UNIT 5: WORK AND CAREER
My name‿ is Grace,│ and‿ I work‿ in‿ an‿ open-plan‿ office with twenty-five colleagues. We have‿ a staff meetingmee-ding‿ every Monday,│ and‿ after two years‿ I would say│ that Ithad I get‿ on well with‿ almost‿ everybody.
The company offers flexible‿ hours,│ so I can start‿ at‿ eight│ or‿ at ten,│ which‿ is very useful│ because‿ I have two children. People‿ in my team‿ are supportive:│ when my daughterdau-der was‿ ill,│ my colleague finished‿ a repor(t) for me,│ and‿ I worked‿ overtime the following week to pay it back. However,│ an‿ open-plan‿ office‿ also means no privacy. If your workload‿ is heavy,│ everybody can see│ that youthatcha are behind,│ an(d) some colleagues love to gossip‿ about‿ it.
What‿ I have learned‿ is that‿ a good workplace‿ is not‿ only about money. I have had‿ a betterbe-der salary in‿ a company│ where the manager never said thank you,│ and‿ I was‿ unhappy. A simple day off│ when your family needs you can be worth more than‿ a bonus. If‿ a company treats people like‿ adults,│ they behave like‿ adults.