A voicemail that changes next week's rota
It is Friday afternoon. You work at Bramble Café in Canterbury: two evenings a week and on Saturday. Your manager, Denise, has left a voicemail on your phone. This is what you hear:
'Hi Sam, it's Denise. Sorry, I'm on the train so I can't talk long. Listen, next week's rota is different. You were down for Tuesday 16:00 to 20:00 and Saturday 10:00 to 14:00. Tuesday is now a delivery day, so I need you from 14:00 to 18:00 instead - same four hours, just earlier. Saturday stays exactly the same, nothing changes there. Oh, and Thursday: Milan has a match, so could you take his Thursday 17:00 to 20:00? That would be extra hours, not instead of anything. One more thing - I still don't have your new bank details, and payroll closes at noon on Friday. If they're not in by then, your pay goes over to next month. Text me a photo of the form, don't email it. Thanks, bye.'
You have football training on Thursday from 19:00 to 20:30. The bank form is in your bag. It is now 11:40 on Friday.
1. Make a mini rota for next week. For each shift, say whether it is new, changed or unchanged.
Read the worked answer
- Tuesday: changed. 16:00–20:00 becomes 14:00–18:00. Denise says 'same four hours, just earlier', so the number of hours stays the same and only the start and finish move.
- Saturday: unchanged. 10:00–14:00 stays exactly the same - she says so in two different ways ('stays exactly the same', 'nothing changes there').
- Thursday: new, extra hours. 17:00–20:00 is Milan's shift and it is on top of your own hours, not instead of one of them. It is still only a request ('could you take...'), so it is not in the rota until you say yes.
The trap is thinking Thursday is a swap. Denise says 'extra hours, not instead of anything', so nothing is taken away from you.
2. You have football training on Thursday from 19:00 to 20:30. What is the problem with Denise's request, and what are your two realistic options?
Read the worked answer
The Thursday shift (17:00–20:00) overlaps with training by an hour and a half: you would have to leave the café at 19:00 to get to training, so you cannot work the full shift.
Option 1 - say no but offer something. Reply that you cannot do 17:00–20:00 because of training, and offer to work 17:00–19:00, or to do the full Saturday shift instead. This keeps you reliable and still helps Denise.
Option 2 - say yes and accept the loss. Work until 20:00 and miss training. That is honest only if you tell your coach in advance; just not turning up is the worst choice.
What you should not do is say 'yes' and then leave at 18:45 without telling anyone. In a small café the manager plans around you, so an agreement you break is worse than a 'no' you explain.
3. It is 11:40 on Friday. What do you do first, and why? What must you not do?
Read the worked answer
First: photograph the bank form and text it to Denise, right now, before 12:00. That is the only thing with a deadline - payroll closes at noon and if the details are not in, your pay moves to next month, so you would wait weeks for money you have already earned. It takes two minutes and everything else can wait.
Second: reply about Thursday, explaining the training and offering the alternative.
What you must not do: email the form. Denise says 'text me a photo of the form, don't email it' - she is on a train and cannot open work email. Ignoring one clear instruction is exactly the kind of detail this test checks. Also do not wait until after 12:00 and then apologise: the deadline is the deadline.