The Payroll Calculation

Dave Volek

Now is the time to do the payroll estimate for the week. Download the payroll worksheet. Fill in the numbers as Bill and Juanita discuss the cashier payroll for the week. Then do the calculations to see if you get the right answer. If you didn’t, you need to listen again.

Juanita

Remember that management wants us to do the payroll estimate after we finish making the schedule?

Bill

I sure don’t understand why they want us to do this. This takes time away from our other assistant manager duties.

Juanita

I think they’re trying to see if this statistic helps in their decision making. Let’s just get this task over with and pass the numbers back.

Bill

OK. Let’s go from the most expensive employees to the least. The full-time head cashiers are Pierre and Elaine.

Juanita

Pierre has 32 regular hours and one overtime hour. His total pay comes to $737.

Bill

Elaine is the same except for one overtime hour less.

Juanita

Farazay has three nine-hour shifts which make 24 regular hours and 3 overtime hours.

Bill

Katerina has the same, except she also has that short three-hour shift on Tuesday.

Juanita

Sophie has two seven-hour shifts and two eight-hour shifts plus one overtime hour. . . . Wait a minute . . . . that comes to only 31 hours.

Bill

Are you sure?

Juanita

Yes. We made a mistake. We should have given her 32 hours.

Bill

I really don’t see any place in the schedule where we take an hour from another employee and give it to Sophie. . . . And I don’t want to rework this schedule.

Juanita

Maybe she won’t notice. Let’s let it go. If she complains, we’ll deal with it then.

Bill

OK . . . . Next is Carlotta with four eight-hour shifts.

Juanita

Min-Jee has two six-hour shifts, two seven-hour, and an eight hour. No overtime.

Bill

Hasan has three eight-hour shifts.

Juanita

Dulani has three on Sunday, three on Tuesday, and six on Friday. . . . . I don’t think he’ll be happy with those hours.

Bill

Well, his availability does make it difficult to schedule longer shifts.

Juanita

And this is his second job. It’s not that he needs to work long hours to make ends meet in his house.

Bill

Maybe he’ll get more hours next week. . . . Where were we? . . . . Aaron will work two shifts: an eight hour and a seven hour.

Juanita

Natalia has a six, seven, and eight hour shift for three shifts in total.

Bill

Ingrid has two eights and one six.

Juanita

And Ziva has three six-and-a-half hour shifts and one four-and-a-half.

Bill

Now for the trainees. . . . . Gerhard isn’t scheduled this week.

Juanita

Wilma has that split shift on Friday: 8 to 12 and 2 to 5.

Bill

And Loan has a three and a four on the weekend.

Juanita

That about does it. . . . . Let’s see what my spreadsheet says for cashier payroll for next week. . . . . The total is $6,007.

Bill

Only $237 in overtime pay. Not bad, not bad.

Juanita

I wonder if our business English listener got the same answer.

Bill

If not, he or she should listen to this dialogue again.

Dave Volek

And this concludes the online activity for Shift Schedule. If you want to practice a similar business English conversation in your classroom, ask your instructor to get the classroom component of Shift Schedule. This DVBE activity is actually quite a bit of fun as you solve a common business problem while using your English.

Remember to spend time with the other DVBE listening exercises. They are free, and you do them at your convenience.

You have completed the listening for SHIFT SCHEDULE. For more great DVBE listening, click here!

There is no interactive worksheet for Shift Schedule's payroll exercise.

Download and print the PDF worksheet.

Fill in the numbers as you listen to the dialogue or read the transcript. You might have to return to the Introduction to get some of the information.

When you are finished, download the answer sheet to check how well you have listened.