A. Colleagues

Philip is my opposite number¹ in the company’s New York office. We have a good working relationship² and there’s a lot of day-to-day collaboration³. Having a counterpart⁴ like Philip in another branch is a great support. Last month we got a new boss, who quickly established a good rapport⁵ with everyone. She likes us to take the initiative⁶. The company is very hierarchical⁷; there’s a pecking order for everything. I do a job-share⁸ with a woman called Rose, which suits us as we each have childcare responsibilities. My office uses a hot-desking¹⁰ system, so I sit in a different place every day. I socialise with my workmates¹¹ outside of work, but we try not to talk shop¹² on those occasions.

• ¹ has the same position / does the same job as me
• ² way of communicating and working together
• ³ working together to achieve shared goals
• ⁴ more formal equivalent of opposite number
• ⁵ communication / relationship
• ⁶ make decisions without being told what to do
• ⁷ has a structure with important and less important people
• ⁸ an agreement where two people each share the same job
• ¹⁰ a policy of sharing desks in an office, so people sit at whichever desk is free on a particular day
• ¹¹ colleagues you are friendly with; informal
• ¹² talk about work; informal

B. During the day (different work patterns)

 acI 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
• 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 shift¹. 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 shift³. 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 irregular² and anti-social². I’m not stuck behind a desk³, but long-haul flights can be a bit mind-numbing⁴tight 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
• ⁶ stuck/trapped in a job they can’t escape from
• ⁷ with no prospects of promotion

 I started off as a technician¹. After retraining, I worked for a software company, and later I went into business² with a friend and we formed our own software company as a start-up³ in 2009, so now I’m self-employed⁴. My husband is freelance⁴programmer⁵.

• 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