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Ways of working
A Old and new ways
I’m an office worker in an insurance company. It’s a nine-to-five job with regular working hours.
The work isn’t very interesting, but I like to be able to go home at a reasonable time.
We all have to clock in and clock out every day. In this company, even the managers have to, which
is unusual!
Note: You also clock on and clock off.
I’m in computer programming. There is a system of flexitime in my company, which means we can
work when we want, within certain limits. We can start at any time before eleven, and finish as
early as three if long as we do enough hours each month. It’s ideal for me as I have two young
children.
BrE: flexitime; AmE: flextime
I work in a car plant. I work in shifts. I may be on a day shift one week and the night shift the next
week. It’s difficult changing from one shift to another. When I change shifts, I have problems
changing to a new routine for sleeping and eating.
I’m a commercial artist in an advertising agency. I work in a big city, but I prefer living in the
country, so I commute to work every day, like thousands of other commuters. Working from
home using a computer and the Internet is becoming more and more popular in coronavirus times,
and the agency is introducing this: it’s called teleworking or telecommuting. But I like going into
the office and working with other people around me.
Exercise
Which person (1-5) is most likely to do each of the five things (a-e)?
1. A software designer is an Internet company. Has to be in the office.
2. An office worker in a large, traditional work manufacturing company.
3. A manager in a department store in a large store. Lives in the country.
4. A construction worker on a building site where work goes on 24 hours a day.
5. A technical worker for a city computer company. Lives in the country.
a work in shifts
b work under a flexitime system
c telecommute
d commute to work
e clock on and off at the same time every day
Ways of working
B Nice work if you can get it
All these words are used in front of ‘job’ and ‘work’:
• satisfying, stimulating fascinating, exciting: the work is interesting and gives you positive
feelings.
• dull, boring, uninteresting, unstimulating: the work is not interesting.
• repetitive, routine: the work involves doing the same things again and again.
• tiring, tough, hard, demanding: the work is difficult and makes you tired.
C Nature of work
My work involves….
+ noun + verb-ing
human contact solving problems
long hours travelling a lot
teamwork dealing with customers
Exercise
Look at the work expressions. Five people talk about their jobs. Match the jobs (1-5) to the people
(a-e) and put the words in brackets into the correct grammatical forms.
1. accountant
2. postwoman
3. flight attendant
4. software developer
5. teacher
a. Obviously, my work involves ………………….. (travel) a lot. It can be quite physically
……………… (tire), but I enjoy ………………. (deal) with customers, except when they
become violent. Luckily this doesn’t happen often.
b. I like ……………… (work) with figures, but my job is much less ……………. (bore) and
routine than people think. The work ………………. (involve) a lot of human contact and
teamwork, working with other managers.
c. Of course, it involves getting up quite early in the morning. But I like …………….. (be) out in
the air. And I get a lot of exercise!
d. You’ve got to think in a very logical way. The work can be mentally ………………. (tire), but
it’s very satisfying to write a program that works.
e. I love my job. It’s very ……………………. (stimulate) and not at all …………………. (repeat):
no two days are the same. It’s good to see children learn and develop.
Ways of working
OVER TO YOU
1. Do you have a nine-to-five job?
2. Do you have to clock on and off? In which professions workers have to clock on and off?
3. Is there a flexitime system in your organization?
4. Are there people who do shiftwork in your company? In which professions do workers have to
do shiftwork?
5. Could you do your job working from home? If so, would you like to work from home? Why?
Why not?
6. What kind of working hours would you like to have? Are you a better worker in the morning or
in the evening?
7. What adjectives best describe your work?
8. Do you need to commute (travel some distance between one's home and place of work
regularly)? What means (ways) of transport do you use to commute?
Ways of working
