03-02 company policies

CATEGORY: BUSINESS GROUP: 3. AT THE WORKPLACE Topic: 2. Company Policies Introduction: Every company has their own rules about breaks, dress codes, and other office policies. If you get a new job, its best to make sure you are clear about the companys policies so that you can avoid any problems. Dialogue: John is thinking about applying for a job at a local business office. His friend, Annie, works at the office where he might apply. John invited Annie over for coffee so that he can ask her about the companys policies. John: Thanks for coming over, Annie. I really appreciate it. Annie: Its no problem. John: Would you like a cup of coffee and a piece of cake? Annie: Sure. That sounds nice. John: Cream and sugar? Annie: No thanks. I take my coffee black. John: OK. Here you go. Annie: Wow! That cake looks delicious! Is it homemade? John: Yep. I baked it myself this morning. Annie: Well, thanks. I havent had homemade cake in a long time!

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John: Youre welcome. So, I told you that I was thinking of applying to your office,

right? Annie: UmmHmm. John: Do you mind if I ask you a couple of questions about the office? Annie: No, not at all. Go ahead. John: I just have a few questions about their policies. Like, How long do you get for a

lunch break? Annie: Everyone gets an hour for lunch. John: Are they strict? Annie: What do you mean? John: Like if you took an hour and fifteen minutes for lunch. Would you get in hot

water? Annie: Oh, no. Theyre pretty relaxed there. No one really cares how long you take for

lunch, as long as its reasonable. If youre getting your work done and not out of the office too much, no one cares.

John: That sounds good. What about working hours? Do you have to get there at a

certain time and stay until a certain time? Annie: Well, official work hours are from 8-5. But, if youre a little late or leave a little

early, no one minds. Again, as long as you get your work done, theyre not really strict about your hours.

John: That sounds so nice. At my last job if we left even two minutes early, our boss

would say something to us. Annie: I dont think thats ever happened at my office. John: OK. Lets see What else did I want to ask you.? Oh, yeah. Dress code.

What do you have to wear to the office? Annie: Its pretty much business casual there. You wouldnt have to wear a suit and tie.

You could wear nice pants and a collared shirt. We have casual Friday too, so you could wear jeans on Friday.

John: Thats good too. I hate wearing a tie! Theyre so uncomfortable.


Annie: Yeah. Its nice to be able to dress a little more relaxed at the office. It does

make things more comfortable. John: OK. One last question and then Im done grilling you. How many vacation days

do you get? Annie: The vacation policy is good at the office too. You get 8 hours of vacation each

month. So besides all of the national vacations, you get one day of personal vacation a month.

John: It sounds like the company has some really good policies. Annie: They do. They treat their employees very well. Id definitely recommend you to

apply there. I think youd like it. John: I think I probably will. You want more coffee? Annie: Sure. Ill have one more cup. Vocabulary: I take my coffee black: black coffee is coffee without cream or sugar homemade: not store bought, made at home in a long time: strict: keeping to the rules get in hot water: get in trouble reasonable: not extreme or excessive dress code: a standard of dress grilling: to question intensely Discussion Questions:

1. Would company policies affect your decision to apply for certain jobs? Why or why not? -Yes, company policies would definitely be a factor to consider if I were applying for jobs. Some companies have better policies than others. If you worked for a company with bad policies, it could cause you to hate your job. So, Id apply for jobs at companies that I knew had good policies.

2. Are there any company policies at your job that you disagree with? -Yes. At my job we are not allowed to be late at all. Even if we are five minutes late, we get in trouble. I think this is pretty silly because sometimes being a little late is unavoidable. As long as Im getting my work done, I dont think it should matter.


3. What are some company policies that benefit employees?

-I think flexible policies benefit employees. For example, being able to set flexible hours or work from home are things that make employees happy. Good policies for employees with children are also important and benefit the employees.

4. What would you do if you knew that an employee was not following company policies and your boss was not aware of it? -This would be a difficult situation. It would be unfair that one employee was not following company policy while everyone else was. Because of this, I would want to tell the boss. However, I also wouldnt want to be a tattle-tale and tell on the employee. I would try to bring it up anonymously, perhaps.

5. Have you ever not followed company policy? What happened? -Yes. I have. At a former job, we had a policy that no animals were allowed in the building. One day, I brought my dog because people wanted to see her. I just snuck her in and my boss didnt find out. So, nothing happened!

6. How long do you get for lunch at your job? -At my job, we get an hour for our lunch break. Its pretty flexible though. If we take a little longer its OK.

7. Whats the dress code at your job? -The dress code at my office is business casual. I dont wear suits. I usually wear pants and a nice shirt or a skirt and blouse. If I have a meeting or presentation, I might dress a little better.

8. Do employees typically get a lot of vacation days in your country? -I think Americans get a fair amount of vacation days. Usually, they get the big holidays off from work. Also, employees get a certain number of vacation hours each month. So, they can take vacations each year.

9. Are you allowed to bring children or animals to your place of employment? -No, we are not. Bringing animals and children to the office would be too distracting. They would cause employees to not get their work done.

10. How many hours are you required to work each day? -I have to work from 8:00-5:00 each day. So, I work 8 hours everyday. This is considered full-time work in the U.S. Luckily, most days I dont have to stay late and I can leave right at 5:00.


03-02 company policies

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