Home » IELTS speaking » IELTS speaking vocabulary: talking about working from home
Examiner: Do you prefer to work from home or at an office?
Flavia: I most certainly prefer working from home. It gives me flexibility I would never have in an office environment. Plus, my work-life balance has never been better; I can get in a workout in the morning, pick my daughter up from school, plus I don’t have to spend time and money commuting to an office.
There may be some added distractions at home while I should be working but overall working from home has kept me from office burnout. To be honest, I found more distractions when I work from an office!
Examiner: Why do you think some people prefer to work in an office?
Polina: Well, there are definitely benefits! For one, you develop a sense of community with your colleagues. There is the banter, the camaraderie… even the gossip! You have an atmosphere of teamwork in a conventional work environment whereas working from home can really lead to isolation.
Examiner: Do you think more people will work from home in the future?
Thuy: The global pandemic forced many people to work from home – for some it was successful and for others less so. So I think that future trends will depend on what outcomes we see from the shift to wfh during COVID-19. IF institutions found it worked for them without a drop in productivity or an increase in costs then we may see the home as the workplace of the future.
Describe your ideal job
You should say
And why you think this job would be interesting to do
The job I think would be interesting to do would definitely be something involving writing. I have always loved to write but what makes it ideal is that this job allows a tremendous amount of flexibility.
A writer can work either in an office or remotely. One day you might be writing from Paris and the next day from New York! Your office is wherever you are and thanks to modern technology, telecommuting works like a breeze!
Furthermore, you’re not tied to a desk 9 to 5. A writer can create a schedule that works for him or her. Personally, I am a night owl so I like working late into the night – you couldn’t do that in an office job!
Examiner: Many people believe that for companies to improve their carbon footprint they should allow more employees to work from home. Do you agree?
Jorge: Working from home does have a number of sustainability benefits. When employees work from home, there is a reduction in carbon monoxide emissions from cars, so in that sense, working from home is environmentally friendly.
Also, everything must be done electronically – so there’s no unnecessary waste of paper by printing work documents. Plus, businesses can move into smaller spaces that use fewer resources like heat, water and electricity, so it’s also really financially viable.
Examiner: Why do you think some employees resist working from home?
Salima: To be honest, it can be a challenge to feel motivated when you are working without any supervision so it’s easy to slack off and some employees might not want that.
Another issue is that there is no separation of your home and work life so that might lead to burnout.
In some professions, working from home is difficult because they may not have the office equipment required to do their job properly. Of course, we can’t forget the social component of the workplace which is paramount for lots of people.
Examiner: How do you predict work will change in the future?
Min: Well, I think lockdowns have taught us a number of lessons that we will take with us into the future. For example, I think we’ll start seeing hybrid work become more common.
This would involve working both from home and from an office on certain days of the week, for certain functions, like meetings or events.
If this does happen, I think it will be a wonderful development as it really embraces the needs of the employee as an individual, different personal obligations, working styles, timetables and so on.
We’re realizing the Monday through Friday, 9 to 5 model does not fit everyone so I think embracing hybrid work more will give people the autonomy to create a work schedule that works for them, resulting in higher productivity and happier employees – and happier companies.
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