Saying Goodbye (1)

Losing employees can be tough

Hey, Uncle Bob. I'm glad to see you.

I'm glad to see you, too, Ben. You look tired. Are you sleeping OK?

No, I've been having a rough time lately.

What seems to be the problem?

I'm losing one of my best employees Terry. It's not really a problem, I guess. It's more of an annoyance.

But it's still keeping you up at night.

Right! He's been with the company for less than six months, and by leaving, he's depriving me of a great worker.

He's also creating a lot more work for you. Now you'll have to retrain people or get a replacement for him.

Exactly. It makes me wonder if I shouldn't have all my employees sign contracts or something.

Contracts don't keep employees from leaving, Ben.

And if you aren't careful, they can cause a lot of resentment.

I can see that. But if contracts don't keep employees from leaving, why do so many companies use them?

One reason is that contracts can help keep your employees from leaving to work for your competitors.

How do they do that?

Many contracts include a clause that prevents employees from working for a competitor for a period of time.


Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: Hey, Hi and Hello

Hey, friends, good to see you again.
Welcome to the Info Cloud.

Uh... Steve.
You just said, "Hey friends." Don't you usually say "hi friends" or "hello friends?"

I do, Ken.
But, today, I felt like being more casual.
That's why I said, "hey" instead of "hi."

I know it's very common for young people to say "hey" to a friend rather than "hi."
But if we're meeting someone for the first time, especially someone much older than us, then we should probably not say "hey."

You're right, Ken.
That would be impolite.
That would be considered impolite.
So, in that situation, say "hi" or "hello."

Now, a related topic is how to greet someone when we're writing an email.
Traditionally, the word "dear" is used, but nowadays, it's very common to see people use "hi," "hello," or even "hey."

I know some people feel the word "dear" is old fashioned and out-of-date, but in your initial correspondence with someone you've never met, it's still a good idea to use "dear."

After you've established a relationship with the person, you can then switch to "hi" or "hello."

Also, be sure to include the person's name along with your greeting.
Don't just write "Hi," but write "Hi Ken" or even "Hi Mr. Lee," if Ken hasn't given you permission to use his first name.

But with friends, you may be as informal as you like.

When I email Ken, I usually write, "Yo man, what's up?"

"Hey, peace bro."


Grammar Gym
I guess: not really sure about what was just said.
- It's not really a problem, I guess.
- I suppose it's not really a problem.
- I'm not sure what the plan is for this evening, but we can go watch a movie, I guess.
- It's strange how Karen just started crying; she must be upset about something, I guess.

Language Lab
annoyance n.
/əˈnojəns/
slight anger : the feeling of being annoyed
something that causes feelings of slight anger or irritation : a source of annoyance
- Mosquitoes are such an annoyance.
- Susan thinks dealing with customers is an annoyance.
annoy v.
to cause (someone) to feel slightly angry
- My sister's snoring really annoys me.

deprive
/dɪˈpraɪv/
deprive of [phrasal verb]
to take something away from someone or something : to not allow (someone or something) to have or keep (something)
- Jessica thinks her parents deprive her of her freedom.
- Our competitor has deprived us of our most outstanding salesperson.

resentment n.
/rɪˈzɛntmənt/
[noncount] : a feeling of anger or displeasure about someone or something unfair
- George hid his resentment toward his parents.
resent v.
to be angry or upset about (someone or something that you think is unfair)
- Fanny resents the hypocrisy found in politics.

clause n.
/ˈklɑ:z/
a separate part of a legal document
- There's a clause in the contract that entitles the buyers to a refund if there are defects.
grammar : a part of a sentence that has its own subject and verb
- The sentence contains an adverb clause.



mms://webvod.goodtv.tv/SC/20131111_eb725.wmv

mms://203.69.69.81/studio/20131111baae79505cdaf7133d7512676ab0096f38d2af03435519ba094f67663c6d57d4fd9.wma