230219 Business 31-48

31.  31: Maternity Leave
Veronica, when is your baby due?
Next month.
Are you going on maternity leave?
Of course.
How long will you be gone?
Three months.
32.  32: Extending Maternity Leave
Did Catherine have her baby?
Yes, she's on maternity leave right now.
How long will she be gone?
Three months.
That's all? That's so short.
I know. She's sad about it.
Is it paid maternity leave?
Yes.
That's good.
Catherine wants to take an extra month of maternity leave.
33.  33: A Lunch Meeting
Do you have time to lunch?
No, I have a lunch meeting with the boss today.
The boss? Is something wrong?
No, we're going to discuss my raise.
Good luck.
Thanks, I'll need it.
34.  34: Employee Reviews
I'm so busy.
Are you done with the report?
No, I've been in meetings all day.
That's why I haven't seen you.
Yeah, I have another meeting at 4 p.m.
Why do you have so many meetings the managers are discussing annual employee reviews and raises is it that time of the year?
Yeah, the end of the year is always the busiest
You're right. It's almost 4 p.m.. You'd better go
35.  35: Remodeling the Office
I'm meeting with an architect today.
Why? Are you remodeling your house?
No. We are going to remodel the office.
That's a good idea. The layout is not very good.
I know. Some areas are too small, and some are just a waste of space.
I agree. Can I get a bigger office?
I'm meeting with an architect today.
Why? Are you remodeling your house?
No. We are going to remodel the office.
36.  36: Confusing Office Layout
This office layout is confusing.
I agree.
Our clients have a hard time finding the exit and our offices.
I know. Bill got lost the other day looking for the restroom.
Should we redesign it?
That would be a good idea.
I don't think we have the budget for it.
That's too bad.
But we should do something soon.
I know. The layout looks like a maze.
37.  37: Vacation Policy
What is the vacation policy?
You earn one week of paid vacation after you've been at the company for one year.
I've only been here for nine months, but I would like to take one week off next month.
Is it a medical situation?
No, my parents live in Italy and it's their 50th wedding anniversary.
You can take one week off with your supervisor's approval, but it will not be a paid week.
38.  38: Changing the Vacation Policy
I think we should change the vacation policy.
Why?
Other companies have paid vacation. We do not.
We are a small company. We can't afford paid vacations.
Paid vacations would make employees work better.
How?
Give employees good benefits and they will work harder.
You have a point, but we cannot afford it.
This company is never going to grow if we don't take care of our employees.
I agree, but I don't make the rules.
39.  39: Work Life Balance
How do you balance your work life and your personal life?
I don't bring my work home.
What do you mean?
Don't do more than you can handle.
What if you have a lot of work to do?
Then I stay at the office and finish it. When I go home, I focus on home only.
I wish I was like you.
40.  40: No Personal Life
I'm so stressed right now.
Why? Is there something wrong?
I'm so busy at work. I'm forgetting about my personal life. I
Understand that happened to me, too
How do you balance it all out? I just set a strict schedule
Work is work and home is home. It's not that easy. I know
I know. But if you don't do that, you're going to get sick.
I think that's my problem. I feel sick all the time.
41.  41: Setting Up a Meeting
Let's arrange a meeting for next week.
Sounds good. How about Tuesday at 11 a.m.?
That works for me. Shall we meet in my office?
How about a lunch meeting?
Even better. Let's meet at the restaurant across the street.
We can negotiate our business contract then.
42.  42: Arranging a Meeting
Dan, we're excited to start working with you.
Should we set up a meeting to discuss the details of the work?
Yes, that's a good idea.
When are you free?
How about next Tuesday?
I have an all-day meeting on Tuesday.
What about Wednesday?
I'm on a business trip on Wednesday.
I will be back Friday morning.
Friday works for me.
Should we do a lunch meeting?
Sure, I'll put it in my calendar.
Have a good business trip, and I'll see you next Friday.
43.  43: Picking Up a Client
Do you have some time this afternoon?
Yes, why?
Can you pick our client up from the airport?
Sure, what time?
I need to check the email for the flight schedule.
Okay, just let me know his airline and arrival time.
44.  44: Taking Out a Client
Can you pick our client up from the airport?
Sure, what time?
I need to check the email for the flight schedule.
Okay, just let me know his airline and arrival time.
Could you pick our client up from the airport?
Sure, what time is his flight?
5:00 PM
5 PM? That's rush hour.
I know. I'm sorry about that.
Where do I drop him off?
His hotel is downtown.
Downtown? I need to come back downtown during rush hour?
Yes, please. Would you also be able to take him out to dinner?
Dinner too?
Yes. You can borrow the company car.
45.  45: Meeting a New Colleague
Hi. My name is Diane Taylor. I'm the office manager.
Hi, Diane. I'm Cody Smith. Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you, too. Please let me know if you have any questions.
I will. I don't have any questions right now.
Here is my business card. You can contact me by email, office phone, or cell phone.
Great! I'm sure I will have lots of questions soon.
46.  46: Business Cards
What kind of work do you do?
I'm an architect.
That's interesting. I'm in construction.
I studied construction management in college.
We're looking for an architect for our firm.
I've been interested in working on the construction side.
Can I have your business card? Here is mine.
Can I send you my resume?
Yes, that would be great. My email address is on the card.
Thank you. I look forward to meeting with you again.
47.  47: Meeting the New Client
Hi, my name is Bill. You must be Karen, our newest client.
Yes, I'm Karen. Nice to meet you, Bill.
Nice to meet you, too. I'm the head of marketing.
I think we will be working closely together.
Yes, that's what I hear. Let me know if you have any questions.
I will. My first question is, where is the restroom?
48.  48: Showing Around
What kind of work do you do?
I'm an architect.
That's interesting. I'm in construction.
I studied construction management in college.
We're looking for an architect for our firm.
I've been interested in working on the construction side.
Can I have your business card? Here is mine.
Can I send you my resume?
Yes, that would be great. My email address is on the card.
Thank you. I look forward to meeting with you again.
49.  49: Making Small Talk
Hi Vincent. I'm Natalie, your new client.
Nice to meet you, Natalie.
Nice to meet you too, Vincent.
Have you taken a tour of the office yet?
No, not yet.
Would you like me to show you around?
That would be great.
Let's start with my office. It's at the end of the hallway.
You have a view of the mountains?
Yes. It's a relaxing view in a stressful industry.
I understand the stress part.
50.  50: Having a Chat
Kathy should be here soon.
Okay, I'm not in a hurry.
Is this your first trip to Seattle?
Yes.
How do you like Seattle?
It's a lovely city. I just don't like the rain.
51 A new oppoptunity
I'm quitting my job.
Why? Are you unhappy here?
No, I received a new business opportunity.
Wow, that's great. Can you tell me about it?
I'll tell you all about it over lunch.
52 A job offer
We've all enjoyed working with you.
Thank you. It's been a lot of fun.
We would like you to join our team.
Are you offering me a job?
Yes. We would like you to join our company.
like you to join our company.
Wow!
This would be a great business opportunity for me.
My secretary will email you the job description and our salary offer.
When do you need an answer?
We would like an answer by the end of the week.
Okay.
I will think about it carefully and let you know by Friday.
53 Rechduling a meeting
I'm sorry, but can we reschedule our meeting?
Sure.
Is something wrong?
My husband is having surgery that day.
I'm sorry to hear that.
It's not serious, but I need to stay home with him.
I understand.
Let's reschedule when your husband is fully recovered.
54 Rechduling a conversation
Can we reschedule the presentation?
Again? Why?
We aren't ready.
We already rescheduled once. This will be the second time.
I know, but we're just not ready.
You've had two months to prepare for this.
I understand that, but we need more time.
The clients have been very patient.
Please ask them for one more week.
55 Close a deal
Has Carol signed the contract?
Not yet.
We're still working on it.
Why don't we take her out to lunch and discuss things?
Good idea.
Maybe she has questions about the contract.
Do you know her favorite food or restaurant?
I know she loves French food.
Find the best French restaurant in the city.
56 Entertaining clients
What are you doing after work?
I have to take our clients out to dinner.
Where are you going to take them?
I don't know.
Do you have any suggestions?
There's a really good sushi place downtown.
The new one on Main Street?
Yeah, that's the one.
I can't take them there.
Why?
Our clients own it.
57 Cocktail party
Are you going to the cocktail party tonight?
Yes. I invited one of our clients.
Who?
Andrew.
Our new client? The good-looking one?
Is he good-looking?
Don't act like you didn't notice.
58 Company event
Did you go to the cocktail party last night?
Yes. I didn't see you there.
I was sick.
That's too bad. Something crazy happened there.
I heard about our new client.
Yeah, he got really drunk.
Did our boss see him?
Yes, she was not happy to see that he must be really embarrassed this morning
Did you go to the cocktail party last night?
Yes, I didn't see you there. I was sick. That's too bad
Something crazy happened there. I heard about our new clients
Yeah, he got really drunk.
Did our boss see him?
Yes, she was not happy to see that.
He must be really embarrassed this morning.