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Indispensable Employees? Advanced

Heads Up English - 1

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the ARTICLE (for teachers)

Indispensable Employees?

Most employees at one time or another have experienced the department head unable to relinquish control. He

swoops in and offers assistance and advice, regardless of actual need, on a regular basis. To executives farther

up the food chain, it seems as though this individual is all important. It appears as though the people beneath

him would seriously struggle in his absence. Of course no one would consider this an example of effective

management, yet it proves difficult to detect. Even more insidious, however, is when a department head causes

problems in order to rescue the situation. It happens far more than frequently than ever imagined.

At a clinic in Pittsburgh, for example, insurance checks didn't go out as scheduled. The manager pointed to a

problem with the computer system, which she then fixed. However, a search of her desk revealed the checks.

There had never been a computer glitch, and she had simply hoped to get recognition from her superiors. In

another case in Louisiana, a manager spread rumors that employees should expect layoffs. A few weeks later,

he then told his staff that the situation had been resolved. Thanks to him, he had saved all their jobs from the

axe. Unfortunately, the story turned out to be completely fictitious, and not a single layoff had ever been planned.

In both of the examples above, the managers acted deliberately. In many more cases, people's actions aren't so

purposeful. Some employees get bored, others just need to fix problems, and more than a few enjoy the feeling

of power. As a result, these people unconsciously start fires. They may withhold information, fail to send out

emails or schedule meetings, or even pass on tasks to people ill-suited for the job.

This problem's prevalence requires managers to stress teamwork rather than individual performance. Managers

need to have good communication and be aware of employees' needs. The alternative may be an

"indispensable" employee.

Teacher's Notes:

* Underlined words in red typeface are the recommended vocabulary for this lesson.

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WARM-UPS

Select one or all of the following warm-up activities.

1. Define: What does "indispensable" mean? Can you use it in a sentence? Can you give examples?

2. Brainstorm: Brainstorm with a partner(s) words and ideas associated with "indispensable" for 2 minutes.

Spend another 5 minutes or less discussing the words and ideas together.

3. Title: Speculate and/or discuss the contents of today's article from its title: "Indispensable Employees?"

4. Speculate: Write in the missing word for today's article title: "( ) Employees?" Why did you

choose this word for the blanks?

5. Do you agree or disagree? Why?

a. My boss is good at what he/she does.

b. In the past, I have worked under a terrible boss.

c. I have worked with someone who has caused problems.

d. I have worked with someone who has deliberately caused problems.

e. In the past month, I have caused at least one problem at work.





VOCABULARY

Select one of the following vocabulary acquisition activities.

1. Vocabulary match: Individually or in pairs/groups, match the words in column A (from the article) with the

best choice in column B.

a. relinquish q. essential

b. swoop r. commonness

c. detect s. notice

d. insidious t. small problem

e. glitch u. dive

f. rumor v. gossip

g. fictitious w. planned

h. deliberate x. give up

i. prevalence y. subtle

j. indispensable z. false

2. Fill in the Blanks: Fill in the blank with the correct word.

prevalence rumors indispensable detect deliberately

insidious relinquish fictitious glitch swoops

a. Most employees have experienced the department head unable to ( ) control.

b. He ( ) in and offers assistance and advice, regardless of actual need, on a regular basis.

c. No one would consider this an example of effective management, yet it proves difficult to ( ).

d. Even more ( ) is when a department head causes problems in order to rescue the situation.

e. There had never been a computer ( ).

f. A manager spread ( ) that employees should expect layoffs.

g. The story turned out to be completely ( ), and not a single layoff had ever been planned.

h. In both of the examples above, the managers acted ( ).

i. This problem's ( ) requires managers to stress teamwork rather than individual performance.

j. The alternative may be an "( )" employee.

3. Define: Define each word, correctly pronounce it, explain the meaning and/or usage, and offer an example

sentence to the class.

a. relinquish c. detect e. glitch g. fictitious i. prevalence

b. swoop d. insidious f. rumor h. deliberate j. indispensable





WORD RECOGNITION

1. Word Search: Find the target words (in bold). Time yourself, and see how many words you can find in three

minutes. In five minutes. In ten minutes.



B W G V H A I W K F G V R Y F

E Q J N C P E J G O I E Y L I

R L A Z D W K K J P L B B E C

E L B A S N E P S I D N I T T

U Q Q E Q U T N N L E S M A I

O M I M S C O C U C H R T R T

B R D Y E N U T N K E O N E I

R Z H T P I I E I I M M V B O

I H E M S J L P S T J U M I U

R D B H I A R G S W C R C L S

U O Z H V D B W E I O I L E S

M Q U E G L I T C H D O F D U

O Z R F N F L V P G M N P P H

R P P H P R E L I N Q U I S H

S U O I D I S N I B M Q Y G D

2. Target Word Pool: Find the target words (in bold) with their exact match. Time yourself, and see how many

words you can find in three minutes. In five minutes. In ten minutes.



pertinence

rumored

runner

insidious

insidiously

insidiousness

relinquish

relinquishing

indispensable

detect

undetected

glitches

undelivered

spoons

prevalence

prevalent

prevalently

prevail rumors

rumor

rummage

insipid

instantly

relish

relinquished

relevant

dispensable

indispensably

indubitably

dispensed

fictitious fictions

fictitiously friction

fractious

undetectable

detective

detected

glitch

gulch

gulp

glyph

deliberately

deliberate

deliberateness

delved

swoops

swooped

swooping

swoons





pre- or post-COMPREHENSION

1. Word Association: Brainstorm words associated with today's topic for two minutes. Present to the class.

2. Brainstorm Questions: Brainstorm questions that you would like to ask about today's topic. Answer the

questions without looking at the article.

3. True or False?: Guess (before the article) or answer (after the article) whether the sentence is true or false.

If false, correct the sentence.

a. Employees who cause problems seem to be quite common. T / F

b. The manager in Pittsburgh broke the computer system and then fixed it. T / F

c. A manager in Louisiana laid off many employees. T / F

d. Employees cause problems because it's fun. T / F

e. According to the article, managers should encourage good communication. T / F

4. Questions: Answer the questions to check comprehension.

a. What happens far more frequently than ever imagined?

b. What happened in Pittsburgh?

c. What happened in Louisiana?

d. According to the article, why do some employees cause problems?

e. What do the quotation marks mean here: The alternative may be an "indispensable" employee.

5. Vocabulary: In pairs/groups, remember how the words were used in today's article.

a. relinquish c. detect e. glitch g. fictitious i. prevalence

b. swoops d. insidious f. rumors h. deliberately j. indispensable

6. Fragments: Remember how the fragments were used, and complete the sentence from today's article.

a. To executives farther up the food chain, it seems...

b. Even more insidious, however, is when a department head...

c. There had never been a computer glitch, and she had...

d. Some employees get bored, others just need to fix problems, and more than a...

e. This problem's prevalence requires managers to stress...





post-COMPREHENSION

1. Vocabulary: Circle any additional unknown words/phrases in the article. In pairs/groups, use your

dictionaries to understand the meanings. Present to the class.

2. Class Questions: Read through the article once more, and write down any questions that you would like to

discuss in pairs/groups or as a class. Discuss.

3. Summarize: Work with a partner to summarize the article in your own words.

4. Discuss: Talk about the following questions in pairs/groups. Remember to support your answers!

a. Did you like this article?

b. What was your general impression after reading this article?

c. Have you ever worked for someone (or with someone) that caused problems in the office?

d. What would you do (or what have you done) if you worked with someone as described in the article?

e. What would you do as a manager (or what have you done) if you oversaw someone as in the article?

f. How common a problem do you think this is in your home country? Please explain.

g. What kind of problems are there in your home country with regards to work? Please explain.

h. What other problems have you experienced in the professional world? Please explain.

i. What problems have you caused in your professional life? Which was the most serious?

j. What would you consider an indispensable employee to be like?

5. Discuss: Imagine that your boss often causes problems. To people outside the department, he looks like a

hero. To people in the department, he causes more work and stress for everyone. List four actions you could

take that would solve the problem, and the pluses and minuses of each. Present your answers to another

student, and decide on the best.

Action #1:

Action #2:

Action #3:

Action #4:

6. Google Search: Type "workplace" into Google news and read additional articles on this topic. Discuss or

write an essay about your findings.





STUDENT HANDOUT (the article)


Most employees at one time or another have experienced the department head unable to relinquish control. He

swoops in and offers assistance and advice, regardless of actual need, on a regular basis. To executives farther

up the food chain, it seems as though this individual is all important. It appears as though the people beneath

him would seriously struggle in his absence. Of course no one would consider this an example of effective

management, yet it proves difficult to detect. Even more insidious, however, is when a department head causes

problems in order to rescue the situation. It happens far more than frequently than ever imagined.






axe. Unfortunately, the story turned out to be completely fictitious, and not a single layoff had ever been planned.


purposeful. Some employees get bored, others just need to fix problems, and more than a few enjoy the feeling

of power. As a result, these people unconsciously start fires. They may withhold information, fail to send out

emails or schedule meetings, or even pass on tasks to people ill-suited for the job.

This problem's prevalence requires managers to stress teamwork rather than individual performance. Managers

need to have good communication and be aware of employees' needs. The alternative may be an

"indispensable" employee.

Notes:





STUDENT HANDOUT (fill in the blank)

Fill in the blank with the correct word.

unfortunately glitch detect prevalence relinquish

department swoops teamwork deliberately struggle

fictitious indispensable situation insidious rumors


Most employees at one time or another have experienced the (a. _______________) head unable to

(b. _______________) control. He (c. _______________) in and offers assistance and advice, regardless

of actual need, on a regular basis. To executives farther up the food chain, it seems as though this

individual is all important. It appears as though the people beneath him would seriously

(d. _______________) in his absence. Of course no one would consider this an example of effective

management, yet it proves difficult to (e. _______________). Even more (f. _______________), however,

is when a department head causes problems in order to rescue the situation. It happens far more than

frequently than ever imagined.

At a clinic in Pittsburgh, for example, insurance checks didn't go out as scheduled. The manager pointed to

a problem with the computer system, which she then fixed. However, a search of her desk revealed the

checks. There had never been a computer (g. _______________), and she had simply hoped to get

recognition from her superiors. In another case in Louisiana, a manager spread (h. _______________) that

employees should expect layoffs. A few weeks later, he then told his staff that the (i. _______________)

had been resolved. Thanks to him, he had saved all their jobs from the axe. (j. _______________), the

story turned out to be completely (k. _______________), and not a single layoff had ever been planned.

In both of the examples above, the managers acted (l. _______________). In many more cases, people's

actions aren't so purposeful. Some employees get bored, others just need to fix problems, and more than a

few enjoy the feeling of power. As a result, these people unconsciously start fires. They may withhold

information, fail to send out emails or schedule meetings, or even pass on tasks to people ill-suited for the

job.

This problem's (m. _______________) requires managers to stress (n. _______________) rather than

individual performance. Managers need to have good communication and be aware of employees' needs.

The alternative may be an "(o. _______________)" employee.





STUDENT HANDOUT (extended listening)

Listen and fill in the missing sentences. Compare your answers with a partner, and

then listen once more.


a) ____________________________________________________________. He swoops in and offers

assistance and advice, regardless of actual need, on a regular basis. To executives farther up the food chain, it

seems as though this individual is all important. b) ________________________________________________

____________. Of course no one would consider this an example of effective management, yet it proves

difficult to detect. Even more insidious, however, is when a department head causes problems in order to

rescue the situation. It happens far more than frequently than ever imagined.






axe. c) ______________________________________________________________.


purposeful. d) ____________________________________________________________. As a result, these

people unconsciously start fires. They may withhold information, fail to send out emails or schedule meetings, or

even pass on tasks to people ill-suited for the job.

e) ____________________________________________________________. Managers need to have good

communication and be aware of employees' needs. The alternative may be an "indispensable" employee.





STUDENT HANDOUT (notes)





ANSWER KEY

Vocabulary

1. Vocabulary Match: 2. Fill in the Blanks:

a. relinquish f. rumors

b. swoops g. fictitious

c. detect h. deliberately

d. insidious i. prevalence

e. glitch j. indispensable

pre- or post-Comprehension

1. True or False: 2. Fragments:

Student Handout

1. Fill in the Blanks

a. department i. situation

b. relinquish j. Unfortunately

c. swoops k. fictitious

d. struggle l. deliberately

e. detect m. prevalence

f. insidious n. teamwork

g. glitch o. indispensable

h. rumors

2. Extended Listening

a. Most employees at one time or another have experienced the department head unable to relinquish control

b. It appears as though the people beneath him would seriously struggle in his absence

c. Unfortunately, the story turned out to be completely fictitious, and not a single layoff had ever been planned

d. Some employees get bored, others just need to fix problems, and more than a few enjoy the feeling of power

e. This problem's prevalence requires managers to stress teamwork rather than individual performance

a. x f. v

b. u g. z

c. s h. w

d. y i. r

e. t j. q

a. T

b. F

c. F

d. F

e. T

a. as though this individual is all important.

b. causes problems in order to rescue the situation.

c. simply hoped to get recognition from her superiors.

d. few enjoy the feeling of power.

e. teamwork rather than individual performance.


advanced the article (for teachers) - heads up … employees? advanced heads up english - 3 ...

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