The Reading / Listening - Business Suit - Level 1

More companies are letting staff dress casually. In the past, business people and office workers had to wear a suit and tie. Today, this is less important. Companies want staff to feel more relaxed, so they work harder. The latest international company to relax its dress code is Goldman Sachs. It wants its workers to "exercise good judgment" in deciding what to wear. It said the change was because workplaces are becoming more casual.

Some people think casual dress is not good. An investment company boss said no suit could give a bad image to clients. He said: "You're looking after people's money, so you should...dress respectfully. I would not expect to hand over my pension to someone in jeans....I think it would be dangerous." He added that if people dress sloppily, people will think the brand is sloppy. Companies like Google let staff wear jeans.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Business Suit - Level 0 Business Suit - Level 2   or  Business Suit - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/business-47466819
  • https://www.reuters.com/article/us-world-work-goldman-sachs/suits-and-ties-now-optional-goldman-sachs-hedges-dress-code
  • https://fox8.com/2019/03/07/goldman-sachs-other-companies-loosening-traditional-dress-code/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. companies are letting staff
  2. this is less
  3. Companies want staff to
  4. they work
  5. relax its dress
  6. exercise good
  7. deciding what
  8. workplaces are becoming
  1. judgment
  2. code
  3. more casual
  4. feel more relaxed
  5. to wear
  6. dress casually
  7. important
  8. harder

Paragraph 2

  1. no suit could give a
  2. dress
  3. hand over
  4. someone in
  5. I think it would
  6. people dress
  7. people will think the brand
  8. let staff
  1. sloppily
  2. my pension
  3. respectfully
  4. wear jeans
  5. is sloppy
  6. bad image
  7. jeans
  8. be dangerous

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

More companies are (1) ___________________ casually. In the past, business people and (2) ___________________ to wear a suit and tie. Today, this (3) ___________________. Companies want staff to feel more relaxed, so they work harder. The latest international company to relax (4) ___________________ is Goldman Sachs. It wants its workers (5) ___________________ judgment" in deciding what to wear. It said the change was because workplaces are (6) ___________________.

Some people think (7) ___________________ not good. An investment company boss said no suit could give (8) ___________________ to clients. He said: "You're looking after people's money, (9) ___________________...dress respectfully. I would not expect to hand (10) ___________________ to someone in jeans....I think it would be dangerous." He added that if (11) ___________________, people will think the brand is sloppy. Companies like Google (12) ___________________ jeans.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Morecompaniesarelettingstaffdresscasually.Inthepast,businesspeo
pleandofficeworkershadtowearasuitandtie.Today,thisislessimporta
nt.Companieswantstafftofeelmorerelaxed,sotheyworkharder.Thela
testinternationalcompanytorelaxitsdresscodeisGoldmanSachs.Itwa
ntsitsworkersto"exercisegoodjudgment"indecidingwhattowear.Itsa
idthechangewasbecauseworkplacesarebecomingmorecasual.Some
peoplethinkcasualdressisnotgood.Aninvestmentcompanybosssaidn
osuitcouldgiveabadimagetoclients.Hesaid:"You'relookingafterpeopl
e'smoney,soyoushould...dressrespectfully.Iwouldnotexpecttohand
overmypensiontosomeoneinjeans....Ithinkitwouldbedangerous."H
eaddedthatifpeopledresssloppily,peoplewillthinkthebrandissloppy.
CompanieslikeGoogleletstaffwearjeans.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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