THE TASK AT HAND.- Session 2.- Bullying at work.

We have all worked in places where we grew to dread getting up in the morning, and a few of us have had the pleasure of working for a boss who makes us feel like we can do anything. Let's take a look at the main differences between working in a positive and a negative work environment.

On the one hand, negative work environments are usually ruled by an unfriendly and critical boss. People don't get much performance feedback, there is high employee turnover, and people watch the clock constantly.

However, in a positive work environment, the boss demonstrates interest in the employees; He or she has an encouraging attitude, and the employees like working there. So, what is the secret?

According to experts, creating a positive work environment is based on four key skills:

1. Tell people what you expect of them. It is very important that everyone knows what his/her task consists off so that all employees know what their responsibilities are.
2. Show interest in your team members. Look everyone in the eye and use proper names. Ask colleagues about their opinion and always smile to them. Doing the opposite discourages productivity becauseit makes people feel angry, less confident, and stripped off self-esteem.
3. Create an encouraging environment where your ideas are valued, creativity is encouraged and new ideas are rewarded. It is proved that when we feel appreciated at the work place, we feel like part of the team and our performance is better.
4. Recognize and reward good performance. Praise your employees and workers and encourage them to continue producing such good work. This increases the chances that the person will repeat the desirable behaviour.

It is proved that creating such an environment results in benefits to managers and business owners. There is less turnover, less sabotage, greater loyalty and higher productivity. So, what are you waiting for? Follow these tips and you'll create the atmosphere you always longed for.

Tact and diplomacy are quite important when interacting to people. The English language lends itself to being tactful and diplomatic and speakers of English are generally far less direct than speakers of other languages like for example speakers of German. How do we do this? We achieve this not only through our tone of voice, but also our choice of language. Here are some ways in which we make our utterances more diplomatic:

Making language more diplomatic.

1. Use would, could or might to make what you say more tentative.

   For example:

   • That would be too long a delay.
   • That does not meet our specifications.
   • That might not meet our specifications.
   • You must visit our London office.
   • You could visit our London office.
2. Questions rather than statements make your views less dogmatic.

   For example:

   • It's a good idea to check with head office.
   • Is it a good idea to check with head office first?
   • The risk involved in this is far too serious.
   • Would the risk be too serious?
   • He's not the right person for the job.
   • Is he the right person for the job?
3. Introductory 'softening' phrases prepare your listeners for an unwelcome or unhelpful message.
   • "I'm afraid" …
   • "Frankly" ...
   • "With respect" ...
   • "To be honest" ...
   • "To put it bluntly" ...
   • "If I may say so" ...

     Example:

     • A: Could I speak to John, please?
     • B: I'm afraid he's out of the office.
4. Use qualifying words to soften what you say.
   • "A slight" misunderstanding.
   • "A bit of a problem".
   • "A short" delay.
   • etc.
5. Soften your message by using a comparative form:
   • Would Tuesday be a better day to meet?
   • Would the afternoon be more convenient?
   • Option C might be more cost-effective.

Apart from many other functions, prepositions can be used to show movement. Here, you'll find the most common ones:

• We use "to" to show movement with the aim of a specific destination. For example:

  I moved to London in 2010.She's gone to Paris on a business trip.

• We use through to show movement from one side of an enclosed space to the other.

  For example: The train went through the tunnel.

• We use across to show movement from one side of a surface or line to another.

  For example:Peter swam across the river.

• We use along to show movement following the boundary of something.

  For example: He walked along the park.

• We use down to show the direction of the movement.

  For example: My colleague went down the stairs immediately.

• We use over when we talk about movement from one side of an open space to another.

  For example: She walked over the bridge. The bird flew over the clouds.

• We use off meaning leaving a place.

  For example: Mr. Smith ran off the office. Who ran off with my keys?

• We use round to talk about the movement from one side to another and start over again.

  For example: He went round the tree.Anne went round the park.

• We use into to talk about the movement of entering a place.

  For example: He went into the building.Joseph walked into the office.

At and in can also be used as prepositions of movement, but it's used to show the purpose of the movement.

For example: Throw the paper in the bin. Let's have dinner at my place.

When used after some verbs, the preposition at also shows the target of an action:

For example: The little boy threw the ball at the wall, instead of to his dad.

Place prepositions are those that are used to describe the place or position of all types of nouns. It is common for the preposition to be placed before the noun. Example: The stapler is on the table or My boss is at the office.

Let's take a look at the most common ones:

If you're used to using e-mail to catch up with friends, writing a formal e-mail might feel pretty foreign to you. It's not quite the same as writing a business letter, but it's definitely a huge step in that direction. Clarity, conciseness and being correct are the keys!

Writing formal emails may have lots of advantages compared to regular letters:

• It reduces telephone interruptions.
• It breaks down distance/time barriers.
• It shortens cycle of written communication.
• It improves productivity e.g., meeting planning and preparation.
• It allows people to work from any location with a computer.

However, there are also distinct traps you can fall into if you don't observe some simple rules. As with letters or faxes, emails can be misinterpreted since there is no body language or voice tone to enable the reader to pick up clues. The easiest way to check if your email is appropriate or not is to ask yourself how you would feel if you received it.

Fax cover sheets are essential when sending faxes. They help to ensure that the fax gets to the correct person and inform the receiver who sent the fax. Fax cover sheets also give the sender an opportunity to provide additional information about what is being faxed. Writing and setting up a fax cover sheet is simple. Once it is set up, you can re-use it over and over. All you'll need to do is fill in the correct recipient information each time.

Fax cover sheets should be treated like business documents and written accordingly. A cover sheet should be organized and include instructions for the recipient.

Appearance.

When writing a fax cover sheet, use clean white paper and black ink. Dark-coloured paper or light-coloured ink will not transmit well through fax and does not appear professional. Cover sheets should be typed whenever possible. A printed template with blank fields filled in by hand is acceptable but appears less professional than a typed cover sheet. Cover sheets should only be written by hand if the fax is informal and not intended for a business recipient.