Do the preparation task first. Then read the text and do the exercises.
Preparation
Ronan
I work in a fairly traditional office environment doing a typical nine-to-five job. I like my job, but it's annoying that my commute to work takes an hour and a half each way and most of my work could really be done online from home. But my boss doesn't seem to trust that we will get any work done if left to our own devices, and everyone in the company has to clock in and out every day. It's frustrating that they feel the need to monitor what we do so closely instead of judging us based on our task performance, like most companies do these days.
Jo
I used to do a typical five-day week, but after I came out of my parental leave, I decided that I wanted to spend more time with my children before they start school. After negotiating with my boss, we decided to cut my working week down to a three-day work week. This of course meant a significant cut in my pay too, as I'm paid on a pro-rata basis. I've since noticed, though, that my workload hasn't decreased in the slightest! I'm now doing five days' worth of work in three days, but getting paid much less for it! I find myself having to take work home just so that I can meet the deadlines. It's wearing me out trying to juggle work with looking after my children and my family, but I don’t dare to bring this up with my boss because I think he feels as if he's made a huge concession letting me come in only three days a week.
Marcus
I work for a global IT company, but because their headquarters is in the States, I do all my work online from home. That means that I don't waste time commuting or making idle chit-chat with colleagues. I work on a project basis, and this flexibility is very valuable to me because it means that I can easily take some time off when my children need me to go to their school performances or if I need to schedule an appointment with the dentist. The downside is that without clear office hours, I tend to work well into the evening, sometimes skipping dinner to finish a task. It can also get quite lonely working on my own, and I sometimes miss sharing ideas with colleagues.
Lily
I'm a freelancer and work for myself. This is great because I am in control of what I do and how I spend my time. At first, I was working from home, but I found it really hard to concentrate. There were just too many distractions around: housework that needed doing, another cup of tea, my family members wanting my attention for various things. So I started to go to a nearby café to work, but the Wi-Fi connection wasn't ideal and I found myself drinking too much coffee. In the end, I decided to rent a desk in a co-working space with five other freelancers like myself. I liked getting dressed to go to work in the morning and being able to focus in an office environment. The other freelancers do similar kinds of web-based work to me and so it's nice to have workmates to bounce ideas off as well.
Hello British Council Readers,
My name is Merve, and I'm from Turkey. I am a computer engineering student at İstanbul Aydın University, and I’m a senior student. Hopefully, I will be finishing soon. I don't have a job yet, but I’d like to talk about the advantages and disadvantages of my future job. Let's start with the advantages.
One of the main advantages is that I can work wherever I want. However, this might change depending on the company. It could be a full-time job, which means I would need to go to the office five days a week. Or, it could be hybrid, where I go to the office some days and work from home on others. It might even be completely remote, allowing me to work from home all the time. Personally, I hope it will be remote, but if it’s not, I’ll be fine with any of the options. I’m happy with all of them because I really like my job.
Let’s assume it’s remote. This means I can eat whatever I want at home, drink coffee all the time, and take breaks whenever I want. I also don’t need to get up early or wear a suit for work. I can work in my pajamas or wear whatever clothes I like. Plus, I don’t need to wear makeup. Although, I might wear makeup occasionally. You may be wondering why it could be bad not to wear makeup or work in pajamas. The reason is that if I stay in pajamas all day and don’t take care of myself, I might end up letting myself go. That would make me feel upset in the long run, so I can’t let myself go all the time for my long-term happiness. Actually, this could be a disadvantage of my job. So, I will make sure to stay mindful of my appearance.
Now, let’s talk about salary. I have some bad news about that. Before AI became so popular, software engineers had very high salaries and relatively easy jobs. But since AI became more common, many of my friends are getting more job offers, but for lower pay. It’s really sad, but that’s okay as well. Most jobs are facing the same issue due to AI advancements.
I’ll probably have flexible working hours, but it will likely be 8 hours a day, including break time, just like most jobs.
That’s all that comes to my mind. Maybe one day, when I get a real job, I’ll add the things I experience and see as well.
Version corrected and reformulated by ChatGPT
Discussion
What are the advantages and disadvantages of your working situation? What would you change if you could?
As a former public service employee, I am well-placed to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of my working situation.
First of all, the most significant advantage of working in the public sector is job security. Employment is guaranteed until retirement, meaning no one can be dismissed unless they commit serious professional misconduct, such as the destruction of property.
When employees complain about working conditions, the same phrase is often repeated by both managers and colleagues. Managers indirectly remind them, "Be grateful; many people don’t have this opportunity," while colleagues try to reassure and comfort one another.
Additionally, there are numerous laws designed to protect employees' rights. Some of the most significant include:
a) Job stability – Employees have secure employment throughout their careers.
b) Promotion opportunities – While horizontal promotions (e.g., moving from an administrator to a consultant administrator) are guaranteed, vertical promotions are not a right.
c) Social protection and healthcare – Employees receive benefits in case of illness, workplace accidents, childbirth, or even death.
However, there are also notable disadvantages, such as:
The sign-in and clocking-in system – This strict attendance system does not allow for flexibility.
Conclusion
If I could make changes, I would increase employees' salaries, introduce a more flexible working hours system, and allow remote work. After all, what truly matters is productivity and results, not physical presence. Consequently, I would also eliminate the sign-in and clocking-in system.
Really, I wouldn't change anything.
I am a freelancer and therefore I can use my time as I want and I can go to the dentist or do sports without problems for example.
But at the same time I have an office in a company and therefore I also have colleagues with whom I can make idle chit-chat and share work ideas.
It's perfect for me!
Even though commute to office everyday seems hard, it’s really nice to have a work place without distractions like a office. That’s why Lily’s working place seemed the most suitable work approach for me. She can work any time she wants and can be productive but she also have a nice office environment with colleagues. I also agree with Ronan’s idea that work performance should be judged by the amount of work they have done, not their working hours.
I'd like to set up my own lucrative business in the food industry, and since I believe in work-life balance, I plan to work 8 hours a day. Although it might seem risky and physically demanding, there are many advantages. Not being obliged to answer to anyone, earning through creativity, and avoiding monotony are some of the important ones.
While it will be extremely challenging, I also find it rewarding, which motivates me to strive hard to gain all the necessary qualifications to reach my ideal job situation.
My ideal working situation would be to have a part-time, fulfilling job that allows me to work from home, preferably from 9 to 12. However, my ultimate preference would be not working and receiving a monthly wage.
Since I like to have idle chit-chat with my collages, I'd like to work at an office than from home. My job provide me a transportation support and a lunch so i don't need to spend extra money on commuting to work so i can save more money for my other needs. On the other hand, there is a regulation have been made by company that i must to clock in at 7:30 AM or can be warmed for the first three time after that will be fired and working hour finish at 4:30 pm, between them have a breaking time for an hour. It's not a big deal for me, although, going to work without seeing sun in the morning is not easy for a person like me who don't want to wake up early especially in the Winter. I wish I could work a typical 9-5 job.
Thank you for providing such helpful tips and practiced exercises.
Hi JiyadUllah,
You're very welcome. We are pleased to hear that you found them useful!
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Well, one advantage is working in a good enviroment with young people working most of the time in a good mood, but that sometimes tend to lead into unnecesary distractios like listen loud music or little long Idle chit-chat, I suppose If I could change something, I wouldn’t dare do more working from home like 2 or 3 times a week, because like Ronan,
I think a lot of my work could be done online from home. Although I go to work by riding my bicycle, I spent more than 90 minutes a day commuting between home and work and in the end of the day that’s a lot of time.
Thanks for the lesson.
Great site!