layout

The office space is not used efficiently and needs a complete reorganization. (For example, Accounts and General Office staff have to walk too far to the photocopying room, etc).

Also the following facilities are not available to staff at the moment:

a.A canteen in the building. (There are no restaurants nearby.)

b.A room for smokers. (People smoke outside the main door.)

c.Creche facilities ( day-care center for children) for staff with young children.

d.Facilities for disabled staff. (There are two disabled staff.)

Working conditions: staff survey

1.72 % want better facilities and more opportunity to express their opinions to the Ortegas.

2.65 % find their work ‘interesting’ and ‘enjoyable’.

35 % say their work ‘lacks variety’, mostly in Accounts, General Office and Data Processing. Absenteeism in these departments is high.

3.58 % would prefer flexitime so that they can avoid traveling to and from work during the rush hours.

4.62 % think their pay is adequate.

38 % (mostly in Accounts, the Travel Shop and the General Office) think they are underpaid by at least 10 %. They want more perks ( льготы) e.g. free holidays, days-off, discounts on travel and more company social events.

5.Sales staff say that they do too much unpaid overtime to complete their paperwork. There are too many complicated forms.

6.Sales staff in the Travel Shop complain that people in the Corporate Business section earn 30 % to 40 % more than them, and have a better office. They also receive end-of-year bonuses.

Task

Faredeal’s Directors have created work groups to consider the reorganization.

1.Work in pairs. Discuss what action to recommend for one of the three problem areas: 1. Management structure 2.Office layout 3.Working conditions

2.Discuss your recommendations for all three problem areas and decide how to reorganize the company.

Unit 3 Recruitment.

Words to remember:

to arrange an interview – устроить (организовать)собеседование to present references – представить рекомендательные письма hard copy of resume – резюме на дискете

Confirm that you will be available for an interview. – Подтвердите, что сможете прийти на собеседование

to work full-time (part-time) – работать на полную ставку (на полставки)

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current salary – нынешняя зарплата

to appoint to a position of – назначить на должность

to promote to the position – перевести на должность (повысить, продвинуть по службе)

to apply to (for) – обращаться к (за)

to employ (to recruit, to hire) – нанимать to fire so out (to sack, to dismiss) – уволить to resign – уйти в отставку

contract of employment – трудовое соглашение in-company training – обучение на предприятии MBA – магистр делового администрирования

team player – человек, умеющий работать в коллективе to adapt to – приспособиться

to respond to (to react to) – реагировать на (откликаться на) track record – послужной список

absentee record – список прогулов

sickness record – список прогулов по болезни high-flier – талантливый человек с большим будущим applicant – кандидат, претендент

brainteaser – головоломка

to coach – тренировать, обучать

to fit (in) – подходить, вписываться traineeship – практика, стажировка

a job rotation program – программа перемещения по работе trainee – стажёр, практикант

apprentice – ученик, стажёр apprenticeship – ученичество, подготовка

vocational training – профессионально-техническая подготовка

sense of urgency – серьёзность, чувство ответственности за срочные действия

Starting up

1. In your opinion, which factors below are important for getting a job? Choose the seven most important. Is there anything missing from the list?

Reading

You will read the text about selecting the best candidate and the importance of having a good CV

Investing thousands of pounds in the recruitment and training of each new graduate recruit may be just the beginning. Choosing the wrong candidate may leave an organization paying for years to come.

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Few companies will have escaped all of the following failures: people who panic at the first sign of stress; those with long, impressive qualifications who seem incapable of learning; hypochondriacs whose absentee record becomes astonishing; and the unstable person later discovered to be a thief or worse.

Less dramatic, but just as much a problem, is the person who simply doesn’t come up to expectations, who never becomes a high-flier or even a steady performer; the employee with a fine future behind them.

Some years ago candidates could win a top position with only the right look and the right answers to questions like: “Why do you want this job?” Now a great number of companies are no longer satisfied with traditional job interviews. Instead, they offer applicants – from top executives and down – a series of tests, role plays, simulated decision-making exercises and brainteasers. The tests are not about mathematics or grammar, nor about any of the basic technical skills.

Employers want to evaluate candidates on intangible qualities (qualities that can not be felt or described). Is he creative and entrepreneurial? Can he lead and coach? Is he flexible and capable of learning? Does he have passion and a sense of urgency? How will he function under pressure? Most important: Will the potential recruit fit the corporate culture?

Candidates can be asked different problem questions relating to business or even some psychological questions such as: “Who is the best manager you ever worked for and why?” or “What is your best friend like?” Psychologists say that such kind of questions can reveal a lot about a candidate’s management style and about himself or herself. The reason for such interrogation is clear: the cost of bringing the wrong person on board is sometimes huge.

The most important thing for a recruit is to show his or her character, professional competence and intelligence, ability to quickly respond to different issues concerning future job, in other words, to show his or her suitability for the position.

Sometimes a person’s appearance may influence the decision on hiring. It is important for a candidate to be well presented, neat and tidy, to have good manners. All these things speak a lot about a candidate’s personality. Maybe it is wise to find out the dress code of the company and follow it if you want to fit in. When interviewed, the candidate should create a good relationship with the interviewer, i.e. to be able to listen, to ask the right questions and to be able to express his own opinion on the problem, and not to always agree with the interviewer.

People who are interested in getting a job can apply for the job by sending a letter of application or covering letter (cover letter – US) and a curriculum vitae or CV (resume

–US) containing details of their education and experience.

There are many different ways of preparing a CV. The layout of the CV can depend

on the nationality of the company. For instance, in the US it’s much more common to accompany each entry on a CV with a description of exactly what it involves. In Europe you can present just a simple summary. Similarly, the order in which different events are presented may vary. The importance of presenting extracurricular activities and references will also vary with national culture.

In some fields, CVs have recently changed radically by abandoning the traditional chronological development through education and experience, in favour of setting out