People in that situation often feel that nothing they can do will make ___a_n_y_d_i_ff_e_re_n_c_e_, and that’s a very bad feeling.
Listening
Listen to the second part of the interview and
Listening
Dealing with stress
A What do you think are the main causes of stress at
work?
B
Listen to the first part of the interview on Alan, a stress management consultancy, and fill in the notes.
3. to ____________ research
4. to ____________ one’s afternoons free
5. to ____________ yoga
6. to ____________ steady progress
D In pairs, discuss these questions.
consultant, but she soon found the job too stressful. F
2. One day, she realised she was not giving enough care to her
husband because of her job.
T
3. It took her more than five years to achieve a good work-life
A career change
C Complete these phrases with verbs from the box.
do do keep make make spend 1. to ____________ a presentation
2. to ____________ a week somewhere
The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you are still a rat.
Useful quotes about stress
Maturity is achieved when a person accepts life as full of stress. Stress is the spice of life. No one dies from working too hard. But when people don't get any recognition in their work, the stress of that lack of control can kill them. It’s not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it. One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important. Stress is an ignorant state. It believes that everything is an emergency. Stress is the trash of modern life - we all generate it but if you don't dispose of it properly, it will pile up and overtake your life.
Vocabulary
Stress in the workplace
A Match the words to their definitions
1 lifestyle 2 workaholic 3 workload 4 deadline 5 flexitime
a) a time or date by which you have to do something
Starting up B What do you do to relax?
Starting up
C Rank these situations from 1 (most stressful) to 8
(least stressful). Then discuss your choices. • making a presentation to senior executives • leading a formal meeting • telephoning in English • writing a report with a tight deadline • negotiating a very valuable contract • meeting important visitors from abroad for
b) A system where employees choose the time they start and finish work each day
c) The way people choose to organize their lives
d) Someone who cannot stop working and has no time for anything else
time. 8 are more likely to become angry when
stressed.
Reading A Before you read the article, discuss these questions.
A career 1 Do you prefer a slow or a fast pace of life? Why? change 2 What can people do to have a good work-life balance?
2. They train managers by raising their awareness of stress
and giving them skills to prevent and reduce stress at work.
D Listen to the third part of the interview. Underline the
going to the hairdresser
finding a place to park
Starting up
having an interview
making a speech travelling by air
Which of these situations is the most stressful for you? Can you add any others to the list?
C answer this question.
Dealing with stress
What are the two main ways in which In Equilibrium helps
companies deal with stress?
1. By investigating causes of stress.
1. What three questions would you most like to ask Philomena Tan if you could interview her?
2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of stressful jobs?
balance.
T
4. She did not write her first book exclusively for business
people.
T
5. These days, she works up to 70 hours a week, but she is
happy.
F
Reading
the first time • asking your boss for a pay rise • dealing with a customer who has a major
complaint • being afraid of losing your job
Can you think of any other stressful situations?
Listening Dealing
with stress
Alan Bradshaw
E In your opinion, which of the following apply more
to men or women. Why?
Men/Women: 1 are better time managers. 2 are less worried about deadlines. 3 have more pressure outside work. 4 are less ambitious. 5 worry more about making mistakes. 6 pay more attention to detail. 7 are better at doing many things at the same
Alan Bradshaw
correct answer according to Alan. Do you agree?
1 Men/Women report less stress. 2 Men/tting support. 3 Men/Women don’t like to appear vulnerable. 4 Men/Women are in fact often more vulnerable. 5 Men/Women cope with pressure better.