HEAAADERLOGORIGHT

BUSINESS ENGLISH · BUSINESS ISSUES · ADVANCED (C1-C2)

WORK AND
MEANING
QrrkoD Scan to review worksheet

Expemo code:
1CAZ-R2TA-NSKQ

1 Warm up

Match the generation names to the time period.

Baby Boomers Generation X Generation Z Millennials

1. : mid-1940s to mid-1960s

2. : mid-1960s to early 1980s

3. : mid-1990s to early 2010s

4. : mid-1980s to early 2000s

In pairs, discuss the following questions.

1. Would you do a job cleaning toilets if it paid $1,000,000 per year? Why/Why not?
2. Would it make any difference if you were cleaning toilets in a hospital for very sick children?
Why/Why not?
3. Would it make any difference if you were clearing toilets in a company where everyone was making
at least £5,000,000 per year? Why/Why not?
4. Do you think that the answers to this question will vary from generation to generation? Why/Why
not?

FOOOOTERRIGHT Learn without forgetting! 1/8

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Jernej Lapanje's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
ADVANCED (C1-C2)

WORK AND MEANING

2 Finding vocabulary
Find words in the article on page four that have the same meaning as the following definitions.

1. (adj., para. A): focused on the exchange of money for goods or services

2. (adj., para. A): not stable or safe

3. (n, para. B): money paid for completed work

4. (v, para. B): be in a higher position or of more importance than someone else

5. (n, para. C): a doctor who focuses on finding cures for mental illness

6. (adj., para. C): avoiding being around other people

7. (phr., para. D): support something because you share the same ideas and
beliefs
8. (n, para. D): a saying that expresses something truthful about life or people

3 Skimming for details

Quickly read the article on page four "What’s the point? - Work and meaning" and write down the
meaning of the following numbers.

a. 40:

b. 66:

c. 67:

d. 74:

e. 82:

f. 90:

FOOOOTERLEFT Learn without forgetting! 2/8

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Jernej Lapanje's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
ADVANCED (C1-C2)

WORK AND MEANING

4 Reading comprehension: Part 1

Read paragraphs A - C of the article on page four and complete the sentences with one, two or three
words from the article.

1. At the point where people began working for other people in exchange for pay, it often meant
or factories for 14 hours per day, seven days per week.

2. Eventually, trade unions were formed which struggled to establish , bringing about
laws which protected their safety and, by 1940, limited the work week to 40 hours.

3. With employees now having free time, they could other things, such as whether
or not their work held any real meaning.

4. Surveys conducted in 2022 found the majority of participants saying that it was their work which
defined their .

5. provides work that many people find deeply meaningful as they can see the benefits
they are providing for other people in a time of need.

6. Making a to society by using skills you have can also feel very rewarding, even if
people aren’t necessarily directly benefiting from it.

5 Reading comprehension: Part 2

Tick all of the statements which are the same as ideas expressed in paragraph D of the article.

1. It’s true that if you can find a job you love doing, it won’t feel like
you’re working.

2. Some people are happy to do a job that doesn’t really hold their
interest, but enables them to do what they love doing in their free
time.
3. There are going to be downsides to anything you do for a living.

4. People who are unable to find meaning in their work are often
significantly less content with life.
5. The reality of doing your dream job may well be at odds with how
you imagined it to be.

FOOOOTERRIGHT Learn without forgetting! 3/8

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Jernej Lapanje's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
ADVANCED (C1-C2)

WORK AND MEANING

What’s the point?

Work and meaning

A. Historically, when people first began working for others, it was very transactional. Workers slaving away, often
for 80 - 100 hours per week in factories or toiling in fields for landowners had no real notion of meaning to their
work beyond providing for their families and putting food on the table. Over time, worker’s rights increased and
trade unions fought for the right to safety in the workplace, weekends, and a 40-hour work week. A reasonable
standard of living became more normal, as did free time to contemplate life. With the ability to acquire life’s needs
being less precarious, the notion of meaning in work began to take hold.

B. In 2018, a survey of workers in the United States found 90% of workers would accept a lower remuneration for
work which held meaning for them. In 2020, McKinsey & Company did a survey showing 82% of employees
wanted to work for a company with a purpose that was linked to giving back to society in some form. Later
research by the same company in 2022 asked workers what their personal sense of purpose was defined by, and
70% said it was their work. The latest generation to come into the job market see purpose as outranking pay.
In a survey by the job site, Monster, 74% of Generation Z said they wanted to care about what they do. This is
compared to 67% of Baby Boomers, 66% of Generation X and 70% of Millennials.

C. But when it comes to the search for meaning, what does that mean? For many, it means doing work that is directly
linked to helping people. Scan a list of the most meaningful jobs and you’ll see the top spots occupied largely by
positions in the health industry, (such as surgeons, chiropractors, and psychiatrists) education and religious leaders.
Being able to directly see the often life-changing benefits of your job to other people is highly rewarding. Yet, you
don’t have to be saving the world to give definition to your work. Being able to use skills you have doing tasks you
enjoy can feel like a significant contribution. This would explain why there’s never a shortage of writers, despite
the relatively low rate of reward for all but the most successful. There’s also the need for many to be part of a
community. Even an uninteresting job can be made attractive if you’re part of a group you enjoy being with and
you feel valued. A sense that no one would miss you if you weren’t there is why parking attendants rank at the
other end of the scale from surgeons. The reclusive nature of the work and the low level of impact it has, combine
to make this one of the least satisfying jobs available.

D. Although, not everyone needs to align themselves with a search for meaning in their work. There have always
been people who work to live, rather than live to work. Finding a job that you can do that you don’t necessarily
love, but allows you to pursue your interests and your life goals outside of it can, indirectly, give that job meaning.
Any job will have negatives and the old adage: ‘do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life’ may
prove less satisfactory upon closer analysis. Pressures to earn and to satisfy demands from customers or business
partners can kill a love for something that was once a joy. There are those who prefer a firmer line between work
and play, giving them the opportunity to do what they want, in the way that they like, in their free time.

Sources: BBC, PayScale, brookins.edu

FOOOOTERLEFT Learn without forgetting! 4/8

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Jernej Lapanje's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
ADVANCED (C1-C2)

WORK AND MEANING

6 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 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
now 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.

FOOOOTERRIGHT Learn without forgetting! 5/8

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Jernej Lapanje's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
ADVANCED (C1-C2)

WORK AND MEANING

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?

7 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.

FOOOOTERLEFT Learn without forgetting! 6/8

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Jernej Lapanje's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
ADVANCED (C1-C2)

WORK AND MEANING

8 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 go on 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.

FOOOOTERRIGHT Learn without forgetting! 7/8

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Jernej Lapanje's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
ADVANCED (C1-C2)

WORK AND MEANING

9 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?

FOOOOTERLEFT Learn without forgetting! 8/8

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Jernej Lapanje's lessons.