•You will hear five different people talking about their present jobs.•For each

1  You know, our manager has set a very high standard for us but not for himself. First, though it is generally understood that overtime constitutes work time, he often puts undue pressure on us to stay and finish work without paying extra for it. We think this practice should be prohibited. Besides, many employees believe that the manager set an unrealistic rime frame for finishing projects. They often have no direct say in the deadline times. Some even argue this constitutes cruel and unusual punishment and shouldn’t be permitted. Finally he even restricts employees from taking breaks to chat or even to go to the washroom. This practice is clearly a violation of the human rights and shouldn’t be allowed.
2  Richard, I think you have done a perfect job. I am just amazed by it. Your knowledge in international contract law and chemical products just helped us win the project quite smoothly. At first, our chances were slim because we have been in this field only for three years, and I never expected we could make it so easily. To be honest, things were not to our advantage at first and we had too many competitors. I even prepared for the failure. However, your effort just changed the idea of the board. They were convinced by your strategies and goals. They even said you are the most employee they have ever seen. Your contribution to the company is really valuable and will be remembered.
3  I have been working here for 20 years. Every day all I have to do is to trot up costs and profits on the computer.  It’s the same job and the same office year after year.  No challenge, no creation. I can’t imagine how I can stay here for the rest of my life. I don’t want to say I hate the job but I am not interested in it any more even though I am often praised by the manager and get better paid. I am just fed up with it. I am the kind of person who wants to try new things and who likes changes. To be honest, I like working with people rather than dealing with all these boring figures.
4  I am sure our latest product will have some problems. There is something wrong with the design because the engine is making some strange noises. It seems to me that there might be a slight crack in one part of it. But I’m not quite sure. I understand that the models we produced before never have this kind of problem. It just makes me uneasy because our company is the leading manufacturer of this kind of engine and our products are sold everywhere in the world. The problem will certainly damage our reputation. As the contract is due in a couple of weeks, our time is certainly pressing. We’d better have a meeting immediately and think out what we can do about it.
5  You have been working here for so many years. How can you make such stupid mistakes in the invoice. As far as I know this is not the first time. The same things happened a year before considering you had just changed the job, we forgave you then. You know the loss you brought to the company this time -- $50,000 ! It’s almost half of profits for this month. This does not include our established reputation in the feild. I even don’t know how to report this to the headquarter. No, don’t give me any excuses. The company does not pay you to make mistakes. We have already paid too much for that. We need someone who can really accomplish the job; I hope you can understand that.