Table of Contents
BEST IELTS General Reading Test 190
IELTS GENERAL READING TEST 190 – PASSAGE – 2
IELTS GENERAL READING TEST – 190
READING PASSAGE – 2
Our Employee Appraisal Process
Employees in our organisation are clearly engaged in their work and doing their best for our organisation. In order to recognise employees’ commitment, we run an annual appraisal program. In a way, the program begins with when an employee is interviewed for his/her job. The job description will have outlined the roles and responsibilities of the employee’s position. The contract will then stipulate these things officially.
IELTS General Reading Test
The appraisal process of an employee should begin a year after the employment began with the first annual review, although there will be a 3-month review of the employee at the conclusion of the probation period. The three-month review allows both employer and employee to be sure that their commitment to each other is warranted.
Before the annual meeting, the employee should receive at least two weeks’ notice.
The employee should give a self-evaluation statement to the manager(s) conducting the meeting giving his/her views of his/her performance over the year in terms of the roles and responsibilities. He/she should note:
IELTS General Reading Test
– what things are perceived to have gone well over the year
– what things should have gone better over the year
– how things should be improved over the next year
– potential targets in the coming year for the company and the employee’s personal growth
There should be plenty of time allocated to the appraisal meeting. It should be reasonably informal, so that the employee is at ease and can discuss his/her performance without any undue pressure. The agenda of the meeting will follow the four points referred to above.
At the end of the meeting, there will be a rating of the employee’s performance. The employee will give his/her input regarding this, however, awarding it will be the sole responsibility of the manager(s) conducting the appraisal. The employee will be outstanding, standard or unsatisfactory.
IELTS General Reading Test
After the meeting, the manager will write up a report and present it to the employee within a week. The rating will be included within this report. There will then be a second meeting with the employee to discuss this report to ensure that it is fair and then both the manager and the employee should sign it when they are happy with it. The report will form a basis for the following year’s annual appraisal meeting. If there is any conflict over the report, then there is an appeal process for the employee. Employees should consult the company handbook to inform themselves about this process.
Questions 15 – 21
Complete the flow chart below. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the text for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 15 – 21 on your answer sheet.
Our Employee Appraisal Process
1. The Interview The job description used at the employee’s original interview will outline the roles and responsibilities; these will be formalised in the employee’s (15)…………. .
2. 3-month Review This ends the employee’s (16)…………. and ensures things are going smoothly.
3. Before the Annual Meeting (17)…………. of the annual meeting should be given 2 weeks before, so that the employee can prepare and submit a (18)…………. covering four key points.
IELTS General Reading Test
4. The Meeting Appropriate time should be set aside and it should be fairly (19)…………. to create an effective atmosphere. The meeting will discuss what the employee submitted
before the meeting.
5. The (20)…………. (part of the meeting) Although the employee gives input, the manager alone awards this.
6. The Report This will be written by the manager and sent to the employee within a week of the meeting.
7. The Second Meeting The report is discussed and signed by manager and employee.
8. Appeal If desired, employees can use the appeal process laid out in the (21)………….
IELTS General Reading Test
Read the text below and answer Questions 22 – 27.
Using Social Media in Companies – a guide for companies, workers and unions
The impact of social media on the workplace is increasing. Social media is the broad term for internet-based tools used on PCs, laptops, tablets and smart phones to help people make contact, keep in touch and interact. This trend can affect communications among managers, employees and job applicants, how organisations promote and control their reputation, and how colleagues treat one another. It can also distort what boundaries there are between home and employment.
Key Points
Develop a policy: Employers should include what is and what is not acceptable for general behaviour in the use at work of the Internet, emails, smart phones and social media, such as networking websites, blogs and tweets. However, it might prove impractical to have an overly formal policy that also includes rigidly covering the use of social media in recruitment.
IELTS General Reading Test
Rules for recruitment: While a rigid policy on using social media in recruitment could soon become obsolete, because the trend is so dynamic, it is still advisable for an employer to have at least some rules, or procedures, which managers and employees should follow.
Screening job candidates: In particular when recruiting, employers should be careful if they assess applicants by looking at their social networking pages, as this may be discriminatory.
Who can see profiles? Employees should regularly review the privacy settings on their social networking pages, as they can change. Also, they should consider whether they want or need co-workers to see those profiles.
IELTS General Reading Test
Talk to staff: Employers should inform and consult their employees if planning to monitor social media activity affecting the workplace.
Update other policies: For example, an organisation’s policy on bullying should include references to ‘cyber bullying’.
Be sensitive: Employers should promote a work-life balance – the line between work and home is becoming increasingly blurred by the use of modern technology.
Questions 22 – 27
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the text for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 22 – 27 on your answer sheet.
22. Domestic and work ……………… can become unclear due to social media usage.
23. An excessively formal social media policy at work could be ………….. an step.
24. The …………… nature of social media developments means that social media policies can easily become out of date.
25. It can be ……………… to check the social media pages of potential employees.
26. Anyone in the workplace should often check their social media ………….to stop unwanted access to their private life.
27. Employers should consider the …………… of their employees when dealing with the sensitive issue of social media in the workplace.
IELTS General Reading Test
ANSWERS ARE BELOW
IELTS General Reading Test
ANSWERS
15. CONTRACT
16. PROBATION (PERIOD)
17. (A) NOTICE
18. (SELF-EVALUATION) STATEMENT
19. INFORMAL
20. RATING
21. (COMPANY) HANDBOOK
22. BOUNDARIES
23. IMPRACTICAL
24. DYNAMIC
25. DISCRIMINATORY
26. (PRIVACY) SETTINGS
27. (WORK-LIFE) BALANCE
IELTS General Reading Test