Students watch a video based on David Bolchover's analysis of workplace under-employment. They explore statistics about absenteeism and workplace distractions, discuss the reasons behind employee disengagement in large corporations, and examine the proposed solution of breaking companies into smaller units. Tasks include vocabulary matching, comprehension questions, discussion, role-play, and a writing assignment.

What point do you think David Bolchover was making with the ‘barrage of statistics'?

Why does he say the problems he describes happen more in big companies compared to small?

How might breaking up large companies help?

Why does Bolchover say under-employment is less common in small companies?

What is the main difference in motivation between an employee in a big company and one in a small company?

Do you agree with his solution to break up large companies? What might be the disadvantages of that?

What do you think people do at work when they are supposed to be working? Is it possible to look busy when you are not?

David Bolchover argues that a significant portion of the workforce in large companies is under-employed. He supports this with statistics: one in three midweek theme park visitors phoned in sick; nine million questionable sick note requests occur annually; two-thirds of young professionals have called in sick due to hangovers; and employees spend over 8 hours weekly on non-work websites. Bolchover suggests a "conspiracy of silence" exists where neither workers nor companies acknowledge this problem. He explains that under-employment stems from workers feeling disconnected from big companies, where promotions depend on networking upward rather than effective management of subordinates. In contrast, smaller companies see less slacking because employees directly see the impact of their contributions. Bolchover's solution is to break large corporations into smaller, competitive units, arguing that doing nothing is ultimately "soul-destroying and a waste of talent."

No slacking!

no-slacking

Let's do English ESL general vocabulary practice. Students watch a video based on David Bolchover's analysis of workplace under-employment. They explore statist…