BLTG Part 9 – Difficult work situations and asking for a pay rise task sheet:

supply the missing words (for 10 pts)

Now, one quick suggestion is that you get a pen and paper 1----- so that you can write down the phrases you hear. This week we have two very different and difficult situations at work. In a moment we’ll look at some phrases you can use for asking for a pay rise. But first, here’s some of the language to use when you need to have words with a member of staff. You know the kind of thing - when you need to 2------about their standard of work.

Well, he began the conversation in quite a neutral way with the phrase Can I have a word. If somebody says that to you, you don’t know if it’s going to be good news or bad news but you know it’s going to be a 3------conversation.

The phrase he used, I think, was I wasn’t 4------happy ---- the way you’ve been behaving. It’s quite a good phrase to introduce some kind of complaint that one - I wasn’t happy ----. I wasn’t happy ---- your efforts, I’m not happy ---- your sales figures - it can be used in a lot of different contexts. I think that we heard that Sean, the manager, was very careful with the way that he chose language. We also heard the phrase I don’t want to 5---- to any conclusions and he’s using that phrase to make it absolutely clear that he wants to be fair, and that he is not prejudging the situation.

He simply wants to outline the problems, and try and get some kind of solution. … he does that by using the expression I’m not going to get into a 6------about the promotion, about the job that she applied for that she didn’t get. So, that’s a very useful way of keeping the conversation strictly to its point.

Now we’re going to look at another 7------situation at work. How do you ask for that pay rise? Have a listen to the following conversation and …

Well, I think her key point here is that she has taken on more responsibility. That’s the phrase she uses - and I guess what she means by that is that she now has a more important job, she has more difficult, more challenging tasks to 8------.

Abigail: Okay fine. Should I 9--- this request in writingas well, so we all have a 10------of this discussion?

She said - should I --- this request in writing? To --- something in writing would simply mean just to have a written ------of it.