Match the expressions from the interview with their definition. 1 McJobs A self-employed, usually highly educated professionals and specialists 2 shamrock model B jobs that must be done face to face and require people skills 3 knowledge workers C common expression for badly paid, low-prestige jobs that require few or no skills and offer little chance of advancement 4 freelancers D jobs with long-term contracts and the usual social benefits 5 core jobs E model of the future developed by Charles Handy dividing workers into core workers, contractual workers and the contractual fringe 6 portfolio workers F workers who lack technical training or special skills 7 interaction work G people whose work involves using cognitive skills rather than physical strength 8 temporary workers H employees who are expected to remain in a position for a certain period of time only, also called contractual or seasonal staff (or temps) 9 unskilled workers I highly skilled professionals or technicians who work for several different companies or organisations at the same time Discuss these questions. ■■ Would you prefer to do remote work or go to the office every day? How about a hybrid arrangement? ■■ What advantages and disadvantages do you see in remote work? Consider issues like environmental protection, commuting time, isolation, etc. ■■ Which jobs do you think cannot be done online? Are there aspects of these jobs that could benefit from online features? ■■ Many business analysts claim that the days of the open plan office are over. Do you know about these innovative office forms? Go online and find out details to share in class: team pods, fluid workspace, touchdown space. Read the article The Future of Offices When Workers Have a Choice. Were your ideas similar? c Reading 6 a b Some analysts claim that the coronavirus has killed the office. However, recent trends show that office life has become more dynamic than ever. The ability to work remotely has not only driven people away from cities and offices, it has enabled many to live and work in new ways and places. This has even caused so-called rural ‘Zoom towns’ to pop up. People move to remote areas and live in small houses, where they can live close to nature but still pursue their careers through online work. Even before the pandemic, there were signs of trouble with the office market. Around 2020, migration to metropolitan areas like London or Paris was negative, while the economy was growing. The explanation for the declines – mostly high housing costs – obscures other forces that were destabilizing the traditional office market. In the middle of the 2010s, global players like Amazon, or Google started splitting their headquarters into multiple locations or even created remote hubs hoping to attract talented employees that live outside the big cities. For the fastest-growing companies, being able to tap into talent anywhere became more important than having all their teams in one place. The defining characteristic of this new version of the creative class may not be where it lives, but its ability to live anywhere it wants. Put differently, people move to certain cities in search of better-paying jobs, but it’s now possible to earn high salaries from almost anywhere. There were more specific signs that the office market was headed for a crisis, as many employees found traditional offices lacking. In 2019, an extensive study measuring employee experiences was carried out with almost 720,000 respondents in more than 4,700 workplaces worldwide. The results showed that nearly 40 percent of employees felt their workplace did not enable them to work productively. Then the pandemic forced many employees to reassess their preferences. Multiple surveys have found that many are happy to continue to work remotely. Still, this data tells us little about the post-Covid world. Those who thrived initially might burn out if they stayed home for a more extended period. Those who struggled might do much better once they’ve mastered new tools, once they have access to alternative spaces near home, or once children are back in school. At the same time, the technologies that allow us to work, learn and socialize remotely will only get better. Language skills Extras Explore 4 Work, work, work 49 Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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