3.2
HOMEWORKING
28
4
a
Think of some more advantages and disadvantages of
homeworking and add them to your list from Exercise 3.
4
b
Evaluating advantages and disadvantages
In groups,
compare your ideas and discuss whether the advantages
of homeworking outweigh the disadvantages.
VOCABULARY
EXPRESSIONS CONNECTED WITH TIME AND WORK
5
a
Match the expressions with their meanings.
1
time-consuming
2
time management
3
workstation
4
work–life balance
5
spend time
a
organising your time effectively
b
taking up a lot of time
c
how much time you spend at work and home
d
use or pass time doing a particular thing
e
the place in an office where a person works,
especially with a computer
2
What are the reasons for the rise
of homeworking? Technology
has been a key factor. Fast
broadband connections have
provided people with a quick
way of receiving and sending
data from home. People can now
do most of the work at home
that they did previously in an
office. Other reasons for the
rise of homeworking are that it
lowers costs for companies and
homeworkers tend to be more
productive and take fewer sick
days than office workers.
3
In recent years, a large
number of companies have
been offering employees
more flexible ways of working.
Anglian Telco was one of the
pioneers of home working.
In fact, it has been offering
a telework scheme since
1986, which has paved
the way for others. It says
that homeworkers save
the company an average of
£6,000 per person, annually.
4
Homeworking brings many
benefits to employers and
employees. Office space is
costly, so if a company can
reduce its workstations, it may
be able to move to a smaller
site. Homeworking employees
will no longer be commuting
daily to work, which is time-
consuming and stressful.
They can plan their own work
schedule and develop good time
management skills.
5
There are, however,
disadvantages of homeworking.
For some people the office
provides a break from the family,
colleagues to talk to and a
creative environment. There
are many jobs too in which
people have to work closely in
teams and brainstorm ideas.
Homeworking is not really
suitable for that kind of activity.
It is also not suitable for people
who have got a very young
family and nowhere separate to
work.
6
Whatever the pros and cons,
teleworking is here to stay.
For Sunjit Patel it is only
good: ‘For someone like me,
who has a family and the
time management skills
to work well on their own,
homeworking is a no-brainer.
I’m much happier with my life
since I quit the office.’
READING
1
Work with a partner to discuss these questions.
1
Would you like to work from home? What would be
the advantages/disadvantages for you?
2
Homeworking is generally on the increase. Why do
you think that is?
2
a
Read the first three paragraphs of the article
quickly and check your answer to the second question
in Exercise 1.
2
b
Read the first three paragraphs again and find the
following information.
1
how long Sunjit has lived in London
2
how long Sunjit has been working at home
3
the name of a company that was one of the first to
introduce homeworking
3
Read the rest of the article and list the advantages
and disadvantages of homeworking.
Working from home on the rise
1
Sunjit Patel is a graphic designer with
a well–known publishing company. He
has lived in south London since he was
five, and for the last three years he has
been working from home.
He prefers
working from home because he can
spend more time with his family and
have a better work-life balance. Sunjit
is just one example of a worldwide,
upward trend towards working from
home, and according to a study by the
International Labour Organisation, ‘The
expansion of teleworking … is likely to
further accelerate in the years to come.’
