•You will hear five people talking about their jobs.•For each extract there are

M: I’ve only been here a few months but I feel as if I’ve fitted in quite well so far. Everyone seems to have time to talk to me when I need help, which I really appreciate. It’s just that by now, I feel I really should be getting up to speed. Only it’s a relatively new position and nobody’s really spelt out what the exact scope of the job is or what my responsibilities and priorities should be. I think my line manager needs to give me a more concrete idea of what she expects me to achieve.  She’s back from holiday next week so maybe we should sit down to talk then.
F: I get the feeling that we’re starting to fall a bit behind other companies. In the papers, you’ll find a hit of a gap between ourselves and the current going rate. It’s not that I’m unhappy here or anything. I really like my job—it’s an interesting job and I think it’s great that the job’s so flexible. It’s just that, at the end of the whole day’s work, nobody likes to feel undervalued, do they? And in my position, it’s not just myself I’ve got to think about. We need responsibilities outside work as well.
F: It’s great to be part of a successful team. I don’t think you could wish for hard-working or more  dedicated  colleagues.   But  I  just sometimes think that our efforts aren’t always rewarded.  I know different managers have different styles,  but everyone likes to feel appreciated, don’t they? I mean, in my last job, managers always made a point of praising us when we beat our targets.  One manager even used to encourage us to clap and cheer each other. And I must admit that I do miss that at times, I find praise here is sometimes a bit limited here. It’s like there’s a "that’s what you’re paid for’ type of attitude.
M: I’ve got very little to complain about really. I get on with the rest of the team and that kind of thing. But there’s one thing that’s been on my mind for a while now. I just feel that, I’ve reached a stage where I’m capable of dealing with a lot more responsibility than I do at present. I just don’t feel stretched any more. I don’t feel as though I’m contributing as much as I could. It’s almost as ff I’m on autopilot. Things are beginning to feel a bit stale. What I need is a bit of variety, something to get my teeth into a challenge.
F：  You’re probably already aware that things aren’t functioning too smoothly in Production at the moment. I don’t know what other people have said but personally I think it’s down to our procedures.  There’s no formal system for putting our ideas forward and in the past suggestions have just been ignored.  I think management has  to  accept  a  lot  of  the responsibility.  What we need  to do is to schedule regular meetings, which will improve the flow of information in both directions. At the moment, I get more information through the shop floor grapevine than from my line manager.