Short situations

[Flash]

I came up with a few situations mostly connected with jobs. They are all a figment of my imagination. Are there any mistakes?

More and more developing countries are beginning to implement a system, in which a worker can decide for himself how to work. Until recently people could either work fixed hours or have no job at all. Now they seem to have been given the chance to choose how to work. For example, if a person has a family to look after and he cannot work the whole day he may work freelance or flexi-time depending what he can do. This standard system is likely to make life better in Third World countries.

I work as an assembly-line worker. Though my job is mind-numbing because you have to do the same thing the whole day, the salary is comparatively high for such a job. The chief reason for it is we have recently got a new boss who is willing to modernise our company. He says increasing salaries is the first step towards modernisation.

A. Hello! How are you keeping?
B. Hi! Quite well, thanks. And you?
A. Not so bad, thanks. How's your new job?
B. Wonderful! As you know, I'd never been on the night shift before I started working in 'A'. Now that I've been working there for over two weeks I realise why you advised me to move to another place. Even though I've sometimes got a heavy workload and occasionally have to meet a deadline I find my job really great!

It's quite clear that people have always wanted to have a glamorous job that would give them a lot of money. A job usually shows what kind of person you are. It's always been diffciult to get a well-paid job without having the appropriate qualifications for it.

I also have a question on English Grammar. Here it is:
What pronoun should I use in the following sentence?
-Should anybody phone me, tell them/him/her I'm busy. I'm really confused.

[Tdol]

More and more developing countries are beginning to implement a system, in which a worker can decide for himself how to work.
I'd delete the comma.
if a person has a family to look after and he cannot work the whole day he may work freelance
I'd put a comma after 'day'
Third World
This term has come under fire- you could use developing countries, which is the PC term.
the salary is comparatively high for such a job
I'd delete 'for such a job'
have to meet a deadline
I'd put a comma after this

-Should anybody phone me, tell them/him/her I'm busy. I'm really confused.

I'd use 'them'. When a person's gender is unclear, I always use the plural, even with things like 'somebody' that are singular.

[Flash]

Thank you very much indeed!

I'd use 'them'. When a person's gender is unclear, I always use the plural, even with things like 'somebody' that are singular.

Thanks a lot for clearing my confusion up!

[Tdol]

You're welcome.

[Flash]

Comment on two more situations concerning work, please.

James Hill, my opposite number in our company Toronto's office, has recently informed me that they got a new boss. Their new boss established a good rapport with everyone at once, therefore James as well as all the company's staff finds it quite easy to ask his new boss to help him solve problems which he occasionally faces.

I came over to one of my workmates' place (I'm not sure that this is correct) the day before yesterday. As I'd forgotten to call him before my visit to let him know I'd come over he got very surprised and as it turned out a couple of days later he was having a date on that day. But because I came over to talk with him about our children's trip to Poland this summer he had to break his date. When I discovered a few days later that he'd had to do it I immediately headed for his office to apologize. He said that there was no need to worry because the girl he had had a date with couldn't come to the date then, too. What a happy coincidence!

[Tdol]

they got a new boss - I'd say 'had/have got', but this might be BrE
James as well as all the company's staff finds- James, as well as all the company's staff, finds (otherwise the verb is wrong)
he got very surprised - was

[Flash]

Thanks. In most cases, I can tell the difference between be/get surprised but I made a mistake in that sentence, which means I still don't know the difference properly. What's the rule?

they got a new boss - I'd say 'had/have got', but this might be BrE

To be honest, I generally learn BrE but since I'm travelling to Canada later this summer I've got to get used to AmE. What do you think?