Structuring your job descriptions like a prenuptial agreement helps set clear expectations and promotes transparency.
Read the article and choose the best answer a)-d) to the questions below:
1. What was the purpose of the contract between Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan regarding their relationship?
a) To ensure they would get married.
b) To clarify expectations before moving.
c) To set financial boundaries.
d) To limit their time together.
2. According to the 2023 Harris Poll, what percentage of Millennials who are engaged or married have entered a prenup?
a) 8 percent
b) 41 percent
c) 47 percent
d) 53 percent
3. What does the phrase “other duties as assigned” in a job description imply?
a) The employee may have additional responsibilities.
b) The job has no specific functions.
c) The job is temporary.
d) The employee can refuse extra tasks.
4. What is one reason for having accurate job descriptions mentioned in the text?
a) To attract more applicants.
b) To increase employee turnover.
c) To protect against lawsuits.
d) To reduce training costs.
5. What can be inferred about the trend in relationship expectations among younger generations?
a) They are less interested in marriage.
b) They prefer informal agreements.
c) They avoid discussing future plans.
d_ They value clarity and transparency.
6. What is a key function that should be included in a job description?
a) The company’s history.
b) The employee’s personal interests.
c) The salary range.
d) Core responsibilities of the job.
7. How does the article suggest handling tasks that are not included in an employee’s job description?
a) Ignore them.
b) Change the job description formally.
c) Assign them without discussion.
d) Ask for volunteers.
8. What does the article imply about the relationship between job descriptions and employee security?
a) Clear job descriptions help employees feel secure.
b) Job descriptions create rigid work environments.
c) Job descriptions are unnecessary in modern workplaces.
d) Employees prefer vague job descriptions.
9. What is the significance of travel expectations in a job description?
a) To limit the number of applicants.
b) To clarify the nature of the job.
c) To increase employee satisfaction.
d) To reduce training time.
10. What does the article suggest about the importance of setting expectations in both romantic and professional relationships?
a) It leads to more conflicts.
b) It is unnecessary.
c) It fosters understanding and clarity.
d) It complicates relationships.
Key: 1b); 2c); 3a); 4c); 5d); 6d); 7b); 8a); 9b); 10c)
Glossary
- prenup (short for prenuptial agreement) – a legal contract made between two people before they get married, explaining how their money and property will be divided if they divorce
- allegedly – used to say that something is claimed to be true, but has not been proven
- to uproot – to pull a plant out of the ground; (figuratively) to move someone from their home or familiar surroundings
- to lay out – to explain or arrange something clearly and in detail
- to veil – to cover or hide something (literally or metaphorically)
- solopreneur – a person who runs their own business alone, without co-founders or employees; (from “solo” + “entrepreneur”)
- compliance – the act of following rules, laws, or requests
- compassion – a deep feeling of sympathy and a desire to help someone who is suffering
Practice makes perfect
WORD FORMATION
Change the word in CAPITALS to fill in the blanks.
Companies that report difficulties integrating Gen-Zers into the workforce won’t be happy to hear that most hiring managers call current high school students even more 1. …………… [PREPARE] for today’s jobs.
As they enter the labor market in larger numbers, many Gen-Z employees have earned their cohort the unenviable reputation of being aloof, averse to taking orders, 2. ……………. [SUFFICIENT] trained, and prone to blankly staring in ways that freak older colleagues out. But if people born between 1995 and 2010 resent that 3. ……………. [CRITICIZE] as harsh, they should bend an ear to hear what their bosses are saying about even younger Generation Alpha members, who’ve been deemed unprepared for the workforce many are already seeking to enter.
Gen-Zers who recently completed college face the challenge of overcoming their cohort’s vexing workplace reputation as they struggle to land a job. They’re also finding 4. …………..s [EMPLOY] generally aren’t hiring much anymore — and are 5. ………………. [INCREASE] prioritizing skills and experience over diplomas when they do. Despite these hurdles, it’s worse for the youngest Gen-Zers and the oldest members of Generation Alpha, born between 2010 and 2024. They’re having trouble finding 6. ………………. [EMPLOY] for an even worse reason: Bosses say they aren’t capable of doing any available jobs. (…)
A further complication appears in the findings of the latest U.S. Chamber of Commerce New Hire Readiness Report 2025. They suggest current high school students are drawing lessons from the time and money Gen-Zers spent on college — only to find those degrees increasingly less 7. ……….. [USE] in getting a job. Not 8. …………. [LOGICALLY], many of those younger students are no longer bothering to consider higher education as an effective bridge for crossing into the workforce, and are trying to dive right in as teens.
It turns out there’s a problem with that, too.
The same hiring managers who no longer consider college degrees as important in making 9. ………….. [RECRUIT] decisions as they had for decades still view them as 10. …………….. [MEASURABLY] better for preparing future employees than no qualifications at all. (…)
In order to read the whole article/check your answers, go to: https://www.inc.com/bruce-crumley/generation-alpha-may-find-the-workplace-even-tougher-than-gen-z-does
Key: 1. unprepared; 2. insufficiently; 3. criticism; 4. employers; 5. increasingly; 6. employment; 7. useful; 8. illogically; 9. recruitment; 10. immeasurably
Discuss
- The author suggests that job descriptions should be structured like prenuptial agreements — “clarity before commitment.” What are the strengths and weaknesses of that metaphor?
- In what ways is a job like a marriage, and in what ways is it fundamentally different (in terms of expectations, power dynamics, duration, etc.)?
- How often do you see job descriptions that are vague or outdated? What are the consequences (for both employee and employer)?
- How might that mindset clash with traditional workplace norms of implicit expectations, trust-based relationships, or unwritten “office politics”?
- How much of this desire for clarity is generational (e.g. Gen Z, millennials) versus a trend affecting all ages because of changes in work (remote, hybrid, gig economy)?
- To what extent is the challenge with “unpreparedness” a matter of individual skill deficits (soft skills, work experience, communication) vs a mismatch between education and what employers now demand?
- How should managers adapt their leadership style if incoming workers expect more clarity, feedback, flexibility, or technology support?
- What role do training, onboarding, mentorship, feedback loops, and culture play in bridging the expectations gap?
Watch and Revise!
Gen-Z Prenups & Gen Alpha’s Workplace Challenges
https://www.cloud.worldwideschool.pl/index.php/s/6ycteC8yHQ5BRHo
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