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BUSINESS ENGLISH · BUSINESS ISSUES · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

WORK AND
MEANING
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1 Warm up

In pairs, discuss the following questions.

1. Imagine you got a job where you were paid £1,000,000 per year. The job was cleaning toilets.
Would you be happy to do the job? Why/Why not?
2. Would it make any difference to you if the job was in a hospital where there were very ill children?
3. Would it make any difference to you if you were doing the job in a company where most people
were making at least £5,000,000 per year?

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2 Finding vocabulary

Find vocabulary in the article on page three which means the same as the following definitions.

1. (n): a reason for something to happen

2. (n): a person who provides money or effort to partly support something

3. (n): a strong desire to do a particular job, especially one that is helpful to

others
4. (n): a way of using skills or energy to do something useful

5. (v): use something for a particular purpose

6. (n): the state of being connected to other people

7. (n): the state of having complete control over what you do without having to
ask for permission
8. (n): the main reason for living

3 Reading for gist

Match the following sentences to the first sentence of paragraphs A - D. There are more sentences
than paragraphs.

1. Being part of a community also gives work significance.

2. Many people in life find themselves searching for meaning to what they do day to day.
3. In 2020, McKinsey & Company did a survey asking if it was important for their company to have
a purpose.
4. So what can we learn from this information?
5. For others, meaning can come down to the age-old question of whether you live to work, or work
to live.
6. But what’s the meaning of ‘meaning’?

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Why we do what we do
Finding meaning in work

A. 82% responded that it was. In 2022, a new survey by the same company found that when it
came to having a personal sense of purpose, 70% said that it was largely defined by their work. Given the large
proportion of time we spend working, it seems the majority of people want their work to go beyond giving them
a paycheck. A company that has purpose has workers who share that purpose. When that work is meaningful
to them, it gives them the impetus to work hard and are less likely to leave. So for work to have meaning is
advantageous to everyone, from the CEO down.

B. It can vary greatly from individual to individual. Often it means having a sense of being a
contributor to society. It’s why careers in education and medicine are often described as a calling. Having direct
contact with people who you are helping, often in life-changing ways, can be an important driver for many people
that wouldn’t be fulfilled if they worked in, say, retail or the media. However, for others, being part of creating
something is what gives definition to their lives. Not using the talents you have to express yourself and be part of
something larger can be deeply frustrating for most people. Finding an outlet for them serves as a motivator. It is
this that can drive people to start new businesses, turn to creative hobbies, and no doubt explains the underground
movements in dance and graffiti.

C. Teamwork is utilised in many fields, from catering, to sales, to professional football. Knowing
that others need you and would be worse off without you is not just important as an employee, but as a person.
This is why freelance and remote work can sometimes be challenging. If you start asking yourself: would anyone
notice if I didn’t show up? You know that there’s a problem. A 2020 study by Brookings found that relatedness was
the most significant factor in when it came to how much meaning we experienced in our work, with autonomy
coming second. Although many of us like to be able to have a sense of control over our work, it seems we want
to connect with those whom we work alongside much more.

D. Receiving money for a job that allows you to do what you enjoy with your freetime can be
enough to give it meaning. If you enjoy collecting hats, or travelling around the country on your motorbike and
your job pays for that, then this can be reason enough to do it. Some work only as much as they need to and find
their raison d’etre in volunteer work, or caring for family and friends. The key, it would seem, is being content with
your personal choices.

Source: BBC

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4 Reading comprehension

Read the article and choose the correct endings a - i for the sentences. There are more endings than
sentences.

1. When asked about their personal sense of purpose in a survey, 7 out of 10 people responded that
it ...

2. Employees who do work which ...

3. The need to be helpful to other people ...

4. The ability to be creative in their work ...

5. Community is important to the human condition and feeling connected to others in ...

6. There are those who see work as a means to pursue their interests in their free time and don’t feel
....

7. Overall, if you know you are in a situation due to your own choices, this is what ...

a. ... was defined by their work.

b. ... is meaningful to them are likely to work harder and stay longer with that company.

c. .... a need to find meaning in their work.

d. ... a work team can be very rewarding.

e. ... is a key motivation to some, as they can see the way they are improving lives for others.

f. ... is vital to having a feeling of control.

g. ... is essential for some people.

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5 Idioms of success
Look at the idioms in the box. Use them to replace the words in bold in the following sentences. You
may have to change the form of some of the words.

• to have a long way to go

• to have got what it takes
• to get something off the ground
• to do well for yourself
• to be better late than never
• to wish someone the best of luck with something
• to do something to good effect
• to make your mark on something

1. After he left university, Stanton used his degree in business and economics well and quickly found
work as an advisor.

2. I’d love to really have a huge impact on the film industry and make a film that everyone would talk
about for years and years to come.

3. I’ve made a good start in my first business, but I still need to make a lot more progress before I’m
where I want to be in life.

4. I was 49 years old before I really found what I wanted to do with my life. It’s good that I found it
rather than not finding it at all, I suppose.

5. He’s talking about becoming a professional footballer. I mean, he’s good but I don’t know if he has
the skills that he needs to do that.

6. My manager is leaving tomorrow after working here for over ten years, so we’re having a small
party to say we hope he will be successful.

7. My sister worked as a cook after she left school, but she’s been very successful and now owns
three restaurants.

8. It took me about three years to really start having success with my photography business, but
I’ve been making a decent living from it for several years now.

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Now in pairs, discuss the following questions.

1. What do you hope you will have made your mark on in twenty years from now?
2. Who do you know who has done very well for themselves? What did they do?
3. When you were at school, did you think you had what it takes to be successful? Why/Why not?
4. How long did it take you to get your career off the ground? What have you done that really
helped?
5. Are you happy with what you have, or do you think you still have a long way to go before you will
have done what you want to do with your life?
6. What lessons or things you learned from experience have you put to good effect to help you in
your career?

6 Listening for gist

Listen to three people talk about finding meaning in their work. Underline the correct option for each
speaker.

1. Speaker 1 now works as a photographer/banker/sales person/baker/teacher/lawyer.

2. Speaker 2 now works as a photographer/banker/sales person/baker/teacher/lawyer.

3. Speaker 3 now works as a photographer/banker/sales person/baker/teacher/lawyer.

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7 Listening comprehension
Read the statements and complete the table by ticking the correct box if it’s true for that speaker.

Speaker 1 Speaker 2 Speaker 3

1. I invested a lot of
money in chasing my
dream job.

2. I feel like people I

knew when I was
growing up judge
what I do.

3. I’m excited about

the chance to do a
trip in the near future
where I can follow my
passion.

4. My main
motivation when I left
school was making
money.

5. I really enjoy being

part of a team at
work.

6. An activity that
started as an interest
in my free time
became a way of
earning money.

7. I get a lot of
happiness from seeing
other people feel so
happy.

8. My salary is lower
now than it used to
be.

9. I found when I
started doing my
dream job that the
reality was different
from the idea.

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8 Talking point

In pairs, discuss the following questions.

1. Which people in the listening task have the most similar ideas about work to you? Explain your
answer.
2. Do you find meaning in your job? If so, what is it about your job that gives it meaning?
3. Is there any part of your job that is creative? What is it?
4. Do you think it’s more important to make good money or do a job that you like? Why?
5. Do you think it is possible to do a job that is meaningful and also pays you very well? Why/Why
not?
6. Do you spend a lot of time outside of your job doing things you love to do? What are they?

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Transcripts

6. Listening for gist

Speaker 1 : When I left school, I was so excited to be an adult. I wanted the independence, the
lifestyle and most importantly, the money. We’d never had enough when I was growing
up. My dad left when I was young and it was just me and Mum and my two sisters.
Everything felt really stretched and we were never able to have a lot of anything. Like,
we’d sit down to watch a film and there was popcorn, but it was one little bag between
all of us. I wanted to do really well for myself and stop worrying about how much of
everything I was using. I went into banking and worked really hard to get my career off
the ground. So I had the money now, but I’d groan every morning when I woke up for
work. It was stressful and honestly, I just didn’t care about any of it. I started doing yoga
to relax. I got really friendly with my teacher and we even went to India together to do
a course in it. I ended up leaving banking to teach yoga to others. I love working with
people rather than being stuck behind a desk and I feel so good. I’ve got less money and
have to watch what I spend, but I’d much rather have a life I love. Took my ten years of
misery to work it out, but better late than never, I suppose.

Speaker 2 : I wanted to be a photographer from day one. Nothing else interested me at school and I
loved spending time cycling around the area where I lived and taking photos of birds and
the animals I’d see around a river that I’d go to. I wanted to make my mark on the world of
photography, but knew that nature photography wasn’t going to pay much immediately,
so I started doing portraits. I bought a lot of photography equipment and set up a studio
which was really expensive and used up most of my savings. Unfortunately, I quickly
found out that the truth of my job was that there were a lot more emails and dealing
with people than actual photography. Also, the photos I was taking just felt like the
same ones all the time and everyone wants to look like something they aren’t these
days. I ended up getting a job selling cameras and not even using my own for years. I
just feel as though I haven’t got what it takes to be a photographer. Now though, I’ve
been promoted and I make reasonable money from my job. So at the weekends, I go out
and photograph what I want without having to explain it to anyone. Next month, I’m
going to Africa to see what I do there. I’m so excited. Sales isn’t exactly what I want, but
it lets me do this and that makes me happy.

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Speaker 3: I got a job in a bakery after I left school because I didn’t really know what else to do.
Twenty years later, I’m still here. I’m not sure that baking bread and making cakes is really
what interests me, but we have such a great team. Honestly, I laugh out loud every day.
The rest of the team are fantastic and we have such a good time together. I’ve learned
a lot and I’m actually pretty great at what I do and have put those skills to good effect.
We’re always busy and it makes me happy to see the products I make be so popular. I
sometimes have people I was at school with coming in and saying things like ‘Wow, you
still work here?’ as though I have a long way to go in life. But I just ignore it. I’m really
happy and the idea of getting another job just doesn’t interest me. I’m part of something
here. It always smells fantastic and people come into a bakery to get things they really
want. So everyone is always happy when they’re here. Who wouldn’t want that? If you
want to be a lawyer or a banker with loads of money and a nice car, I wish you the best
of luck with that, I’m happy for you. But you’re not going to see the light in a child’s eyes
when you give them a cake, and that’s what makes me happy.

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Key

1. Warm up

5 mins.
These questions take a hypothetical approach to working out what it is that motivates people to work. Ask
students to discuss them in pairs or small groups. You may want to bring the discussion back to the class and
take a poll on what the answers were if you want to extend the activity a little.

2. Finding vocabulary

5 mins.
This identifies some of the key vocabulary in the article and supports students with focus on useful terms.

1. impetus 2. contributor 3. calling 4. outlet

5. utilise 6. relatedness 7. autonomy 8. raison d’etre

3. Reading for gist

5 mins.
You may want to set a time limit to encourage students to skim read rather than read in detail.

A. 3. In 2020, McKinsey & Company did a survey asking if it was important for their company to have a purpose.
B. 6. But what’s the meaning of ‘meaning’?
C. 1. Being part of a community also gives work significance.
D. 5. For others, meaning can come down to the age-old question of whether you live to work, or work to live.
Sentences not used:
2. Many people in life find themselves searching for meaning to what they do day to day.
4. So what can we learn from this information?
Article source: https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220902-the-search-for-meaning-at-work

4. Reading comprehension

10 mins.
Ask the students to read the article more carefully and complete the sentences so that they reflect on the information
in the article and are grammatically correct.

1. → a. 2. → b. 3. → e. 4. → g.
5. → d. 6. → c. 7. → f.

5. Idioms of success

15 mins.
Ask the students to read the idioms in the box and then use them to replace the words in bold in the sentences.
You may want to discuss the meaning of the idioms before you do this. When they have finished, ask them to
discuss the questions in pairs or small groups. Circulate and help as needed.

1. to good effect 2. make my mark

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3. have a long way to go 4. better late than never

5. has got what it takes 6. wish him the best of luck
7. done very well for herself 8. get my photography business off the ground

6. Listening for gist

5 mins.
This provides an opportunity for the students to listen to the audio and get a general idea of what is said before
the main comprehension.

1. teacher
2. sales person
3. baker

7. Listening comprehension

5 mins.
Ask the students to read the statements carefully and complete them as best they can before they listen again to
check their answers.
Key:
1 - Speaker 2
2 - Speaker 3
3 - Speaker 2
4 - Speaker 1
5 - Speaker 3
6 - Speaker 1
7 - Speaker 3
8 - Speaker 1
9 - Speaker 2

8. Talking point

10 mins.
Ask students to discuss the questions in pairs or small groups. Circulate and help as needed.

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