Student A Role Student B Role

(1b) You are a manager. You have an employee that hasn't

(1a) You are a working been performing well. He/she is often late. He/she also
man/woman who has a large spends a lot of time checking his/her private emails and
family. You are at work. Your strange websites instead of doing work. Yesterday, you
boss wants to talk with you. caught her/him sleeping at his/her desk. Please fire the
employee (in a nice way).
(2a) You are a manager. You are
(2b) You are at work. Please tell your boss that you have
in your office. Your best
accepted a position at another company, so you will be
employee knocks on your door.
leaving the company in 2 weeks.
He/she wants to talk with you.
(3a) You are a boss. Tell your
employees that because of the
economic crisis, they will be
taking a 20% pay cut. This pay
(3b) You are at work. Your lovely boss has an
cut actually started last month,
announcement.
but you forgot to tell them. Also,
you will need them to come in on
the weekends for the next few
months, until things get better.
(4b) Your boss has been forcing you to work more and
more overtime every week. You have also been given
(4a) You are the manager of a
many extra responsibilities that do not fall under your job
busy company. One of your
description. You haven't been able to spend much time
employees wants to talk with you.
with your family, and your husband/wife is threatening to
divorce you. Please talk to your boss.
(5b) You are on the street.
You lost your job last month because of the economic
(5a) You are walking on the crisis. You also got kicked out of your apartment yesterday
street. because you couldn't pay rent. You are hungry, and
essentially, homeless. Convince the other person, who is a
stranger to you, to help you.
(6a) You are a doctor. Your
patient is very unhealthy due to
excessive drinking and smoking
(cigarettes). He/she also eats (6b) You are at the doctor's office. You have just had a
unhealthily and does not exercise health checkup.
enough. Convince him/her to
change the way he/she is living,
or he/she might die.
(7a) The family next to your
house has a dog. The dog barks
loudly every night, and you can't
(7b) Your neighbor comes to talk with you about your lovely
sleep. Tell your neighbor to make
dog.
his dog quiet. Tell him/her that if
the dog doesn't shut up, you'll do
something about it yourself.
Workplace Negotiation Role-plays & Discussion Expressions (ESL)

Role-play #1

You have recently been hired as a security guard. When you were
hired, you were offered an hourly wage of $10. You accepted this
because you needed the money. However, recently you have
Employee learned that this is below the minimum wage. Discuss this issue
with your boss.

You run a security company. An employee of yours has asked to

Boss speak with you. The employee is a newcomer to Canada; you hired
him/her recently even though s/he was inexperienced.

Role-play #2

You work at a bank. When you started working there, you worked
the standard 40 hours a week. However, the boss has been slowly
giving you more and more work. As a result, you've been doing
Employee more and more overtime.

There are two issues: there overtime is unpaid and you have too
much work. Discuss the issue with your boss.
You are a manager at a bank. Business is difficult nowadays
because of the weak economy. Everyone needs to work hard in
order for the bank to succeed.
Boss
Today, one of your employees asks to speak with you about an
issue.

Role-Play #3

You work at a shoe store. You need to go back to the country you
Employee lived in before Canada during Christmas time for personal reasons.
Make this request to your boss.
You manage a shoe store. Two of your employees have asked for a
vacation time during the Christmas season. You rejected their
Boss
request because Christmas is your busiest season. Now, another
one of your employees would like to speak with you.
 Employee
Employer
You work at ABC Shoe Store. When you
You are the owner of ABC Shoe were hired, you were given the minimum
Store. You pay your new wage of $11 an hour. Six months have
employees $11 an hour, which is passed since you were hired. You believe
the minimum wage. you deserve a raise (think of reasons why
you deserve one).
Today, one of your employees
asks to speak to you. When ready, make this request (politely)
to your boss.

Employee
Employer
You were hired as a receptionist at a
You are the owner of a small
small company last week. Every day, you
company. Your company has 6
work from 8 to 3 pm. Your boss is very
employees.
demanding, and s/he wants you to be by
the telephone at the reception area all day
You have recently hired a new
without breaks.
receptionist. Your company is
very busy; it's important that this
You have recently learned that workers
receptionist is in the reception
are entitled to a 30-minute break for
area to greet clients and answer
every 5 hours of work in Canada.
the phone at all times.
Talk to your boss and try to convince
Today, s/he asks to speak with
him/her to let you have a break/breaks
you.
every day.

Employee - woman

You are an accountant in a small

Employer - man
company. Whenever there is a meeting,
your boss, a man, asks you to make
You run a small company. You
coffee for everyone. Also, twice a week,
have six employees. Five of
he asks you to water the plants in the
them are men, and one is a
office.
woman. The female employee is
an accountant.
These duties are not part of your job
description as an accountant. However,
Today, the accountant asks to
you are the only woman in the office, so
speak with you.
you believe that is why your boss asks
you to do this. Talk to your boss today
about this issue.