008 Bosses

Dialogue 1

A: How are things at the office lately?

B: Just awful. Two weeks ago, we got a new boss, and I can't stand him. He is really unreasonable about our workload. Since he came, I've been so busy I haven't had time to breathe!

A: That bad, huh? What about his personality? It's a nice guy at least?

B: I should be so lucky. He not only give us too much work, but he is also just plain mean about it. He constantly yells at us or criticizes us. He is always degrading the employees.

A: What a terrible working enviroment! Have you tried to talk anyone about it? Maybe the boss of your boss?

B: I was going to, but my boss guessed what I was thinking. He gave me so much work to do this afternoon that I didn't get around to meeting with the supervisor of our department.

A: It must be terrible. Why don't you just quit?

B: If it wasn't for the money, I would quit in a heartbeat. But the probelm is, I can't support myself if I don't work.

A: Yeah. But a boss like that? To deal with him everyday, you should get a raise!

Dialogue 2

A: Do you get along with your boss?

B: Actually I do. She is really understanding and reasonalbe most of the time. There was only one time I didn't really agree with her.

A: When was that?

B: Once she fired one of my co-workers for drinking on the job. I felt bad for him, because it is so hard to find a job these days, and he has a family to support.

A: Well, he souldn't have been drinking on duty. It's your boss' responsibilty to make sure employees are safe, and also doing their jobs.

B: You are right. She was being a good boss when she fired him, But I just felt sorry for him, that's all.

A: Did this incident with your co-worker affect your relationship with your boss?

B: Not really. All of us at the office respect our boss a lot.

A: You are lucky you can get along so well with your boss. It makes a big difference in how much you enjoy your job.

B: No kidding. If you don't like your boss or co-workers, they can make your life miserable.