U9e12

A labourer does manual work involving hard physical labour, such as digging roads.

An ironmonger works in a shop and sells tools and other articles for maintaining a house and garden.

A clerk works in an office and does low level work to do with filing or accounts.

An accountant works in an office and is in charge of the financial records of a company.

A carpenter does manual work and makes and repairs wooden objects such as furniture.

A stationer works in a shop that sells paper, envelopes, pens, and other equipment used for writing.

A florist works in a shop and arranges and sells flowers and houseplants.

A civil servant works permanently in a government office.

A plumber does manual work and repairs and installs the water pipes and bathrooms in people’s houses.

A newsagent works in a shop and sells newspapers, magazines and confectionary.

A PA (personal assistant) works in an office as the administrative assistant to a manager.

The headquarters of a company are its main offices.

A warehouse is a large building for storing goods.

A picket line is a line of striking workers standing outside their place of work in order to prevent other workers entering the bulding or to get them to join them.

A branch of a company is one of the offices or shops which belong to it and which is located in a different place from the headquarters.

A boardroom is a large room used by the company directors for meetings.

A department is a section of a company which deals with a specific aspect of the company’s business.

A conference room is a room which is used for formal meetings, with representatives of other companies, for example.

A company might downgrade a job or position, because it has become less important in the company structure.

A successful manager knows how to delegate less important work to others so that he can concentrate on more important issues that need his attention.

Workers might come out on strike when they feel that management is not listening to their demands for more pay or better working conditions. Or they might do this to show their sympathy for other striking workers.

One company might buy, or take over, another company when they feel that this company will increase their share of the market.

An unemployed person will sign on at the Labour Exchange when he or she wants to ask for unemployment benefit (the dole).

A person applies for a job when they fill in an application form.

A company will make a profit if they have money left over after all the expenses have been paid.