The Reading / Listening - De-stressing - Level 2

Nike gave its office workers a holiday to help them de-stress from life's worries and the COVID-19 pandemic. The sportswear giant gave its workers a week-long mental health break. It closed its offices so workers could "enjoy additional time off to rest and recover". Nike wants to focus on fighting "burnout". A senior manager at Nike, Matt Marrazzo, said: "Our senior leaders are all sending a clear message – take the time to unwind, de-stress and spend time with your loved ones. Do not work." Nike's stores are still open and store workers are working as usual.

Mr Marrazzo said Nike was taking the lead in mental health issues. He said: "Taking time for rest and recovery is key to performing well and staying sane. This past year has been rough. We're all human and living through a traumatic event." He added that caring for workers "will have a positive impact on the culture of work moving forward." Marrazzo said the week off was to show that Nike "can prioritize mental health and still get work done". He wrote: "Support your people. It's good business, but it's also the right thing to do."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    De-stressing - Level 0 De-stressing - Level 1   or  De-stressing - Level 3

Sources
  • https://finance.yahoo.com/news/nike-closes-offices-one-week-163533653.html
  • https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/do-not-work-nike-closed-its-corporate-offices-for-a-week-giving-employees-a-break-to-help-them-avoid-burnout/ar-AANUnZF
  • https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/aug/31/nike-closes-head-office-bumble-covid-pandemic


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. help them de-stress
  2. enjoy additional time
  3. focus on fighting
  4. A senior
  5. sending a clear
  6. take the time
  7. Nike's stores are still
  8. store workers are working
  1. to unwind
  2. manager at Nike
  3. as usual
  4. from life's worries
  5. off
  6. open
  7. burnout
  8. message

Paragraph 2

  1. taking the lead in mental
  2. recovery is key
  3. staying
  4. This past year has been
  5. living through a traumatic
  6. caring for workers will have a positive
  7. It's good
  8. it's also the right
  1. rough
  2. event
  3. thing to do
  4. to performing well
  5. impact
  6. business
  7. health issues
  8. sane

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Nike gave its office workers a (1) ___________________ them de-stress from life's worries and the COVID-19 pandemic. The sportswear (2) ___________________ workers a week-long mental health break. It (3) ___________________ so workers could "enjoy additional time off to rest and recover". Nike wants to focus (4) ___________________. A senior manager at Nike, Matt Marrazzo, said: "Our senior leaders are all sending (5) ___________________ - take the time to unwind, de-stress and spend time with your loved ones. Do not work." Nike's stores are still open and store workers are (6) ___________________.

Mr Marrazzo said Nike was (7) ___________________ in mental health issues. He said: "Taking time for (8) ___________________ is key to performing well and staying sane. This past year has been rough. We're all human and living (9) ___________________ event." He added that caring for workers "will have a positive impact on the (10) ___________________ moving forward." Marrazzo said the week off was (11) ___________________ Nike "can prioritize mental health and still get work done". He wrote: "Support your people. It's good business, but it's also (12) ___________________ to do."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Nikegaveitsofficeworkersaholidaytohelpthemde-stressfromlife'sw
orriesandtheCOVID-19pandemic.Thesportsweargiantgaveitswork
ersaweek-longmentalhealthbreak.Itcloseditsofficessoworkerscoul
d"enjoyadditionaltimeofftorestandrecover".Nikewantstofocusonfig
hting"burnout".AseniormanageratNike,MattMarrazzo,said:"Oursen
iorleadersareallsendingaclearmessage-takethetimetounwind,de-s
tressandspendtimewithyourlovedones.Donotwork."Nike'sstoresare
stillopenandstoreworkersareworkingasusual.MrMarrazzosaidNikew
astakingtheleadinmentalhealthissues.Hesaid:"Takingtimeforrestan
drecoveryiskeytoperformingwellandstayingsane.Thispastyearhasb
eenrough.We'reallhumanandlivingthroughatraumaticevent."Headd
edthatcaringforworkers"willhaveapositiveimpactonthecultureofwor
kmovingforward."MarrazzosaidtheweekoffwastoshowthatNike"can
prioritizementalhealthandstillgetworkdone".Hewrote:"Supportyour
people.It'sgoodbusiness,butit'salsotherightthingtodo."

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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