You're listening to Business English Pod, the Business English podcast for professionals on the move.
Hello, and welcome back to Business English Pod.
My name's Edwin and I'll be your host for today's lesson about discussing staffing issues over the phone.
One of a company's most valuable assets is its staff.
A good staff can mean the difference between success and failure.
But even with an excellent staff, every manager knows there will be challenges.
I don't mean big problems, just the regular ongoing challenges of planning hiring, training and support.
Everyone knows the importance of communication skills in business, especially when it comes to HR and staffing.
But effective communication is even more important on the phone, because everything depends on technique and your choice of words.
Discussing any sort of issue on the phone might start with informing someone like your boss of a problem or challenge.
And when you do that, you should also be sure to show how you've taken ownership of the challenge.
Of course, staffing costs money, which means dealing with issues that might involve asking for budget approval.
And if you're discussing turnover of staff, you might also have to outline retention strategies or ways of keeping good people around.
Finally, anytime you present an idea, you probably want to gauge support for that idea.
In today's dialogue, we'll hear Cam and Annette.
Cam is a production manager for Boston Vintage, an American clothing company with an office in China.
Annette works in the China office, and she's calling Cam to discuss some staffing issues.
As you'll hear, she's dealing with the resignation of an important company employee.
As you listen to the dialogue, try to answer the following questions.
1.
What does Annette say she could have done to avoid the issue?
2.
What are Annette's ideas about retention or how to keep good people at the company?
3.
Why does Annette ask about head office near the end of the dialogue?
Well, Annette, it certainly sounds like you've been pretty busy lately.
For sure.
Lots of exciting changes.
And a few challenges as well.
But getting to the point, I just wanted to let you know about something that's come up.
It looks like Kevin has decided to call it quits.
Kevin?
Well, that kind of sucks.
He was quite the hard worker, if memory serves.
And so, tell me, is this something connected to the new strategy?
Uh, no, I don't think so.
He had some pretty good offers.
But I think the main thing was that we might have expected a bit too much of him.
I think he felt overworked.
And to be honest, I should have recognized that sooner.
I mean, the signs were there, and we could have actually split his position into two.
Well, you can only push people so far.
In any case, do you have a plan going forward?
I guess his departure will leave a pretty big hole.
It certainly will, and that's why I really think we need to split that position now.
That would mean we'd need budget approval on a new position here, though.
Well, from what you've explained, it seems reasonable.
But I'll need a bit more info before I can commit.
I'd love to see two distinct job descriptions and some written rationale for this.
Of course.
I can have that to you by Friday.
Great.
And I guess I'd also like to know how we can prevent things like this down the road.
I mean, we want to keep good people around, right?
For sure.
And I think there are a few different ways we can improve retention.
For one, like you said, we need to pay attention to workload.
But I'm also thinking about a wellness program and loyalty bonuses.
Okay.
Interesting.
Although, of course, these kinds of things would have to be part of a larger budget discussion.
Right.
And I'd be happy to discuss these ideas at any time.
But I'm curious, what's your sense of how something like this would go over at head office?
I want to say yes because I'm open to these ideas.
But the best I can do is affirm maybe.
It would require a good pitch and the right timing.
Anyway, let's come back to this another time.
I'd like to talk a bit about some of the overtime, if we can.
Now let's go through the dialogue again and take a look at the language and techniques Annette used to discuss the staffing issues.
We join the conversation after a bit of initial small talk.
Well, Annette, it certainly sounds like you've been pretty busy lately.
For sure.
Lots of exciting changes.
And a few challenges as well.
But getting to the point, I just wanted to let you know about something that's come up.
It looks like Kevin has decided to call it quits.
Annette wants to get to the point or discuss the real reason she's calling, which is that Kevin has resigned.
But she doesn't just come out and say it too directly.
Instead, she sets it up for Cam.
She starts by telling him she just wants to let him know about something.
That's a signal to Cam to listen carefully, because she's about to present an issue.
When you discuss challenges or problems or just inform someone of an important situation, it's a good idea to introduce it gently.
Don't shock or confuse the person just by stating it too suddenly.
Let the person know you need to tell them something, then tell them what it is.
Let's practice some more ways of informing someone of a challenge in this way.
Just so you know, it's been quite challenging to find someone suitable for the position.
Here's the thing.
It looks like we'll be short staffed for the holiday season.
I should let you know that Henry will only be with us for another three months.
How does Cam react to the news?
Kevin?
Well, that kind of sucks.
He was quite the hard worker, if memory serves.
And so, tell me, is this something connected to the new strategy?
Uh, no, I don't think so.
He had some pretty good offers.
But I think the main thing was that we might have expected a bit too much of him.
I think he felt overworked.
And to be honest, I should have recognized that sooner.
I mean, the signs were there, and we could have actually split his position into two.
Cam wants to know if Kevin quitting is related to the company's new strategy.
If you studied our lessons on taking an overseas business trip, you might have heard these characters talk about a change in strategy for Asia.
Cam's question is a chance for Annette to explain the reasons behind the issue, which she says is that he was overworked.
In other words, she asked him to do too much.
But Annette does more than just explain the reason.
She also explains how she is responsible, saying she should have recognized the problem and done something about it.
We can't always prevent a problem from happening, but we can take ownership of the problem and admit responsibility.
So let's run through some more ways of taking ownership of a problem.
It's up to me to figure out how to work around this.
I really should have had a plan in place before all this happened.
It's my own fault for not dealing with this sooner.
Next Cam wants to know about a plan going forward or for the future.
Well, you can only push people so far.
In any case, do you have a plan going forward?
I guess his departure will leave a pretty big hole.
It certainly will.
And that's why I really think we need to split that position now.
That would mean we'd need budget approval on a new position here though.
Annette already explained that Kevin's position involves so much work that it should have been made into two separate positions.
Now she mentions that idea again as a way to go forward after Kevin's departure.
But people and positions cost money.
And when things cost money, we often have to ask for budget approval.
In other words, we need someone to say yes to the idea of spending the money.
Notice that when Annette asks for approval, she's a bit indirect.
She doesn't say, can I have the money or I need money.
Instead, she says that would mean that we would need money.
Words such as would and could help us to be more diplomatic, which is important when we ask for budget approval.
Let's try some more ways of doing this.
I'd like to know if we have room in the budget for another junior engineer.
So, could you approve the funds for additional staff training?
I'll need you to give the green light for the extra costs for recruiting.
Would you be willing to authorize changing Debbie from part-time to full-time?
So can Cam give the budget approval for a new position?
Well, from what you've explained, it seems reasonable.
But I'll need a bit more info before I can commit.
I'd love to see two distinct job descriptions and some written rationale for this.
Of course.
I can have that to you by Friday.
Okay.
Cam seems supportive of the idea, but a new position is a big cost and he wants to see some more detail and an explanation in writing before he can commit or say yes.
Annette's office is losing a good employee, and surely they don't want that to happen too often.
So Cam wants to know how they can avoid this situation in future.
Great.
And I guess I'd also like to know how we can prevent things like this down the road.
I mean, we want to keep good people around, right?
For sure.
And I think there are a few different ways we can improve retention.
For one, like you said, we need to pay attention to workload.
But I'm also thinking about a wellness program and loyalty bonuses.
Cam has asked how to keep people around, which is also known as retention.
When it comes to staffing.
Retention is always an important issue, and this is Annette's chance to outline what she thinks the company can do to improve retention.
You'll notice that Annette now uses more direct language rather than the could and would she used to ask for budget approval.
In this situation, she wants to present her ideas confidently and firmly.
She doesn't want to sound like she's only thought casually about retention.
That's why she says, there are a few different ways, rather than there might be or maybe we could.
What are some other ways we can outline our ideas about strategy?
Let's practice some more examples.
One thing I think we should do is improve our benefits package.
If we want to keep people here, we need to pay them well and reward loyalty.
What staff really want are opportunities for promotion and professional development.
The keys to retention are a positive workplace culture and respect for management.
Now let's get back to the dialogue.
Okay.
Interesting.
Although, of course, these kinds of things would have to be part of a larger budget discussion.
Right.
And I'd be happy to discuss these ideas at any time.
But I'm curious, what's your sense of how something like this would go over at head office?
Cam can't adopt Annette's ideas on the spot, of course, but she really wants to know if he thinks there would be support for these ideas.
Or, as she says, she wants to know how they would go over or be received at head office.
We've all got ideas for how to improve our companies, but knowing which ones to actively pursue depends on how much support there is from others.
So when you present an idea, it's wise to gauge support for that idea.
Let's run through some more ways to do this.
So, how do you think management would respond to this?
Is this something you think people would consider reasonable?
Do you think there would be support for something like this?
How does Cam respond to Annette's question about support for her ideas?
I want to say yes because I'm open to these ideas.
But the best I can do is affirm maybe.
It would require a good pitch and the right timing.
Anyway, let's come back to this another time.
I'd like to talk a bit about some of the overtime, if we can.
Cam certainly seems to like Annette's ideas, but he can't really say what head office might think.
As he says, it would require a good pitch or an effective presentation.
But Annette will have to save that idea for later, because Cam wants to talk about another topic.
In any case, she's not only done a good job of explaining the issue of Kevin's resignation, but also of demonstrating a proactive approach to dealing with it.
Now let's practice some of the language we learned in today's lesson.
Imagine you are a manager at a large store.
You're talking with your boss about staffing issues.
You'll hear a statement by your boss.
Then I'll give you a suggestion for what you can say in response.
We'll guide you through each step in the practice and provide an example answer for each response.
Ready?
Let's give it a go.
So, do you think we're ready for the holiday season?
Start by letting him know that you might not have enough staff.
Answer Well, here's the thing.
We might not have enough staff for busy times.
Not enough?
But the holiday season is almost here.
Now say, you understand, and you should have noticed the problem sooner.
Answer.
Yes, I understand, and I really should have noticed the problem sooner.
Alright, so how do we move forward then?
Now say that you'd like to know if you can get approval for three new staff.
Well, I'd like to know if I could have approval for three new staff.
A little later in the conversation, you were talking about ways to retain employees.
I think we need to look at some ways of keeping people around longer.
Respond by saying that you believe training and development would help with retention.
Definitely.
And I believe that better training and development would help with retention.
Better training and development, huh?
Not a bad idea.
Finally, ask if he thinks senior management would support the idea as well.
Answer.
Great.
And is that something you think senior management would support as well?
Now let's practice some of the vocabulary we've covered in this lesson.
In a moment, you'll hear a series of sentences with a word replaced with a beep.
Repeat each sentence, including the missing word.
For example, if you hear, You're going to need budget from finance for this.
You can say, You're going to need budget approval from finance for this.
After each response, we'll provide the correct answer.
Let's begin.
Answer I think we hired 10 students last summer, if memory serves.
We don't have much time, John, so could you please get to the... Answer.
We don't have much time, John, so could you please get to the point...
I've had three interviews, but I haven't had a single job yet.
Answer.
I've had three interviews, but I haven't had a single job offer yet.
After 25 years with the company Carla, has decided to call it.
Answer After 25 years with the company Carla, has decided to call it quits.
We've reached the end of this lesson, the second in our series on doing business on the phone.
Today we've looked at discussing staffing issues, including how to inform someone of an issue and take ownership of that issue.
We've also covered how to ask for budget approval, how to outline retention strategies and how to gauge support for an idea.
Thanks for listening, and see you again soon.
