In a
restaurant
Rank the following in order of importance
The food arrives promptly
The service is polite
The waiters are attentive
The food is great
The restaurant is tidy
The customers (patrons) of the restaurant are respectful
The prices are affordable
There's a variety of dishes on the menu
The music is to your taste
You're not rushed - you feel you can take your time
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
What’s worse..?
A) A serious unfriendly but efficient waiter?
B) A polite but slow and distracted waiter?
C) A waiter who is too polite and too
attentive?
Choose the correct word or phrase - be careful!
A French waiter fired / was fired for being
“aggressive, rude and disrespectful” says his behaviour wasn’t out of line –
he’s just French.
Guillaume Rey, who / whom worked at a
Vancouver restaurant on Canada’s
Pacific coast, filed a complaint with British Columbia’s Human Rights Tribunal
against his former employer, claiming “discrimination against my culture”.
The restaurant, operated / operating by
Cara Operations, accused Rey of violating its code of conduct and said he
persisted in his behavior despite / in spite verbal and
written performance reviews.
In alleging / alleged discrimination Rey
said French culture just “tends to be more direct and expressive”.
He owes his sacking to his “direct, honest and professional
personality”, which / that he acquired while training in
France’s hospitality industry.
Both parties agree Rey performed well at his job despite
/ although his allegedly disagreeable demeanour.
The restaurant and its parent company had attempted to
dismiss the complaint but tribunal member Devyn Cousineau denied that
application, cleared / clearing the path for a yet unscheduled
hearing.
She said the application’s denial should not be seen as an
indication of the case’s outcome.
“Mr Rey will have to explain what / that it
is about his French heritage that would result in behaviour that people
misinterpret as a violation of workplace standards of acceptable conduct,” she
wrote in her decision.
1.
Grammar Exercise
Explain why you chose the answer
- Why
is “who” correct instead of “whom” in the sentence?
- Why
is “operated” correct instead of “operating”?
- Why
does the sentence use “despite” instead of “in spite”?
- Why
is “alleging discrimination” correct instead of “alleged
discrimination”?
- Why
is “which” correct instead of “that”?
- Why
does the sentence use “although” instead of “despite”?
- Why
is “clearing” correct instead of “cleared”?
8. Why is “what” correct
instead of “that”?
2.
Comprehension Questions
- Why
was Guillaume Rey fired from the restaurant?
- What
reason did Rey give for his behaviour?
- What
complaint did Rey file after losing his job?
- How
did the restaurant justify firing him?
- What
decision did the tribunal member make about the complaint?
- Does
the decision mean Rey will win the case? Why or why not?
3.
Vocabulary & Language Questions
- What
do the words “aggressive,” “rude,” and “disrespectful” mean in a
workplace context?
- What
does “direct and expressive” mean when describing communication
style?
- What
is a “code of conduct”?
- What
does “demeanour” mean?
- What
does it mean to file a complaint?
4. Discussion Questions
- Do
you think cultural differences can affect communication at work?
- Should
companies adapt to employees’ cultural communication styles? Why or why
not?
- Is
being direct sometimes misunderstood as being rude?
- Have
you ever experienced a cultural misunderstanding in communication?
- Do
you think Rey’s argument is reasonable?
- Should
workplace behaviour standards be the same for everyone?
7-Minute Writing Task
Time: 10 minutes - Write about 80–100 words.
Think about the story in the article. Then write a short
paragraph answering these questions:
- Do
you think the waiter was treated fairly or unfairly? Why?
- Do
you think culture can change how people communicate at work?
- Do
you think being very direct is rude, or is it sometimes okay? Explain.
After 10 minutes, you may share your answer with a
partner or the class.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Put the extracted clauses into the right place:
A) operated by Cara Operations
B) who worked at a Vancouver restaurant on Canada’s Pacific coast
C) claiming “discrimination against my culture”
D) In alleging discrimination
E) which he acquired while training in France’s hospitality industry.
F) despite verbal and written performance reviews
G) clearing the path for a yet unscheduled hearing
H) despite his allegedly disagreeable demeanour
I) he’s just French
J) she wrote in her decision
K) what it is about his French heritage
A French waiter fired for being “aggressive, rude and
disrespectful” says his behaviour wasn’t out of line – (1)________________.
Guillaume Rey, (2)_________________, filed a complaint with British Columbia’s Human Rights
Tribunal against his former employer, (3)___________________.
The restaurant, (4)_________________, accused Rey of
violating its code of conduct and said he persisted in his behavior (5)_________________.
(6)_______________ Rey said French culture just
“tends to be more direct and expressive”.
He owes his sacking to his “direct, honest and professional
personality”, (7)___________________
Both parties agree Rey performed well at his job (8)___________________.
The restaurant and its parent company had attempted to
dismiss the complaint but tribunal member Devyn Cousineau denied that
application, (9)____________________.
She said the application’s denial should not be seen as an
indication of the case’s outcome.
“Mr Rey will have to explain (10)_______________ that would result in behaviour that people misinterpret as a violation
of workplace standards of acceptable conduct,” (11)________________.
Check here:
French waiter says firing for rudeness is 'discrimination against my culture'
Discuss:
Does Mr Rey have a point?
Would Mr Rey be considered rude in France? Why / why not?
Is it discrimination to expect people to conform to a cultural norm?
Quizlet:
12 collocations
Response, by Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett
Read and put the phrases into the correct place:
correlation hovering much In that respect impression when it comes to
at play inaudibly thankless priorities personally the main event respect
French waiters aren’t rude, they merely demand respect
I lived in France for a year and never felt less than
welcome in my adopted country. And yet many British and American expats I
encountered would moan almost constantly about the service. I’ve always
suspected that the rudeness you experience in France as a visitor has an almost
direct (1)_______ with how much effort that you are prepared to make (2)__________ speaking the language, but there are other factors (3)______ here, too.
I was a waitress for much of my time in France, and the
level of respect you get from the general population is, at first,
mind-boggling. Unlike in Britain, where customers often seem to be under the (4)__________ that they have hired a slave for the duration of dinner, there is no
shame in working in a restaurant. Yes, your role is to bring food to the table
and remove the remains afterwards but, other than that, you largely leave
people to get on with it, rather than interrupting their conversation to check
that everything is OK every five minutes. Food is treated with (5)______, and so
are the people who provide it. You’re as likely to be served by a man in his
60s as you are by an 18-year-old migrant worker. Restaurant work is not seen as
a low-paid, (6)_______ job for those unable to find employment elsewhere, but as
an endeavour worthy of recognition.
Cultural misunderstandings play a part, too. French
colleagues were often baffled by complaints about inattentiveness, for
instance, because the English model of gaining attention seemed mostly to be
whispering: “Excuse me”(7)________ several times as their waiter dashed past
carrying five or six plates of food. French customers, meanwhile, will simply
demand a top-up or the bill in a loud – but not impolite – voice. The fact that
French waiters aren’t constantly(8)_______ around your table is not rudeness:
they are merely treating you in the same way they would any other customer. If
you lack assertiveness, that is not their problem. Ultimately, it’s up to you
whether you choose to take this (9)_______.
In an increasingly globalised economy, it’s worth
remembering that sometimes other countries have different (10)_______. Walking
around Paris last week, I struggled to find a takeaway sandwich shop. Instead
of lunching “al desko”, office workers sat outside brasseries in the sunshine
eating salads and drinking wine. None of them seemed to be in a rush or to have
a problem with the service. But then, the service is never (11)________. The
company of friends and family, and the quality of the food, are what matters. (12)________, we have (13)______ to learn from the French.
tentative
past forms
‘sort of’, ‘kind of’, ‘a little bit’
question tag
question
I’m not sure
soften
direct
1. Requests, suggestions and questions:
Use 1_________, continuous forms or both to soften. Use a negative
question with a 2_________.
‘I was wondering if you could give me a lift later.’
‘You couldn’t give me a lift later, could you?’
2. Giving Opinions:
Use verbs like reckon, guess, feel to make your opinions less 3______.
You can also use vague expressions like 4______. You can also make it
into a 5_______.
'I reckon you're a little young to be getting married!
‘Aren’t you kind of young to be getting married?’
3. Discussing Problems:
Introduce problems, including your own, with verbs like seem and
appear to 6_____ them.
‘You seem to have made a mistake here.’
‘I seem to have lost those reports you wanted’.
4. Saying No!
Use 7______ language to say no politely.
‘8_______ I'll be able to make it to your party this evening…’
