Review. Language and Grammar focus

Ex. 1. Corporate responsibility Look at this list of responsibilities a company should have for its employees. Then look at the notes about the company RJW Ltd. For each note, decide which responsibility is being ignored or abused. In some cases, there is more than one possible answer.

A. A company should not discriminate on the grounds of gender, race, class, religion, disability, etc, when it comes to recruiting staff.

B. A company should ensure that its employees are proportionally representative of the community in which it is based.

C. A company should ensure that working hours are reasonable and that employees receive regular breaks.

D. A company should ensure that its employees receive regular paid annual leave (and also maternity and compassionate leave when required).

E. A company should provide equal pay for work of equal value.

F. A company should pay a sustainable living wage to all of its employees.

G. A company should provide adequate child-care facilities.

H. A company should ensure that there is no physical, sexual or verbal harassment or abuse of workers.

I. A company should ensure that health and safety rules are applied and closely followed.

J. A company should not force its employees to have regular health checks, and then use the results to dismiss the employee.

K. A company should not dismiss an employee on the grounds of pregnancy.

L. A company should allow its employees to organise or join workers' organisations that represent their interests.

M. A company should have a grievance procedure that is easy to understand and open to all employees.

N. A company should provide adequate compensation for accidents and injuries sustained on its premises.

O. A company should not dismiss or otherwise penalise an employee who refuses to work overtime.

P. A company should not dismiss or otherwise penalise employees for failing to reach production targets.

Q. A company should not use indentured, forced or slave labour, or employ anyone under duress.

R. A company should ensure that an employee is dismissed as a last resort only, and only after verbal and written warnings.

1. Several factory floor workers have been fired or had their wages reduced for refusing to stay and work late when needed.

2. Production manager Laurence Bailey broke his wrist when some unsecured panels fell on it. He is trying to get money out of the company for his injuries. 'You're not getting a penny out of this company,' his boss tells him. 'It's your problem, not ours'

3. Andrew Kelly is thinking of starting a union for the workers at RJW Ltd. The Company Director warns him that if he does, he will regretfully have to 'let him go'.

4. Manager Maureen Blake is always patting her male PA's backside and telling him he has 'a wonderful body'. He has complained several times, but nothing ever gets done about it.

5. Susie Roberts, a secretary for RJW Ltd, recently had a baby. She cannot afford a babysitter while she is at work, so the baby stays with her in the office.

6. RJW Ltd have their main office on the edge of an economically-deprived area predominantly inhabited by people of West Indian origin. The company prefers to hire white, male, middle class employees.

7. RJW Ltd has regular, compulsory medical check-ups for its employees. The company nurse believes that one of the workers, Charlie Higson, drinks a lot when off duty. She reports this to Charlie's manager, who then dismisses him.

8. Ron Smith and Emma Addams are sales executives for RJW Ltd. They both have the same qualifications and the same experience. Mr. Smith receives $40,000 a year and Mrs. Addams receives $34,000 a year.

9. Office assistant Tony White thinks his boss treats him badly. He wants to complain, but has no idea how to go about doing so. Nobody else seems to know what he should do either.

10. Factory-floor workers at RJW Ltd find it difficult to make ends meet. The cost of living is rising all the time, and the money they receive has not kept up with the rate of inflation.

11. Canteen assistant Anne Watkins oversleeps one morning and is two hours late for work. She has worked for RJW Ltd for 6 months and has never been late before. The canteen manager sacks her the moment she arrives.

12. Ellie McKenzie, a machine operator for RJW Ltd, works 12 hours a day with only 20 minutes for lunch.

13. Six months ago the company advanced one of its employees some money. When the employee became ill and was unable to pay back the money, the company insisted on using his children to work to pay off his debt.

14. Delivery driver Michael Blair is exhausted: he hasn't had a holiday for two years. The company says it cannot afford to give him the time off work.

15. Production assistant Richard Mann slipped on some oil on the factory floor, fell headlong through a glass panel, caught his arm in some unguarded machinery and was electrocuted by some exposed electrical wires.

16. Factory-floor workers have been told that a new quota system has been put in place: anyone who does not satisfy this quota will have their salaries reduced.

17. Accountant Audrey Jensen is delighted because she's just discovered she's going to have a baby. Her boss is not so happy: 'Sorry Audrey, you're fired,' he says.

Ex. 2. Employment and human resources Read these extracts, and then find words or expressions in them to match the definition. The words / expressions are in the same order as the definitions.

A company manager is talking to a newspaper about his company structure:

- The company has over 200 employees on its payroll. Some are employed part-time mornings only, Monday to Friday, and some are employed full-time (Monday to Friday 9 to 5). Everyone is given a contract before they start work outlining their duties and responsibilities, and what they can expect from the company in return. Every employee receives at least the minimum wage. We pride ourselves on being an equal opportunities employer.

From an Internet page on employees' rights:

If an employer no longer needs an employee (because, for example, the company is closing down or moving) and has to dismiss him, then the employee is entitled to receive redundancy pay. Many companies will try to provide employees with suitable alternative employment.

From a factory-floor notice on employers' liability and employees' responsibilities:

Health and safety regulations are very important and must be followed at all times. The company believes that all employees should have maximum protection against industrial accidents. The company will not be held liable for injuries and disabilities sustained as a result of poor working practices by employees, and will accept no liability for these in the event of any claims for compensation. The company has a scale of fixed monetary awards to compensate those employees who are affected by accidents caused as a result of company negligence. In the event of an employee's death, any awards due will be passed on to the employee's dependants.

From a website explaining working time regulations:

An employee cannot be compelled to work for more than 48 hours a week over a 17-week period. If an employer makes him work more than this time, the employee can complain to an employment tribunal.

Employees must also be allowed to take 24 hours off work every 7 days, and take a minimum 20-minute break if their working day exceeds 6 hours. They must also be allowed a rest period of 11 consecutive hours in every 24 hours. All employees are entitled to paid annual leave, regardless of how long they have worked for a company.

From a leaflet explaining women's rights at work:

Women cannot be dismissed on the grounds of pregnancy or childbirth. They are entitled to up to 26 weeks maternity leave, and to receive maternity pay during this period. If a woman has completed 26 weeks of continuous service with her employer by the beginning of the 14th week before the expected birth of her child, she can take another 26 weeks: this is usually unpaid, but some companies will make contributions. She must give her employer at least 28 days' notice of the date on which she intends to begin her leave. Women are also allowed to take reasonable time off work before the child is born for antenatal care. If a company has to suspend a woman on the grounds of maternity (because, for example, the work she is doing might endanger the unborn child), it must offer her alternative employment or continue to pay her normal salary.

(Note that fathers are entitled to two weeks' paid paternity leave. Both parents can also take another 13 weeks' unpaid parental leave).

A union leader is addressing some new employees:

Discrimination and harassment of any kind (sexual, racial, etc) will not be tolerated in this company, and are sackable offences, as are bullying and intimidation. If any employee has a genuine grievance in regard to these, or other, problems, you should talk to me or talk directly to your line manager. We will take such allegations very seriously, and will talk you through the grievance procedure so that you know the options that are open to you.

1. People who are employed by someone else.

2. The list of people employed and paid by a company.

3. Not working for the whole working week.

4. Working for the whole working week.

5. A legal agreement between two or more parties.

6. The work which a person has to do.

7. The lowest hourly amount of money that a company can pay its employees.

8. A situation where everyone is treated the same.

9. A person or company who employs someone.

10. To remove an employee from a job.

11. To give or have the right to do something.

12. A situation where someone is no longer employed because the company no longer needs him / her.

13. Something which takes the place of something else.

14. An area of employment policy that deals with the well-being of employees at work.

15. Rules.

16. Something or legislation which protects.

17. Accidents which happen at work.

18. Legally responsible for something.

19. Physical hurt caused to somebody.

20. The condition of being unable to use part of the body.

21. Payment made by someone to cover the cost of damage or hardship.

22. Relating to money.

23. The failure to give proper care to something, especially a duty or responsibility, with the result that a person or property is harmed.

24. Someone who is supported financially by someone else.

25. To be made or forced to do something against your will.

26. A special court outside the judicial system which examines special problems and makes judgements.

27. To be more than a particular number or amount.

28. Without interruption.

29. Holiday or other period of work.

30. The state of expecting to give birth.

31. The act of giving birth.

32. A period when a woman is away from work to have a baby.

33. Payment made by an employer to an employee who is away from work to have a baby.

34. Money paid to add to a sum that already exists, or money paid to help someone do something.

35. The time allowed before something can take place.

36. Before giving birth.

37. To stop someone working for a period of time.

38. A period when a man is away from work because his partner is having a baby.

39. Adjective referring to parents.

40. The unfair treatment of someone because of their race, colour, class, etc.

41. The action of worrying, bothering or frightening someone.

42. A complaint made by an employee to an employer.

43. A statement, usually given in evidence, that something is true.

44. The steps an employee goes through if he / she has a complaint.

Ex.3.Vocabulary: distinguishing meaning. Which word in each group is the odd one out? You may need to consult a dictionary to distinguish the differences in meaning.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

discrimination reduce solely confidential essential speedy

dismissal outlaw exclusively certain key fast

redundancy prohibit primarily private conventional vast

layoff forbid only secret important swift

Ex.4.Adjective formation Add the prefixes in-, non- or un- to each of these words to form its opposite. The words marked with * have more than one possible form.

1. attractive 2. certain

3. confidential 4. conventional*

5. discriminatory 6. fair

7. lawful 8. necessary

9. reasonable 10.specific

11. voluntary

Ex.5.Word choice These sentences are part of the UK Employment Rights Act 1996. In each case, choose the correct word or phrase to complete them.

1. An employee who waives / intends/ submits to return to work earlier than the end of her maternity leave period shall give to her employer not less than seven days' information / provision / notice of the date on which she intends to return.

2. If an employee attempts to return to work earlier than the end of her maternity leave period without complying with / referring to / relying on subsection 1, her employer shall be entitled to / subject to / requested to postpone her return to a date such as will secure, subject to subsection 3, that he has seven days' notice of her return.

3. An employer is not entitled to / under / in subsection 2 to postpone an employee's return to work to a date after the end of her maternity leave period.

Ex.6. Use of prepositions Complete the sentences below using the prepositions in the box. The sentences are taken from the texts in this unit.

against against to off under on on of to in via from with from

1. It is unlawful for a person to discriminate... against.. another based on sex or marital status in the hiring process and in respect of the terms and conditions of employment.

2. After the employee is hired, protection is generally provided ………….. the Employment Rights Act 1996.

3. A voluntary arbitration procedure in unfair dismissal cases is available..................... employers and employees as an alternative …………… the traditional way of resolving such cases ……….. employment tribunals.

4. Solicitors are not immune …………….. employment law cases being brought.......................... them.

5. The employees successfully claimed that they were victims …………. sex discrimination and that the discriminatory culture pervading the firm prevented women ………….. becoming senior partners.

6. The whole discrimination industry will take …………… in the next four or five years because of so much legislation …………… the pipeline.

7. One directive would deal with outlawing discrimination ………….. the grounds of race and ethnicity.

8. Once passed, the directives would immediately become binding ……………. EU member states.

Ex.7. Verbs Complete this text, in which a lawyer explains to a client what an employment tribunal is, using the verbs in the box.

awarded incurred decide issue dismissed pay resembles file goes heard includes

'If you think you have been unfairly 1) dismissed from your job, you can 2) ………….. a claim for your case to be 3) ………………by an employment tribunal. A tribunal 4) ……………a court, although it is more informal. It hears different types of complaints from employees. If your complaint 5) ……………to

a hearing, it will be heard by a panel of three people, which typically 6) …………..the chair, who is a qualified legal practitioner, and two non-legally qualified members, who may have experience as employers or union representatives, for example. The tribunal will 7) ……………whether your dismissal was unfair or not. If your case is successful, the tribunal will also decide whether compensation should be 8) ………….., and if so, how much. The tribunal may 9) …………a cost order, requiring the claimant or the respondent (employer) to 10) ………….the costs 11) ……………by the other party.'

Ex.8. For questions 1-15 read the text below, and look carefully at each line. Some of the lines are correct, and some have a word which should not be there.

If a line is correct put a tick ( ٧ ) by the number. If a line has a word which should not be there, write the word beside it. There are two examples at the beginning (0 and 00).

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