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THE TASK AT HAND. Session 3.- Wanna a

sandwich?

Situation
Read the text and listen to the situation.

Script

Lourdes and Susana are having lunch at the canteen

with the rest of the employees. Although the girls miss
their mummies' delicious meals, having a sandwich
and a piece of fruit isn't that bad! While they are eating
their sandwiches, Susan Smith and Pauline
Johnson from the Finance Department sit down at the table, right behind them. They
look really sad and although Pauline tries to pretend she is OK, she suddenly
bursts into tears.

Susana: Oh no Lourdes, don't look behind you but I think that Pauline is
crying! (Susana whispers).
Lourdes: Why?
Susana: I don't know but she seems quite unhappy.
Lourdes: Oh, I hope it's nothing serious. She's a very nice person.
Narrator: Although listening to other people's conversations isn't correct in any
culture, our friends try to eavesdrop on Susan and Pauline's conversation.
Contrary to most people, the girls don't want to gossip, but rather, help a
colleague. Ten minutes later, Pauline leaves the canteen in tears and Susan
runs after her.
Susana: Did you hear that? Somebody is harassing her! (She whispers).
Lourdes: Oh no! She's such a nice person! Lourdes answers worriedly. Did
you understand anything else?
Susana: Not much! Only that someone is harassing her and she doesn't know
what to do to make him stop.
Lourdes: That's awful! I wish we could help her!
Susana: Yeah! But what could we do? We are just student-workers here!
Lourdes: I've got good idea! Maybe we could talk about it in our task for Mr.
Parker! If the company is aware of the problem, the bosses will take the matter
more seriously.
Susana: Hey that would be great! Are you done with your lunch?
Lourdes: Yes, I was starving!
Susana: OK, so let's go back to the office! I have an idea. (she says excitedly).

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Think about it
Give your opinion in the forum.

What would you do if you were Lourdes or Susana?

Do you think it is correct to listen to somebody else's conversation?

What would you do to help Pauline Johnson?

Materiales formativos de FP Online propiedad del Ministerio de

Educación, Cultura y Deporte.
Aviso Legal

1.- What to say: Being Harassed.

Quotation
Being good is commendable, but only when it is combined with doing good is it
useful.

Unknown Author.

Situation
The girls go back to the office and surf the net to find a
little bit more about harassment at the office.

Susana: Lourdes, look! according to the Equal

Employment Opportunity Commission, from 1990 to
2009, the percentage of sexual harassment at the
workplace in the UK has doubled from 8 percent to 16
percent!

Lourdes: Wuau! that's quite a lot! Does it say anything

about the reason?

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Susana: Not really! Only that today people are more likely to denounce than previous
years.

Lourdes: Yeah, that's right! Before, people used to have more prejudices. Oh Look at
this! This article is about how to report unacceptable behaviour when someone is
harassing you, it seems quite interesting, I'll take a look at it and see if there's
something we can use for our report.

Susana: OK! I'll keep on looking at some figures. I'll see you later (she goes back to
her desk).

Lourdes: Alright! See ya!

Think about it
Write in the forum.

Have you ever heard about anyone being harassed around you? What
happened? Did he or she denounce the harasser at the end?
If not, surf the net for a famous scandal related to this topic, then, tell your
classmates about it.

1.1.- Reporting unacceptable behaviour.

Unacceptable behaviour can take many forms: bullying,
sexual harassment, sexual or racial discrimination, to
mention but a few. It can make an employee's life a misery,
lead to stress-related illnesses, and affect their performance
and damage careers. The following guidelines are useful
when an employee is experiencing unacceptable behaviour.

If someone harasses you, try to tell him/her that you do not

like their behaviour and that you want them to stop. You
might want to ask one of your colleagues, or your union
representative – someone you feel you can trust – to accompany you to give you moral support.
If necessary, they could also act as a witness. If you feel you can't face the harasser, you might
prefer to write to them to explain that their behaviour is upsetting you and to ask them to stop.
Let them know that you will take the matter further if they carry on. It's useful to keep a copy of
the letter.

Note down all the behaviour that offends you in a diary. Record the date, time, and place, and
the names of any other people who are there. This will help you to remember details if you
decide to make a complaint.

If the harassment is affecting your health, for example, causing symptoms of stress or
depression, go to see your doctor.

The next step would be to report the harassment to your employer. You could go to your HR
department (if there is one) and ask what your company's procedures are for reporting a
grievance. Alternatively, go to your union representative (if there is one). Make a record of the
date you complained about the harassment, who you spoke to, what was said, and what action
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was agreed on. This will be important if you decide later that you want to go to an employment
tribunal.

Whoever you report to should make certain that your complaint is investigated and that
something is done about it.
Text adapted from English for Personal Assistants by Annie Broadhead and Ginni Light.

Now it's your turn

Find words or phrases in the guidelines above which mean:
Matching exercise

Statements Match Phrases

To make someone unhappy or anxious by causing them

1. Witness.
problems.

An organisation of workers from a particular profession

2. To offend.
which represents and protects the rights of the workers.

3.
Approval and encouragement.
Symptoms.

A person who sees an event happening, especially a

4. Grievance.
crime or accident.

To upset or hurt someone's feelings. 5. Union.

Signs of illness or physical or mental changes which are

6. Tribunal.
caused by a disease.

Complaint or strong feeling that you have been treated

7. To harass.
unfairly.

8. Moral
Special court dealing with problems to do with work.
support.

Now it's your turn

In line seven of the previous text, it is suggested that a letter could be written to a
harasser if speaking to them is difficult. Complete the letter below with suitable
phrases from the box.

constitute / does / direct / directly / find / making / nature / point / such /

take

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Dear Mr. Ford

I am writing to out to you that I one aspect of your behaviour towards me
unacceptable; that is, the comments of a sexual which you towards me. For example,
yesterday afternoon, when I was picking up a piece of paper from the floor, you said:
"couldn't you do that again, I love a bit of leg".
I find comments as these very upsetting and I believe they sexual harassment. I am
asking you to stop such comments either to me or indirectly about me.
If this behaviour continue, I will have no alternative but to the matter further.
Yours sincerely.
Pauline Johnson.

1.2.- Now you put it into practice (I).

You should know

For further information about Harassment at the office watch the following video.

Watch the video and try to understand the conversation, read the transcript only after
that.

Text summary

2.- How to say it: The Causative.

Think about it
Read the following sentences carefully. What is the difference between them?

We are redecorating our office on Monday.

We are having our office redecorated on Monday.

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Although both sentences seem quite similar, they are different in meaning. In the
first one, my colleagues and I are redecorating the office ourselves, that is, we
are doing the job. However, in the second one, we are paying a professional to
do the job for us.

Translation
p

Aunque ambas frases parecen similares, hay una gran diferencia de significado
entre ellas. En la primera oración, mis compañeros y yo vamos a redecorar la
oficina, es decir, vamos a hacer el trabajo nosotros mismos. Sin embargo, en la
segunda, pagamos a un profesional para que haga el trabajo por nosotros.

Tenses.

The Causative can be used in any verbal tense, even the continuous form:
The Causative

Tense Have/get something done

Present Simple. I have/get my hair cut.

Past Simple. I had/got my hair cut.

Present Continuous. I'm having/getting my hair cut.

Past Continuous. I was having/getting my hair cut.

Present Perfect. I have had my hair cut.

Past Perfect. I had had my hair cut.

Will. I will have my hair cut.

Must. I must have my hair cut.

Be going to. I'm going to have my hair cut.

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Notice that to make the interrogative and negative form, the causative verb
works like any other verb.
Do you have your car serviced regularly?

Did he get his house redecorated last week?

You won't have your eyes tested next week.

I'm not getting my hair cut today.

To mention who performs the action we may add by + the agent. For example:
My boss is having his car repaired by a mechanic.

Formulae.

To form the Causative we use the following structure: subject+ have/get+ object+past
participle.

She is having/getting her office refurnished.

He had/got his car serviced by a beautiful woman.

Mary and Paul will have / get some pizzas delivered at home in a few minutes.

Notice that have/ get may be used in any context though have tends to be a
little bit more formal, and get is more commonly used in the imperative form.
Sally is having a costume made.

Get your room tidied at once!

Translation
p

El verbo causativo puede utilizarse en cualquier tiempo verbal, incluso en

las formas continuas.
Las formas interrogativas y negativas se forman como las de cualquier
otro verbo.
Si queremos mencionar quién hace la acción, podemos añadir by + el
agente al final de la frase.
Para formar el causativo necesitamos la siguiente estructura: sujeto +
have / get + objeto + participio.
Aunque have y get son prácticamente intercambiables en cualquier
contexto, have tiende a ser algo más formal mientras que get es más
común en la forma imperativa.

2.1.- Now you put it into practice (II).

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Now it's your turn

Complete the following sentences using the Causative form.

I'm going ... at the new hairdresser's.

to get my hair cut.
to cut my hair.

She needs to …
have her car repairs.
have her car repaired.

He ... while he was away on holiday.

had his flat burgled.
burgled his flat.

I ... my phone repaired after I dropped it.

had.
had to.

She didn't have time to get to the shops and ...

get her film developed.
develop her film.

Now it's your turn

Put the following sentences into the Causative form.

1. Ann is paying someone to paint her house.

Ann her house .
2. Somebody stole my purse while I was eating out.
I my purse when I was eating out.
3. The dentist will check my teeth tomorrow.
I my teeth by the dentist tomorrow.
4. Sarah and John paid an electrician yesterday to fix the lights.
Sarah and John the lights by an electrician yesterday.
5. My car doesn't work properly.
I should my car by a mechanic.

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Now it's your turn

Rewrite these sentences using the causative form.

1. The mechanic changed the oil in my car.

.
2. The hairdresser cut my hair in a completely different style.
.
3. A decorator has repainted our house.
.
4. A friend of mine, who is an electrician, is going to repair my DVD player next
week.
.
5. My jacket is being cleaned at a specialist cleaner's.
.

3.- Words you need: Legal framework for job

contracts.

What is a contract of employment?

There is always a contract between an employee and

employer. Your employer does have to give you a
written statement within two months of you starting
work. The statement must contain certain terms and
conditions.

A contract gives both you and your employer certain

rights and obligations. The most common example is
that you have a right to be paid for the work you do. Your employer has a right to give
reasonable instructions to you and for you to work at your job. These rights and
obligations are called contractual terms.

The rights that you have under your contract of employment are in addition to the
rights you have under law, such as, for example, the right to a national minimum
wage and the right to paid holidays.

Generally, you and your employer can agree to whatever terms you wish to be in the
contract, but you cannot agree to a contractual term which gives you less rights than
you have under law.

A contract of employment will usually be made up of two types of contractual terms.

These are:

Express terms.
Implied terms.

Express contractual terms.

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Express terms in an employment contract are those that are explicitly agreed
between you and your employer and can include:

Amount of wages, including any overtime or bonus pay.

Hours of work, including overtime hours.
Holiday pay, including how much time off you are entitled to (nearly all full-time
workers are entitled by law to 28 days' paid holiday - they may be entitled to
more under their contract. Part-time workers are entitled to a pro rata amount).
Sick pay.
Redundancy pay.

Implied contractual terms.

Implied terms in an employment contract are those which are not specifically agreed
between the employer and employee. Implied terms are:

General terms which are implied into most contracts of employment.

Terms implied by custom and practice.
Terms from agreements made with the employer by a trade union or staff
association.

Finally, let's remember that according to the type of contract, there are also different
worker status:

Fix term contracts employees are those workers on fixed term employment
contracts, which means the contract contains a date when it will end.
Probationary periods. It is common for employers to treat new employees as
being in a probationary period when they first start work. The employer may
then argue that you can be dismissed while you are in this probationary period
with no warning (notice). Employers also often argue that employees do not
have usual employment rights to, for example, pay or holidays, during this
probationary period.
Short term contracts or seasonal workers. Employers may hire employees on a
series of short term contracts, usually lasting for about a year, but always less
than one or two years, to try to avoid the employee gaining employment rights.
They may also pay the employee only during a particular season, for example,
during the summer to pick fruit, but the employee may be expected to go back
and work for that employer each year during that season.
Trainee. When you are learning how to carry out a job, your employer may call
you trainee in your employment contract, to try to prevent you from having your
statutory rights. Once your trainee period is over, you can be hired and become
a normal worker.
Text adapted from: http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/your_money/employment/contracts_of_employment.htm

3.1.- Now you put it into practice (III).

Now it's your turn

Read the text again and answer these questions. Good luck! As an employee you
have

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the rights that you have under your contract of employment.

the rights you have under the law.
Both options above are correct.

Express terms are those …

which are written down on a contract.
which have been agreed between the employer and the employee.
which you have access through law.

Implied Contractual Terms are those which …

are usually agreed between the employee and the Trade Union.
are usually agreed between the employer and the Trade Union.
are usually agreed between the employer and the employee.

What kind of worker are you if your contract expires in two months time?
A Seasonal worker.
A Fix contract employee.
A Trainee.

The expression “Minimum Wage” is mentioned in the text above, what does it mean?
It's the number of terms from agreements made with the employer by a trade
union or staff association.
It's the lowest remuneration that employers may legally pay to workers.
It's the highest remuneration that employers may legally pay to workers.

Think about it

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