Happy People Do More Work!
A These days, people who run a business know that it is important to look after the people who work for them. Recent research shows that if employees feel good about their work, they are not only happier, but they are more likely to work harder and perform better. They will take less time off sick and are less likely to leave the company. So what exactly makes people happy at work? We asked 100 people employed by large and small businesses, and these are the five most important factors.
B People need to achieve something. They want to see that the decisions they make and the work they do have an end result. People enjoy solving problems and doing things that help other people. Bosses should realize that workers are happy when they are working hard, not when they are doing nothing.
C People want to be appreciated. They don’t necessarily want somebody to keep telling them that they are doing a great job, but they do want somebody to recognize what they have achieved. It doesn’t take much for a boss to say ‘well done’ occasionally, but many bosses just don’t think of it.
D People want to work with people they like. Being part of a team is very important for most employees, and enjoying the company of colleagues makes people want to go to work in the morning. They don’t expect colleagues to be their best friends, but they want to have a conversation and share a joke. Most people don’t enjoy working alone for too long.
E People need a degree of freedom. They want to control their own time and make their own decisions. Employees want their bosses to trust them and respect them. Nobody likes working in an environment where somebody is constantly telling them what to do or watching to check that they are busy.
F People enjoy learning something new. They either want to learn how to do something for the first time or how to do something better. Most people like to feel that they are creating something and don’t feel they are doing this if they are repeating a routine day after day.
For questions 7–14, complete the summary with words and phrases from the box. benefit succeed better achieve decide appreciate
creative colleagues friends control tell improve same
If employees feel happy at work, both they and the companies they work for (7) ________. Workers generally do a (8) ________ job if they are happy. It is important for employees to feel that they (9) ________ something and that the people they work for (10) ________ it. Most people enjoy their job more if they work with (11) ________ who they can communicate with. Employees do not like having a boss who wants to (12) ________ everything they do, and nobody likes being watched. People like to feel that they can learn something new or (13) ________ something they are already doing. Nobody enjoys doing the (14) ________ thing day after day.
D Check the key on page 173. How many questions did you answer correctly?
E Tick the sentences about the Reading task that are true for you and think about how you can answer more questions correctly next time.
1. I understand better how the topic sentence makes a paragraph easier to read. 2. I predicted what would be in each paragraph from reading the topic sentences. 3. I’m reading texts more quickly than I was. 4. I am happy with how many of the questions I answered correctly.
Key vocabulary in context
Complete the sentences with these verbs. appreciate deal with respect trust
1. Very small children don’t really __________ how much their parents do for them. 2. Children should __________ people older than them, like teachers. 3. My children are young, but I __________ them to cross the road safely. 4. Some parents don’t know how to __________ difficult children.
128 Pathway to IELTS 1 ∫ WB For focus on reading skills, go to Workbook page 166.
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