A ‣ Colleagues

Philip is my opposite number¹ in the company’s New York office. We have a good working relationship² and there’s a lot of day-today collaboration³. Having a counterpart⁴ like Philip in another branch is a great support. Last month we got a new boss, who quickly established a good rapport⁵ with everyone. She likes us to take the initiative⁶. The company is very hierarchical⁷; there’s a pecking order⁸ for everything. I do a job-share⁹ with a woman called Rose, which suits us as we each have childcare responsibilities. My office uses a hot-desking¹⁰ system, so I sit in a different place every day. I socialise with my workmates¹¹ outside of work, but we try not to talk shop¹² on those occasions.

¹ has the same position / does the same job as me
² way of communicating and working together
³ working together to achieve shared goals
⁴ more formal equivalent of opposite number
⁵ /ræˈpɔː/ communication/relationship
⁶ make decisions without being told what to do
⁷ /ˌhaɪəˈrɑːkɪkəl/ has a structure with important and less important people
⁸ a system where some people have the right to get benefits/promotions before others
⁹ an agreement where two people each share the same job
¹⁰ a policy of sharing desks in an office, so people sit at whichever desk is free on a particular day
¹¹ colleagues you are friendly with (especially in non-professional occupations); informal
¹² talk about work; informal

B ‣ During the day (different work patterns)

I do fairly mundane¹ tasks. Occasionally I have to meet a deadline² or they need someone to volunteer³ for something. Then the job is more rewarding⁴ and stimulating⁵ . Sometimes I have a heavy workload⁶ but at other times it can be quite light.

¹ ordinary, not interesting
² have something finished by a fixed day or time
³ offer to do something without being asked or told to do it
⁴ making you feel satisfied that you have done something important or useful, or done something well
⁵ encouraging new ideas or new thinking
⁶ amount of work I have to do

I start work at my machine at seven o’clock when I’m on the day shift. The job’s mechanical¹ and repetitive². All I ever think about is knocking off³ at three o’clock. The shift I hate most is the night shift. I start at ten and work till six in the morning. It’s a bit monotonous⁴. It’s not a satisfying⁵ job – I feel I need something a bit more challenging⁶.

¹ you don’t have to think about what you are doing
² the same thing is repeated every day
³ finishing work; informal
⁴ boring because it never changes
⁵ (does not) make me feel pleased by providing what I need or want
⁶ that tests my ability or determination

I have a pretty glamorous¹ job. I’m a pilot. But the hours are irregular and anti-social². I’m not stuck behind a desk³, but long-haul flights can be a bit mind-numbing⁴; most of the time the plane just flies itself. We work to very tight schedules⁵. But I shouldn’t complain. I feel sorry for people who are stuck in a rut⁶ or who are in dead-end⁷ jobs.

¹ very exciting, which everyone admires
² do not enable one to have a normal social life
³ sitting at a desk all day; informal
⁴ extremely boring
⁵ very strict or severely limited timetables ⁶ stuck/trapped in a job they can’t escape from
⁷ with no prospects of promotion

I started off as a technician¹. After retraining, I worked for a software company, and later I went in with² a friend and we formed our own software company as a start-up³ in 2009, so now I’m self-employed. My husband is freelance⁴: he works for several different companies as and when they need work done – he’s a computer programmer⁵.

¹ person whose job involves practical work with scientific or electrical equipment
² formed a business partnership with
³ a small business that has just started
⁴ or works freelance
⁵ someone who writes computer programs