Can I Say No to My Boss?

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Hibiscus Teach · Vids · Succession

Can I Say No to My Boss?

Raise a concern, clarify a professional boundary and respond to pressure without disguising the issue.

C1 / supported B2+ · Adults60 minutes with a tutor

Created by , British English teacher.

Content note: Adults only: strong language, workplace intimidation and racism discussed in dialogue. The second scene includes aggression and an adult relationship metaphor. Avoid adjacent crisis and sexual material.

Warm-up: How can someone disagree with a manager without making the disagreement unnecessarily personal?

Learn the words, watch, then answer the quiz. Practise the phrases and speaking prompts. On your own, replay only what you need; with a tutor, develop each response together.

Vocabulary helps you discuss the scene; not every entry is spoken in the clip.

A matter of principle

Greg tries to explain why working at ATN makes him uncomfortable.

First watch: Does Tom ask about the concern, or challenge Greg himself?

Original source ↗

Open the original source to watch, then use the answer key below.

Watch and check · 6 questions

Choose one answer per question. The last two questions practise original language.

About the clip: listening1. What is Greg trying to explain?

About the clip: picture and dialogue2. How does Tom initially respond to Greg’s claim to have principles?

About the clip: listening3. Which principle does Greg name when pressed?

About the clip: interpretation4. What makes Greg’s position difficult in this conversation?

Original language practice (not a quote)5. Which sentence raises a specific concern without attacking a person?

Original language practice (not a quote)6. A colleague says, “That question put me on the spot.” What do they mean?

Interactive scoring needs JavaScript. Use the answer key to check your choices.

Answer key and explanations
  1. B. Why working at ATN conflicts with his principles. His hesitation concerns values rather than only the practical tasks.
  2. C. He challenges and mocks it. He questions Greg personally instead of first exploring the concern.
  3. A. Opposition to racism. That is the example Greg gives in the exchange.
  4. B. He is trying to state a concern while Tom controls and personalises the exchange. The power imbalance and personal challenge make a precise objection harder to develop.
  5. C. I am concerned that this wording could mislead customers; could we review it? It names the problem and proposes a practical review.
  6. A. They felt unexpectedly pressured to answer. The expression concerns immediate social pressure.
1–2 minGrammar in a minuteC1 · A perfect passive gerund in a focused complaint

“Being at ATN”

Clip 1, quotation excerpt

Having been assigned makes the speaker the recipient of an earlier assignment. Without being consulted retains a passive action that did not happen. This is an imagined extension of Greg’s complaint.

New practice based on the quote: Imagine Greg objects to an earlier assignment made without consulting him. Which focused complaint retains both passive roles and earlier timing?

Useful phrases

Original phrases to practise, not programme quotations.

I would like to raise a specific concern about this approach.
Introduce a focused objection.

Could we discuss the issue without making it about my character?
Redirect a personal challenge towards the problem.

Speaking · 3 prompts

Develop your answer with a reason or example. On your own, answer aloud before opening a model.

  1. What happens to Greg’s original concern once Tom makes the discussion personal?
    One possible answer

    The conversation becomes a test of whether Greg can defend himself. That shifts attention away from the specific practices that made him uncomfortable.

  2. How could Greg make his concern more concrete without pretending the power imbalance does not exist?
    One possible answer

    He could identify a particular example, explain the effect and ask for a manageable next step. That may improve clarity, although it cannot guarantee that Tom will respond constructively.

  3. Role-play: a junior employee objects to an exaggerated product claim. The manager initially dismisses the concern. State one example, explain the risk and request a review.
    One possible answer

    Employee: I would like to raise a concern about the phrase guaranteed results. Manager: Are you saying we are dishonest? Employee: I am asking whether we can support that specific claim. Could we review the evidence before using it?

A professional request becomes personal

Greg tries to discuss a different working arrangement with Tom.

First watch: How does the metaphor change the conversation?

Original source ↗

Open the original source to watch, then use the answer key below.

Watch and check · 6 questions

Choose one answer per question. The last two questions practise original language.

About the clip: listening1. What change does Greg want to discuss?

About the clip: listening2. What comparison does Greg use?

About the clip: interpretation3. How does Tom respond to that comparison?

About the clip: visual evidence4. What physical action shows the conversation escalating?

Original language practice (not a quote)5. Which response sets an assertive boundary?

Original language practice (not a quote)6. Which clarification keeps a transfer request professional?

Interactive scoring needs JavaScript. Use the answer key to check your choices.

Answer key and explanations
  1. C. Working outside ATN while keeping a professional connection. He tries to separate a change of role from ending every connection with Tom.
  2. A. A non-exclusive personal relationship. He borrows a relationship metaphor to explain working with other people.
  3. B. He reacts as though Greg has personally rejected him. His response turns a professional request into a personal grievance.
  4. C. Tom throws water bottles at Greg. That action makes the intimidation visible.
  5. A. I am willing to discuss my role, but not while you are shouting at me. It states both willingness to talk and a limit on the behaviour.
  6. B. This is about the responsibilities I want to develop, not a rejection of you. It gives the request a professional reason and separates it from personal rejection.
1–2 minGrammar in a minuteC1 · Volitional will and refused permission

“I will not let you do this to me”

Clip 2, quotation excerpt

Will not can express firm refusal. The negative belongs to letting: the speaker refuses to permit the other person’s action. It does not claim the other person lacks the ability to act.

Which focused paraphrase preserves the refusal, the scope of not and the participant roles?

Useful phrases

Original phrases to practise, not programme quotations.

This is about my next role, not a rejection of our working relationship.
Separate a career decision from personal loyalty.

I am happy to continue this conversation when we can discuss it calmly.
Set a boundary around an escalating interaction.

Speaking · 3 prompts

Develop your answer with a reason or example. On your own, answer aloud before opening a model.

  1. Why does Greg’s metaphor make the request harder to discuss?
    One possible answer

    It brings expectations from personal relationships into a workplace decision. Tom then responds to the implied personal rejection rather than the actual question of Greg’s role.

  2. What is the difference between loyalty and an obligation never to leave? Explain through a fictional workplace example.
    One possible answer

    A loyal employee might give useful notice and support a handover. That does not mean they must stay in the same role indefinitely or accept aggression when they ask to move.

  3. Restage the conversation as a professional transfer discussion. State a development goal, acknowledge the current team and agree a calm next step. Do not imitate the aggression.
    One possible answer

    Employee: I value what I have learned here, but I want to develop a different set of skills. Manager: I am concerned about losing your support. Employee: Could we discuss a handover and a possible transfer date rather than decide immediately?

1–2 minGrammar masteryC1 · A past challenge with a perfect passive infinitive

“Oh, okay. So, should I have left you at Parks to sink?”

From this lesson’s clip, quotation excerpt

To have been left is a perfect passive infinitive: you receive the earlier action. The question challenges a past preference without asserting an abandonment.

Which reformulation retains the past challenge and makes you the person who might have been abandoned?

Finish by improving your response to speaking prompt 3 in Clip B. Use one phrase from the lesson.

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