18.06.2018

Change management


1Most common fears about changes at work 

They say the only one who really likes change is a wet baby. Why? We’re creatures of habit and changes at work move us out of our comfort zone. Depending on how we view the change and how it is presented to us by management, it can be more or less stressful and bring up a variety of fears. Here’s what most of the employees fear:

  • Changes in job responsibilities
  • Raises and promotions
  • Hiring freezes
  • Budget cuts
  • Reorganizations
  • Changes in management
  • Loss of co-workers
  • Loss of prestige

Update or Upgrade?

There are some changes at work that people usually welcome as a part of the inevitable technological progress.  Changes in software, hardware or any other equipment or vehicle are usually called updates or upgrades.  In fact, the words update and upgrade are synonyms, though there is some difference between them.

Update means to bring something old back up to date. It usually involves corrections, improvements of the last version, or ‘update’.
«Did you download the newest Apple update?»

Upgrade also means improvement, but usually on a bigger scale, like replacement of the old program or equipment with the newer one.
«I upgraded my iPhone 6 to an iPhone 7.»

Test yourself now. Choose upgrade or update:

  1. An upgrade/update is a patch that is made available after the product has been released, often to solve problems, while an update/upgrade is the replacement of an older version of one product with a newer one.
  2. There could be many updates/upgrades for a certain product but only few updates/upgrades.
  3. An update /upgrade would cost money while upgrades/updates are often free.
  4. Updates /upgrades are often necessary while updates/upgrades are not.

Keys: 1. Update, upgrade   2. Updates, upgrades   3. Upgrade, updates   4. Updates, upgrades

Learn with the smile  

6-2

'I find it's best to just stay out of office politics.'

'It's mine and you can't have it.' Morris was finding it more difficult than most to adjust to the concept of a 'paperless' office.'5-2

Find the following words in the pictures above:

—          Приспосабливать(ся), подстраивать(ся), адаптироваться

—          Не участвовать, быть в стороне от

—          Проявлять заинтересованность

—          Справиться, сладить

Now translate the following sentences:

1. Мне нужна помощь, чтобы справиться с этой задачей.

2. Давайте подождем. Все со временем подстроится.

3. Ты все еще надеешься остаться в стороне от этого проекта?

4. Проблема в том, что вы пытаетесь приспособить старые методы для решения новых задач.