Table of Contents
BEST IELTS General Reading Test 213
IELTS GENERAL READING TEST 213 – PASSAGE – 2
IELTS GENERAL READING TEST – 213
READING PASSAGE – 2
Becoming an employer
Running a small business is a rewarding but challenging endeavour, and one of the major challenges is hiring staff once your business starts to grow.
What kind of employee would suit your business needs? You’ll need to evaluate the typical workload your business operates under, and whether this work is steady. Permanent staff can be employed full or part time. but you’ll need to ensure that there is ongoing work into the foreseeable future and that your business can take on the further cost of entitlements such as sick leave, annual leave and parental leave. As an employer, you’ll be legally required to provide these, as well as health and safety training. You’ll need to specify their hours of work, wages and details of their role in advance, and prepare a contract for both parties to sign.
IELTS General Reading Test
Your business may not be ready to take on such a long-term responsibility, especially if you only require help during big projects or holiday rushes. In this case you might consider hiring a fixed-term employee. Remember, though, that after a certain number of fixed-term contracts with the same employee, the law requires you to make the position permanent. If you are not sure how long the term of employment will be, construct the contract carefully to ensure you can terminate the employee at any time, allowing the legally-required two weeks’ notice of course.
Alternatively, you could take on a casual worker, who can be employed on an ad-hoc basis, covering just the days that you cannot manage alone, though you’ll need to offer a higher hourly rate called casual loading, to compensate for the lack of regularity.
If your current budget does not permit hiring another member of staff, you could consider using an intern. However, interns are not just a source of free labour. You must be able to provide experience that benefits them in some way, such as by learning a new skill. Agreements of this sort can legally extend to 12 months, but, while you will have to stipulate the duration of the internship. The interns themselves are permitted to resign at any time without giving notice.
All workers must be given a contract, no matter whether they are permanent, fixed-term, casual or even interns.
IELTS General Reading Test
Questions 15-20
Look at the following statements and the list of employee types below. Match each statement with the correct type A, B, C or D. Write the correct letter A, B, C or D.
15. They cannot work for more than one year.
16. They get a paid holiday every year.
17. They can leave without warning.
18. You can finish their contract early if you give warning.
19. They usually get higher wages.
20. This kind of employee is best for seasonal work
Employee types
A. permanent employees
B. fixed-term employees
C. casual employees
D. interns
IELTS General Reading Test
Read the text below and answer questions 21 – 27.
Office Politics
A. Office politics concern differences that arise between employees – differences of opinion and conflicts of interest. Good communication is the best way to deal with office politics. A natural reaction to disputes at work is to defend yourself and fight for what you want, but the typical response to that stance is resistance, which achieves nothing. However, if you flee from conflict and don’t take a stand, you will be seen as a pushover. Although both fight and flight are instinctive reactions, it is best not to be impulsive but rather to carefully consider how you feel and decide how you will react.
B. There is a temptation to focus on the differences – of employees’ positions or opinions – but try to concentrate on business objectives instead and discuss the problem with these in mind. After all, everyone wants to work for a successful company, so put petty disagreements aside and look at the big picture.
C. Sometimes issues arise which workers have little control over, for example company policies, customer demands or directives from management. It is easy to get caught up in an endless round of complaint, but this rarely if ever solves these outside problems. Be realistic about what you can actually influence at work, and don’t put your focus on insoluble problems.
D. Occasionally you will find yourself caught between two powerful individuals in contention. Do not get drawn into the conflict by supporting one or the other. Remain neutral and objective and try to keep the discussion focused on the interests of the organisation.
E. When office politics erupt, avoid angry outbursts and never direct your rage towards a particular person. This will only provoke negative feelings towards you, possibly harming your chances of advancement or promotion later.
F. If you try to identify and comprehend the position of other parties first, you will gain their trust and open up communication because they will feel less defensive. Using this technique will facilitate a swifter solution to the problem.
G. People don’t like to lose. It is humiliating. Outcomes of a conflict at work where there is a loser and a winner are generally not beneficial for either the individuals involved or for the company, so it is better to find a resolution which is acceptable to both parties. It is better to have allies than enemies.
IELTS General Reading Test
Questions 21-27
The text has seven sections, A-G. Choose the correct heading for each section from the list of headings below. Write the correct number, i-x, in boxes 21-27 on your answer sheet
21. Section A
22. Section B
23. Section C
24. Section D
25. Section E
26. Section F
27. Section G
List of Headings
i. Don’t waste energy on things you can’t change
ii. Trust your natural responses
iii. Understand before being understood
iv. Never accept a loss
v. Know what is best for business
vi. Think win-win
vii. Don’t take sides
viii. Realise you have a choice
ix. Take a stand on every issue
x. Don’t get personal
IELTS General Reading Test
ANSWERS ARE BELOW
IELTS General Reading Test
ANSWERS
15. D
16. A
17. D
18. B
19. C
20. B
21. viii
22. v
23. i
24. vii
25. x
26. iii
27. vi
IELTS General Reading Test