BE10 Unit 4B Speaking 1: Work-Life Balance

1. Ronan would prefer it if he …

• wasn't left to his own devices.

• could spend more time commuting and less time in the office.

• could work from home and be judged based on task performance.

• could trust his boss more.

2. Jo wanted to reduce her working hours because she ...

• thought she would be more efficient and productive when she was at the office.

• wanted to bring her work home.

• wanted to go on parental leave.

• wanted to spend time with her children.

3. 3. Jo is unhappy with her three-day work week because ...

• she didn’t realise how much the change would affect her economically.

• she now has to spend more time looking after her children and her family.

• she has more deadlines to meet.

• her workload has remained the same although she’s reduced her hours.

4. In Marcus’s opinion, which of these is a disadvantage of working from home?

• You spend a lot of time in the house.

• It's easy to get distracted by y our family.

• You tend to beyond normal work hours.

• You end up eating more as you have access to the fridge all day.

5. Why did Lily not like working from home?

• She found it lonely.

• There were a lot of distractions.

• Her family didn’t like her working.

• She didn’t have a good Wi-Fi connection.

6. What solution is Lily contemplating for her working needs?

• Renting an office space to work from.

• Working from a café.

• Working for an employer.

• Working for other freelancers.

7. 7. Ronan’s boss thinks his employees will not be as productive if they work from home.

• True

• False

8. 8. Ronan thinks that the performance of employees should be judged according to how much time they spend in the office.

• True

• False

9. Jo is paid the same for a five-day work week as she is on a three-day week.

• True

• False

10. 10. Jo feels exhausted trying to manage both a five-day workload and childcare.

• True

• False