BUSINESS NEWS LESSONS

Why well-paid jobs can also lead to

overwork and bad health
Key:
Level: Intermediate to upper intermediate 1. sympathy 7. associates
(B1-B2) 2. consequences 8. disregard
3. concerns 9. occupational
Time: Approximately 90 minutes (plus 4. bill 10. burnout
possible extra time for research) 5. issues 11. white-collar
6. shift 12. conditions
Business topics: pay, working hours, the
effects of overwork 3. Understanding the article
Business language: useful business a. Ask students to read the sentences tick (✓) the ones
vocabulary, phrases and expressions, that are correct and rewrite the others to make them
language for providing comparisons and correct. They should include as many details as
reporting findings possible into any statements that they rewrite.

Activities: discussion, key words, Key.

understanding the text, business language,
talking about work-related experiences,
research and creating comparisons
Groups: Whole class, one-to-one,
small groups
Overview: This article discusses how the
expectations, pressure and long hours
associated with getting on in some well-paid
professions can lead to mental and
physical exhaustion
1. Warmer
a. Students discuss the three images by saying what
jobs the people do and by answering the questions in
the task.
Note: If they are unsure what the young man in the
suit’s job is, tell them he’s a trainee lawyer as this is
who the article is based around.
Intermediate
1. False. A trainee lawyer told the author about a
time when as a trainee, and his employer expected
him to be on call and available for clients for up to
72 hours non-stop, but this is not usual practice.
2. False. The author does not have much sympathy
for the work-related problems of highly-paid
professionals, but recently she has realized that
paying attention to their complaints can help
improve the working-lives of the lower-paid too.
3. True
4. False. The tenth of women with the highest hourly
pay work ten hours more than the tenth of men
on the lowest hourly pay. The highest-paid men
work more hours too, but only 7 on average, and
not 10.
5. False. The more they work, the higher their risk of
suffering a stroke or heart attack.
6. False. He left the law firm but stayed in the
legal profession working as legal director for the
International Transport Workers’ Federation.
7. True
8. True
4. Business language
a. Students find multi-word expressions and phrases

2. Key words in the article that match the meanings. The section
numbers are given to help them.
a. This task can be made more collaborative by diving
Key:
the students into A and B groups or pairs with the As
1. roll my eyes
working on the keywords 1-6 and Bs working on 7-12.
2. on average
Then, when they have found the words and filled the
3. around the clock
gaps, As and Bs should share their answers.
4. drop out
5. a shot at (something)
6. labour shortages
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 BUSINESS NEWS LESSONS

b. Next, they use them to complete the gapped

sentences.

Key.
1. On average
2. labour shortages
3. roll my eyes
4. a shot at
5. around the clock
6. drop out

5. Discussion

a. Put the students in pairs or small groups and ask

them to discuss the questions. If the questions do
not relate to them directly, e.g., because they haven’t
had a previous job, ask them to talk about someone
they know well such as a sibling or another relative.
When students have covered the questions, bring the
whole class back together so that they can share their
answers and any interesting information that arose
from their discussions.

6. Wider business theme – Legal

working hours and conditions

a. Students work through the task as laid out on the

worksheet in groups.

Restricting the research to one country (preferably the

one you are all in right now) will lead to better focus,
comparisons and outcomes.

The pairs of jobs provided are suggestions, allow

students to come up with their own similar pairs to
compare if they prefer, and if you think it will lead to
language usage that is more relevant to their work, for
example, if they all work in one sector not mentioned
on the worksheet, it would make sense to include that
in the task.
Intermediate

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