Fava SENA - Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje

FAVA - Formación en Ambientes Virtuales de Aprendizaje
SENA - Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje.

A typical day at work
ESTRUCTURA DE CONTENIDOS
Pág.
Introducción....................................................................................................................... 3
Mapa de contenido............................................................................................................ 4
1. Let’s listen......................................................................................................................5
2.1. Going through a typical day at work........................................................................... 5
2. Let’s talk.........................................................................................................................6
2.1. Work related vocabulary............................................................................................. 7
2.1.1. People at work.........................................................................................................7
2.1.2. Workplace activities.................................................................................................8
2. 1. 3. Workplace related idioms...................................................................................... 9
2. 1. 4. Useful language to interact at workplace.............................................................10
3. Let’s read and write......................................................................................................10
3.1 Developing work plans...............................................................................................11
3.2. Writing professional emails.......................................................................................14
4. Grammar points............................................................................................................16
4.1. Prepositions of place.................................................................................................16
5. Vocabulary builder........................................................................................................18
Glosario........................................................................................................................... 24
Bibliografía.......................................................................................................................
26
Control del documento.................................................................................................... 27

SENA - Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje. 2

INTRODUCTION
What is a typical day at work like for you? What are your main duties and responsabilities
at work? Well, most of us probably do at work pretty much the same stuff: attending
meetings, answering phone calls, reading and writing emails from clients or collaborators,
preparing reports, creating work plans, among other interesting and demanding activities.
As an information systems analyst and developer you will certainly be expected to perform
many of the tasks we just mentioned, and some of them will definitely require you to
communicate in a foreign language, for example when interacting with clients from abroad
or working with colleagues located in other countries overseas. In any case, English will
be the vehicle you will need to use to interact with other people at work so it is important
you get familiar with a good deal of work related vocabulary.
Being able to write and read professional English can also be a plus for someone like you
who is starting a career in the information systems area. Therefore, this time we will check
some useful language you can use to communicate at work as well as some guidelines to
read and write workplace forms and documents. Let’s get started!

MAPA DE CONTENIDO

DESARROLLO DE CONTENIDOS
Let’s listen
Staff meetings can be a little bit tough sometimes, don’t you think? Usually, these meetings
are planned with the aim of addressing issues related to the company’s performance in
order to determine the best way to achieve goals and improve its operation. At these
meetings, colleagues from different departments or areas share their projects and show
facts and figures on how their projects have progressed.
Attending meetings is just one activity on the long list of duties and responsibilities we may
have at our workplaces, but it can be one the most demanding since we need to interact
and discuss matters with other people, sometimes in a foreign language. Let’s see how
my first staff meetings go. Pay special attention to the vocabulary used to talk about work
stuff.
1.1. Going through a typical day at work
A: Good morning Mary! Are you getting ready for your presentation at our weekly staff
meeting?
B: Yes, Boss. I’m preparing the folders with the information about our IT project.
A: Did you manage to print all the reports for the colleagues who are attending the meeting
this afternoon?
B: Yes, I did. Those are the reports I’m putting in the folders.

A: Perfect! What about the work plan? Did you prepare the action plan to show our
colleagues how we are going to develop our project?
B: Yes, I already did that. I made a Gantt chart, distributed some tasks and assigned a
lead person for each activity.
A: That’s great! Can you remind me of the deadline for the completion of this project? I
completely forgot it.
B: Sure! Our project needs to meet the deadline on November 10th.
A: What? This is incredible! We have no more than three months left to carry out the
whole project.
B: That’s right! I guess we will need to recruit some additional analysts if we want to get
ahead with this project.
A: Ok, I’ll talk to Sinthia to ask for help with the recruitment process.
B: Uhmm, and who is Sinthia?
A: She is the head of the Human Resources Department. She is responsible for hiring all
our potential collaborators.
B: I see. All the extra hands we can have right now will be of great help.
A: I know, Susana, time is against us. But, if everything turns out to be as we expect it, I
will help you to get a promotion.
B. A promotion? That would be so nice, boss!
A: Oh! The meeting starts in ten minutes. Let’s get this finished. Let me help you.
2. Let’s talk
Now that you already got familiar with some of the most commonly used vocabulary at
work, let’s check some useful words and expression to address those people we work
with and to talk about the activities or tasks we perform at our workplace on a daily basis.
Let’s take this chance to also review some useful idiomatic expressions we can use when
interacting with others in a work environment. Idiomatic expressions or idioms are words

or phrases that don’t have a literal meaning, they must be understood in a figurative way
instead. Idioms don’t mean exactly what the words say, therefore it is important to be able
to spot them and get their real meaning.
2.1. People at work
In this section, we’ll check some words that are especially used when addressing people
and their positions at a workplace. Here we have a basic organizational structure in which
some relations among positions are explained.
CEO
Administration
Finance Team HR Team
Team
Human resources Administration

Financial manager Technical manager manager
manager
Senior manager Senior manager Senior manager Senior manager
Assistant manager Assistant manager Assistant manager Assistant manager
Staff Staff Staff Staff

CEO. is the abbreviation for chief executive officer and is the person with the most
important position in a company.
A Senior Manager. is the person at the highest level of management of an organization.

This person is in charge of the day-to-day tasks of managing that organization.
An Assistant Manager. is the person in charge of performing managerial tasks when

the Senior Manager is unavailable. These tasks may include direct supervision of staff,
employee evaluation, and initial disciplinary contact, among others.
The staff in a company or corporation includes all the people employed by that particular
organization.
In an organization, a boss is the person in charge of the department where you work and
is the one who exercises control or authority on you.
A co-worker. is the person with whom you work, typically someone in a similar role or at
a similar level within an organization. Another way to call this person is colleague.
2.2. Workplace activities
These are the most common activities you perform at work on a daily basis.

2.3. Work related idioms

Here are some of the most common idiomatic expressions people use at their workplace.
Remember that their meaning is not literal and that you must learn their figurative meaning.
2.4. Useful language to interact at workplace

In this final section, we’ll introduce some expressions you can use when interacting with
other people at work. Every expression has a particular communicative intention. Let’s
see what they are used for.
3. Let’s read and write
Work plans are strategic documents that set out how a company, partnership, project or
individual will achieve its goals. They are of great help since they allow people to transform
big nonconcrete goals into smaller and easier to get tasks and outcomes.
An effective work plan is the one that ensures that all the resources, experience and
skilled people can be combined to work effectively and sustainably.
As ADSI students, it is important that you know how to devise and develop work plans as
they can be excellent tools to assure your project
success. Let’s read the following review on work
plans and their purpose. Pay special attention to
the way work plans are presented here and use
them when planning your own project.
Work plans, the best allies for project

management
In a work plan, people usually outline a set of

goals and establish a series of processes to allow

the accomplishment of those goals. This is achieved by breaking down a big process into
small, achievable tasks. By reading the work plan, readers can clearly understand what
the scope of a project is. Regardless of the context in which work plans are used, these
route maps help you stay focused while working on your project.
Let’s check some basic instructions to learn how to create impressive and effective work
plans.
1. Set a clear purpose for your work plan. It is important you identify what is the reason
why you are writing your work plan. Establishing a purpose for your work plan will help
you to later define aspects such as what is intended and how it is going to be achieved.
Remember to include also the deadlines you will fix to complete your project.
2. Start with an introduction and a description of your project background. In a professional

work environment, the introduction and the background of a project help readers to put the
plan into context. Keep in mind that your introduction must be something rather short and
appealing than a long dense text.
As a complement, the background should include supporting information that underlines

the reasons why the work plan is being created.
3. Fix your goals and objectives. Goals and objectives refer to those things that are

expected to be to accomplished through the work plan, but take into account that goals
are general and objectives are rather specific. Goals should focus on the ultimate outcome
of your work plan. Objectives should be specific and tangible (wikiHow, 2017).
To write your work plan objectives use action verbs in the active voice. Some examples of
verbs you can use are “devise”, “measure” and “formulate” instead of verbs with unclear
meanings (e.g. “observe,” “comprehend,” “recognize,” etc.).
4. Check the “SMART” objectives definition. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable,
Achievable and Relevant, and is a way to set reasonable and plausible objectives.
Research a little bit more about this concept when writing your own work plan.
5. Make a list of the resources needed. On this list, you should include all the things you
will need to accomplish your goals and objectives. Some of these resources can include
staff, facilities, a budget, advisors and consultants, etc.
6. Detect possible constraints. “Constraints” are obstacles that may get in the way of

achieving your goals and objectives» (wikiHow, 2017).
7. Assign responsibilities. In order to create a good work plan, you must designate a
responsible or lead person who will be in charge of ensuring that each task can be
completed on time.
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8. Plan your strategy and list specific action steps. Once you have written your work plan,
decide how you will use your resources and overcome your constraints in order to reach

your goals and objectives. Then, identify what needs to be done each day or week for you
to complete your objectives. Consider using project management software or a personal
calendar to keep this information organized (wikiHow, 2017).
9. Create a schedule. Fix a tentative work schedule, and have in mind possible unexpected
events that might delay the development of your project.
Major tasks
Responsibility Activity Tasks Time frame Lead from Action
person(s) Plans
MAEE Yearly 1. Lead 07 a. Plan and lead regular meetings for conference As needed, starting again Amy Rager, Su Beran
Conference conference committee members in June 06
committee and
b. Set agendas and coordinate meeting logistics As needed, starting again
establish Amy Rager,Su Beran
(meeting place, in June 06
subcommittees
c. Communicate with MAEE board Quarterly at board Amy Rager, Su Beran
meetings
Amy Rager, Su
d. Recruit conference committee members As needed
Beran, Sarah Gainey
Fuente: (resources.spaces3, 2017)
3.2. Writing professional emails
In addition to being able to read and write work plans, another important writing task you
will need to perform at your workplace is composing emails to send to your clients or
collaborators.
Writing a perfect professional email in English can be a challenging task, however, here
we will emphasize on the most important aspects to take into account when dealing with
this type of writing.
Fuente: (Woculus, 2017)

1. Start with a greeting
Always try to open your email message with a greeting depending on whether your
relationship with the reader is formal or informal. If it is a formal one, use their family name
(eg. «Dear Mrs. Pérez»). If the relationship is rather a casual one, you can just start by
saying «Hi Linda». In case you don’t know the name of the person you are writing to, use
the formula:
«To whom it may concern» or «Dear Sir/Madam»
2. Say thanks to the recipient
Usually, recipients write to us making especial requirements or inquiring for specific

information. If you are replying to a client’s inquiry, then start the message with a line of thanks.
One formula you can use in this situation is «Thank you for contacting XXX Company».
If someone has replied to one of your emails, then say, «Thank you for your prompt reply»
or «Thanks for getting back to me». Thanking the reader will make you seem more polite.
3. Express the purpose of your message or reply
If you are the one who is starting the email communication, you cannot include a line of
thanks. Instead, start by stating your purpose clearly. A possible formula could be «I am
writing to enquire about …» or «I am writing in reference to …».
Once your purpose is clear at the beginning of the message, move into the main text of
your email. Try to keep it short and simple a pay careful attention to grammar, spelling and
punctuation.
4. Add some closing remarks
One way to finish your email politely is by thanking your reader once again and by adding
some polite closing remarks. These could be «Thank you for your patience and cooperation»
or «Thank you for your consideration». Additionally, include the following formulas to show
yourself somehow attentive and accessible for a future contact: «If you have any questions
or concerns, don’t hesitate to let me know» and «I look forward to hearing from you».
5. Don’t forget the closing
Finally, include a proper closing with your name. Possible professional closings could be
«Best regards», «Sincerely», and «Thank you». Don’t use closings such as «Best wishes»
or «Cheers» unless you have a close relationship with the reader.

4. Grammar points
Learning the prepositions of place in English can be very convenient since we constantly
need to describe the location or position things have in relation to others. All the time we
are asking about where things are or we show other people the place where something
is located.
Let’s have a look at some of the most commonly used prepositions of place in English,
but be careful, because sometimes it is not that easy to identify in what cases certain
prepositions should be used.
4.1. Prepositions of place
In front of
It is used to describe a position in which something or someone is at
the front part of something or someone else.
• The Senior Manager is delivering a speech in front of the company’s
staff.
• Teachers stand in front of their students all the time.
Behind
Behind is the opposite of In front of. It means at the back (part) of

something.
• The line for paying bills is too long, there are many people behind me.
• All the company’s managers always stand behind the CEO.
Between
It is used to refer to something located in the middle of two objects or

things.
• Please, sit between me and John at the meeting. We are angry

at each other and I don’t want to talk to him.
• The number 5 is between the number 4 and 6.

Across from / Opposite
Both prepositions mean exactly the same thing. They usually refers to
one thing being in front of something else, but separated by something
in the middle.
• The bank is across from our facilities (= it is on the other side of the
road).
• Mom and Dad sat opposite each other during dinner.
• (= They are in front of each other and there is a table between them)
In
It is used to say that something is located in an enclosed space

(surrounded by or closed off on all sides). Basically, when something is
inside something.
• The meeting will be in the Senior Manager’s office (inside the office)
• There are too many biscuits left in the box.
Next to / Beside
Both prepositions mean exactly the same thing. They usually refers to
a thing (or person) that is at the side of another thing.
• Susana’s work station is right next to mine.

• Men’s restroom is beside the cafeteria.
Near / Close to
Both prepositions mean exactly the same thing. They are similar to
next to / beside, but there is more of a distance between the two things.
• My house is near a Transmilenio station.

• We couldn’t park our car close to the office.

On
It is used to describe something that is in a position that is physically

touching something else.
• There is a nice painting hanging on the wall.

• I have lots of books on my work station.
Above / Over
These two prepositions mean “at a higher position than X”, but above
normally refers to being directly (vertically) above something.
• There are too many clouds above us, we can get enough sun rays.
• Our neighbors in the apartment above us are really noisy.
• Susana accidentally spilled her coffee all over the table during the
staff meeting.
Under / Below
They both mean at a lower level.
• People cannot breath under/below the water.

• You can put your bag under the table.
5. Vocabulary builder
As we have been learning in the previous sections a lot of vocabulary related to activities
we do at our workplace, in this final section, we will introduce a selection of vocabulary
people can use when writing a work plan.
Pay special attention to the context in which each word is used and work on expanding
your vocabulary by learning the synonyms and phrases that appear along with each term.






GLOSARIO
Accomplish (verb): To do or finish something successfully; achieve something.
Assign (verb): To give to someone a job or responsibility, or to decide on a person for a

particular job or responsibility.
Assistant Manager (noun): The person in charge of performing managerial tasks when
the Senior Manager is unavailable. These tasks may include direct supervision of staff,
employee evaluation, and initial disciplinary contact, among others.
Be in hot water (idiom): It is used to say that someone is in trouble or has a big problem.
Boss (noun): In an organization, a boss is the person in charge of the department where
you work and is the one who exercises control or authority on you.
Call it a day (idiom): It is an expression used to say that it was enough work for today
and that it’s time to go home.
CEO (noun): The abbreviation for chief executive officer and the person with the most
important position in a company.
Co-worker: The person with whom you work, typically someone in a similar role or at a
similar level within an organization. Another way to call this person is colleague.
Deadline (noun): A time or day by which something must be done.
Get the sack/be given the sack (idiom): It means to be fired, to loose one’s job. To be
forced by a company to leave one’s job.
Lead person (noun): Is a working leader who performs tasks substantially similar (in
terms of nature and level) as the employees under his/her leadership.
Learn the ropes (idiom): It is used to the process of learning about something until you
are comfortable with it.
Ongoing (adjective): Continuing to exist, happen, or develop.
Put something on hold (idiom): It means to postpone something. To do something later.
Responsibility (noun): A duty to take care of something.
Senior Manager (noun): The person at the highest level of management of an organization.
This person is in charge of the day-to-day tasks of managing that organization.
Set a goal (verb): To establish or fix a goal or objective.

Slack off (idiom): It means to work unproductively and lazily.
Staff (noun): In a company or corporation the staff includes all the people employed by
that particular organization.
Task (noun): A piece of work to be done.
The ball is in your court (idiom): It is used to say that someone has control of the
situation or must decide what to do about a matter.
Timeframe (noun): A period of days, weeks, months, etc. within which an activity is
intended to happen.
Undertake (verb): To take responsibility for and begin doing something.

BIBLIOGRAFÍA
Collocation examples, Usage and Definition | collocation dictionary. (2017).
Oxforddictionary.so8848.com. Recuperado de: https://goo.gl/8xJhoS
English dictionary with synonyms, examples and English translator. (2017).

Englishdictionary.education. Recuperado de: http://englishdictionary.
education/
Englishcurrent.com. (2017). List and Examples of Business/Work-related

English Idioms & Phrases. Recuperado de: http://www.englishcurrent.com/
idioms/workrelated-idioms-list-business-english/
Resources.spaces3.com. (2017). Cite a Website - Cite This For Me.

Recuperado de: http://resources.spaces3.com/27dba4e5-1b2e-458f-9a35-
4831db29710d.doc
Thesaurus.com - The world’s favorite online thesaurus!. (2017). Thesaurus.

com. Recuperado de: http://www.thesaurus.com/
WikiHow. (2017). How to Write a Work Plan. Recuperado de: http://www.

wikihow.com/Write-a-Work-Plan
Woculus. (2017). How to Answer Emails Professionally (With Examples).

Recuperado de: http://www.woculus.com/how-answer-emails-professionally-
with-examples/
Cambridge Dictionary | Free English Dictionary, T. (2017). Cambridge Dictionary

| Free English Dictionary, Translations and Thesaurus. Dictionary.cambridge.
org. Recuperado de: https://goo.gl/dSXRKE

CONTROL DEL DOCUMENTO
A TYPICAL DAY AT WORK
Centro de Gestión de Mercados, Logística y Tecnología de la Información.

Regional Distrito Capital.
Experto temático: Ingrid Carolina Flórez Urzola
Centro Industrial de Mantenimiento Integral - CIMI

Regional Santander
Líder línea de producción: Santiago Lozada Garcés
Rosa Elvia Quintero Guasca
Asesores pedagógicos:
Claudia Milena Hernández Naranjo
Diseño multimedia: Oscar Julian Marquez Sanabria
Programador: Francisco José Lizcano Reyes
Producción de audio: Martha Lucia Chaves Niño
Víctor Hugo Tabares Carreño
Este material puede ser distribuido, copiado y exhibido por terceros si se

muestra en los créditos. No se puede obtener ningún beneficio comercial
y las obras derivadas tienen que estar bajo los mismos términos de la
licencia que el trabajo original.

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2.1. Going through a typical day at work........................................................................... 5

2.1. Work related vocabulary............................................................................................. 7

2.1.1. People at work.........................................................................................................7

2.1.2. Workplace activities.................................................................................................8

2. 1. 3. Workplace related idioms...................................................................................... 9

2. 1. 4. Useful language to interact at workplace.............................................................10

3. Let’s read and write......................................................................................................10

3.1 Developing work plans...............................................................................................11

3.2. Writing professional emails.......................................................................................14

4.1. Prepositions of place.................................................................................................16

Control del documento.................................................................................................... 27

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1.1. Going through a typical day at work

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B: Sure! Our project needs to meet the deadline on November 10th.

B: Uhmm, and who is Sinthia?

B. A promotion? That would be so nice, boss!

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2.1. People at work

Human resources Administration

Senior manager Senior manager Senior manager Senior manager

Assistant manager Assistant manager Assistant manager Assistant manager

Staff Staff Staff Staff

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A Senior Manager. is the person at the highest level of management of an organization.

An Assistant Manager. is the person in charge of performing managerial tasks when

2.2. Workplace activities

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2.3. Work related idioms

2.4. Useful language to interact at workplace

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3. Let’s read and write

Work plans, the best allies for project

In a work plan, people usually outline a set of

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2. Start with an introduction and a description of your project background. In a professional

As a complement, the background should include supporting information that underlines

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FAVA - Formación en Ambientes Virtuales de Aprendizaje

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achieving your goals and objectives» (wikiHow, 2017).

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Fuente: (resources.spaces3, 2017)

3.2. Writing professional emails

Fuente: (Woculus, 2017)

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1. Start with a greeting