CHAPTER 14 – FIRST DAY AT WORK
Situation: John was hired as a financial analyst by Lintel. Today is John’s first day at work.
Mike: Good morning, John.
John: Good morning, Mike.
Mike: Let me take you to your cubicle and then I will give you a tour of our facility.
Mike: Here is your cubicle, your “home away from home” from 8:00 to 5:00 every day, John.
John: Oh, very nice!
Mike: Drop your belongings here, and let’s go!
John: OK, I am ready Mike.
Mike: That is Mary over there. She is our senior financial analyst. You will be working with her in the future. Let’s go say hi to her.
Mike: Mary, this is John, our department’s new addition.
Mary: Welcome aboard, John. I am very glad to see you. Boy! I was swamped with work the last couple of weeks. But, I can see myself going home at a more decent time from now on.
John: Thank you. I am very happy to be here. Just let me know whenever you need me. I am glad to be of any assistance.
Mike: I am giving John a tour of our facility so that he knows his way around here.
Mary: See you later, John.
John: OK, Mary.
Mike: We are now in the Finance department. Next to us, on your left, is the Accounting department. On your right is the Human Resources department. Go downstairs and we are in the Engineering department. Further down, at the end of the hallway is the Production area. Seventy percent of our merchandise is produced right here in this facility. We also have one smaller manufacturing facility overseas that handles the rest of the production. You will be dealing with Steve, the Production manager. I will introduce you to him later because he is in a meeting at the moment. Let’s go back to your desk so that we can talk about your duties.
John: OK.
Mike: Like I said during the interview, one of your daily jobs is to deal with the bank to keep track of our financial resources. Every morning, you will access our account through the Internet to get financial information.
John: I should have a login and password, right?
Mike: Yes, I will call our bank and inform them that you are our new employee. Your next task is to call overseas to get other necessary information.
John: What kind of data do I need to get from our people overseas?
Mike: You will need financial data about their current and future projects.
John: Do they need any information from me?
Mike: Yes, you need to work with them on their budgets. You can fax or e-mail them the information. If you need to talk to them, call them as soon as you get in. Remember that they are eight hours ahead of us.
John: The fax machine and the copier are in the next room, right? I saw them when you took me around.
Mike: Yes. Make sure that you create a file for each overseas project. You and I will review them at the end of every week.
John: In the beginning, can you review the files with me more often? I just want to make sure that I do my job correctly.
Mike: Yes, come see me whenever you have questions.
John: Thank you.
Mike: It is almost the end of November, so your next major task is to help prepare the budget for next year. You will work closely with Mary on this project.
John: That is a long and tedious task. There will be a lot of calculations and a lot of questions to ask, right?
Mike: Yes. So, it is better that both of you start working on this project as soon as possible.
John: I will get together with Mary soon.
Mike: OK, that should be enough for now. I leave you on your own to get organized.
John: Thank you, Mike.
Questions/Answers Practice
| Q: Do I need to fill out any paperwork? | A: The Human Resources department has some paperwork for you to fill out. |
| Q: Do I need a badge to get in and out of the building? | A: Yes, you do. The Human Resources department will take care of that also. |
| Q: What are my hours? | A: You can either work from 8AM to 5PM or start your days at 9AM and get off at 6PM. |
| Q: Do I need to clock in and out everyday? | A: No, not at your position. |
| Q: Are there any breaks in between? | A: You have a ten minute break in the morning, and another in the afternoon. Lunch is from 12PM to 1PM. |
| Q: Are new employees subject to probation time? | A: There is a 90 day probation for all employees. |
| Q: What are the employee fringe benefits? | A: The company offers health insurance, five sick days, and two week vacation per year to all new employees. |
| Q: Do I need to work closely with any departments? | A: Yes. As an accountant, you will be dealing with all departments. |
| Q: Will I be involved in the preparation of the annual budget? | A: Yes, the preparation of the budget is part of your responsibilities. |
| Q: Do I need to use Microsoft Excel? | A: You will need Microsoft Excel, Word, and Access to do your job. |
| Q: Let me give you a tour of the facility. Are you ready? | A: Yes, I am. |
3) Comprehension test
- What happens after Mike takes John to his cubicle?
- Who is Mary?
- Who is the department’s new addition?
- Why is Mary happy to see John?
- What is Mike’s reason for giving John a tour of the facility?
- Where is the Human Resources department?
- Are all products manufactured in America at Lintel?
- Who is Steve? Why can’t John meet Steve right now?
- What are John’s duties at Lintel?
- Why should John access the company’s bank account every morning?
- How can John get a login and password?
- What kind of data does John get from the overseas office?
- What should John do with the overseas data?
- Why does John want to talk to Mike more often than once a week?
- Why should John work on the budget as soon as possible?
4) Discussion
- What would you expect on your first day at work?
- Is it necessary to meet everybody that you will be working with on your first day? Why? Why not?
- What kind of help should a manager give to his new employee? How should a manager train his new employee?
GRAMMAR REVIEW
ADJECTIVES
Use of adjectives in comparison
Adjectives can be used in the comparison of people or things.
1) Comparative form
When the comparison involves two persons or objects, we usually add more…than, as…as or less…than. More…than is used to show a greater degree of the condition or characteristic expressed in the sentence, as…as for the same degree, and less…than for a lesser degree.
Less…than can be replaced by not as…as.
This facility is more spacious than the other facility.
Mary is as intelligent as Steve. John is less active than James. John is not as active as James.
However, if the adjective is a short word, we usually replace more with –er at the end of the adjective.
John is taller than James.
Mary is older than Liz.
Notes:
- If the adjective ends with –e, just add -r.
nice, nicer
large, larger
- If the adjective ends with a consonant which is preceded by a vowel, double the consonant and add –er. big, bigger
fat, fatter
- If the adjective ends with –y, change –y to –i before adding –er.
Pretty, prettier
Easy, easier
- Sometimes adjectives do not follow the above rules. For example, good becomes better, bad becomes worse.
2) Superlative form
When the comparison involves more than two persons or objects, the superlative form is used. If the adjective is a short word, the superlative form is usually formed by adding –est to the adjective and placing the before it.
John is the tallest boy in our neighborhood. (There are many boys in our neighborhood, but John is taller than all the other boys. He is the tallest boy) Mary is the kindest volunteer in our group.
If the adjective is a long word, the superlative form is usually formed by adding the most or the least before the adjectives. The most is used to show the highest degree of the condition or characteristic expressed in the sentence while the least is used to express the lowest degree.
Preparing the budget is the most tedious job at the moment. This is the least expensive gift.
Notes:
- If the adjective ends with –y, change –y to –i before adding –est.
She is the friendliest person in our group.
Kimberly is the loveliest baby in this contest.
- Sometimes adjectives do not follow the above rules. For example, good becomes best, bad becomes worst.
Questions/Answers Practice
| Q: Is John as busy as Mary? | A: Yes, John is as busy as Mary. |
| Q: Is dealing with banks less difficult than dealing with financing companies? | A: No, dealing with banks is not less difficult than dealing with financing companies. |
| Q: Is preparing the annual budget more time-consuming than preparing the cash report? | A: Yes, preparing the annual budget is more time-consuming than preparing the cash report. |
| Q: Is it easier to set up production in the USA than overseas? | A: Yes, it is easier to set up production here than overseas. |
| Q: Is working for Lintel better than working for another company? | A: Yes, working for Lintel is better than working for another company |
| Q: Is calling the bank worse than calling overseas? | A: No, calling overseas is worse than calling the bank |
| Q: Is preparing the annual budget the most time-consuming task? | A: Yes, it is the most time-consuming task. |
| Q: Is this the least expensive machine that you purchased last month? | A: Yes, it is the least expensive machine that I bought last month. |
| Q: Where can I buy the best office equipment? | A: You can buy the best office equipment at Lintel. |
| Q: What was the worst thing that happened to you last month? | A: The worst thing that happened to me was being late on my first day of work. |