In this paper we propose and discuss a framework for analysing adults' work competences while construing mathematics-containing "themes" in two workplace settings: road haulage and nursing. The data consist of videos and transcribed interviews from the work of two lorryloaders, and a nurses' aide at an orthopaedic department. In the analysis we adopt a multimodal approach where all forms of communicative resources (e.g., body, speech, tools, symbols) are taken into account. We also incorporate the institutional norms of workplace activities into the analysis. We coordinate a multimodal social-semiotic perspective with a learning design sequence model (Selander, 2008) which makes explicit the institutional framing. Adopting this framework enables us to understand learning as communication within a domain, with an emphasis on content matters, interpersonal aspects, and roles of communicative resources and artefacts. We describe a tentative theme (Measuring: precision through function and time), and illuminate how workplace specific resources for measuring provide efficiency and function.