Table of Contents
BEST IELTS General Reading Test 498
IELTS GENERAL READING TEST 498 – PASSAGE – 2
IELTS GENERAL READING TEST – 498
READING PASSAGE – 2
Monitoring Employees
Employers may wish to monitor their workplace for various reasons. Although the law doesn’t prevent employers from monitoring workers, employers should remember workers are entitled to some privacy at work. Employers must tell employees about any monitoring arrangements and the reason for it. Key points relating to monitoring are:
– Employers should have written policies and procedures in place regarding monitoring at work.
– Monitoring shouldn’t be excessive and must be reasonably justified.
– Staff should be told what information will be recorded and how long it will be kept.
IELTS General Reading Test
Monitoring in the workplace can occur for a variety of reasons; it can be used to safeguard employees, i.e. to ensure workers aren’t at risk from unsafe working practices. In some sectors, employers may have a legal or regulatory need to carry out some monitoring. The information gathered through monitoring should only be used for the purpose it was carried out for, unless it leads to the discovery of other things, such as a breach of health and safety. Employers may monitor staff at work in various ways. This can include web monitoring, CCTV, bag searches and covert monitoring.
Web Monitoring
Although employers don’t have to allow workers the use of phone, e-mail or Internet for personal matters, many employers will allow some access as long as it doesn’t interfere with their work. If employers do monitor this use, the workers should be clearly informed and given the reason why it will be carried out. Employers should have procedures in place setting out what is and isn’t allowed. Some websites may be banned or marked as at risk.
Employers should tell workers if they are being monitored, what counts as a reasonable amount of personal emails and phone calls and if personal calls and emails are not allowed. These procedures should be made clear and understood by all workers. If a worker does not comply with the policy and procedures, they may be liable to disciplinary action.
IELTS General Reading Test
CCTV Monitoring
CCTV monitoring can be used in the workplace for a number of reasons, however, if CCTV is installed, the employer should make sure the employees are aware of it. This is usually done by displaying signs to say where the locations of the cameras are. Workers must also be given the reason for the monitoring. Signs should be clear, visible and readable, contain details of the purpose of the surveillance and who to contact about the scheme, and include contact details such as website address, telephone number or email address.
Bag Searches
If employers intend to carry out bag searches, a workplace policy must be in place that informs employees that bags and purses will be subject to searches. Employers must have a legitimate work- related reason for carrying out searches.
IELTS General Reading Test
Covert Monitoring
It’s very rare that employers would need to carry out covert monitoring without the staff being told they are being monitored, but they can do it. Employers must have a genuine reason to carry out covert monitoring, such as criminal activities or malpractice. Monitoring must be obtained as quickly as possible, and only as part of a specific investigation.
Questions 15-21
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text?
In boxes 15-21 on your answer sheet write:
TRUE – if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE – if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN – if there is no information on this
IELTS General Reading Test
15. Companies have to show a good reason for the monitoring of employees.
16. Some businesses may be obliged to monitor their employees.
17. Employee monitoring policies should be available on company websites for everyone to access.
18. Companies are permitted to prohibit employees from accessing certain websites while at work.
19. Companies don’t have to inform employees why they’re being monitored if CCTV is used for this.
20. An employee having his or her bag searched should ask the union representative to be present.
21. It is illegal to secretly monitor employees.
IELTS General Reading Test
Read the text below and answer questions 22-27.
The Competition
Knowing who your competitors are, and what they are offering, can help you improve your products, services and marketing. It will enable you to set your prices competitively and help you to respond to rival marketing campaigns with your own initiatives. You can use this knowledge to create marketing strategies that take advantage of your competitors’ weaknesses, and improve your own business performance. You can also assess any threats posed by both new entrants to your market and current competitors.
Remember that competition is not just another business that might take money away from you. It can be a potential product or service that’s being developed that you should start selling or license before somebody else takes it up. Your competitor could be a new business offering a substitute or similar product that makes your own redundant – keep an eye out on advertising, which is where this information often appears. This knowledge will help you to be realistic about how successful you can be.
IELTS General Reading Test
Try to find out as much as you can about your competitors. Look for articles or adverts in the trade press or mainstream publications. Read their marketing literature. Check their entries in directories and phone books. If they are an online business, ask for a trial of their service. If your competitor is a public company, read a copy of their annual report. Limited companies have to lodge their accounts with Companies House.
At exhibitions and trade fairs, check which of your competitors are also exhibiting. Look at their stands and promotional activities. Note how busy they are and who visits them. Look at competitors’ websites. Find out how they compare to yours. Check the site to see if you could use aspects of it to improve your own website. Is their information easy to find?
IELTS General Reading Test
Business websites often give much information that businesses haven’t traditionally revealed – from the history of the company to biographies of the staff. They may provide case studies on customer success stories. Sign up to your competitors’ email newsletters to keep track of their business news, like new customers or product launches. Use a search engine to track down similar products. Find out who else offers them and how they go about it.
You can learn about your competitors by getting to know them. Phone them to ask for a copy of their brochure. You could ask for a price list or enquire what an off-the-shelf item might cost and if there’s a discount for volume. This will give you an idea at which point a competitor will discount and at what volume. Phone and face-to-face contacts will also give you an idea of the style of the company, the quality of their literature and the initial impressions they make on customers.
IELTS General Reading Test
Make the most of contacts with your customers. Ask which of your competitors they buy from and how you compare. Use your judgement with any information they volunteer. For instance, when customers say your prices are higher than the competition, they may just be trying to negotiate a better deal. Use meetings with your suppliers to ask what their other customers are doing.
At the same time as competing, make sure that you are competing fairly and do not behave in an anti- competitive fashion. Fixing prices or agreeing not to compete is illegal.
It’s also likely you’ll meet competitors at social and business events. Talk to them. Be friendly – they’re competitors, not enemies. You’ll probably share common problems. You’ll get a better idea of them – and you might need each other one day, for example in collaborating to grow a new market for a new product.
IELTS General Reading Test
Questions 22-27
Choose SIX letters, A – J.
According to the text, what can you do to gather information on competitors?
Write the correct letter, A-J.
A. Become an actual customer with your competitors.
B. Read relevant advertising by competitors.
С. Read published material on your competitors.
D. Spread rumours about your competitors with your own customers.
E. Ask a friend to gather material for you from competitors’ offices.
F. Conduct Internet searches on competitors’ merchandise.
G. Question your own customers to see if they have information on competitors.
H. Ask old employees of your competitors about them.
I. Question your own suppliers to see if they have information on competitors.
J. Interact with your competitors when appropriate.
IELTS General Reading Test
IELTS General Reading Test
ANSWERS
15. TRUE
16. TRUE
17. NOT GIVEN
18. TRUE
19. FALSE
20. NOT GIVEN
21. FALSE
22. B*
23. C⭑
24. F*
25. G*
26. I*
27. J*
IELTS General Reading Test