Integrated Task:

Both the passage and the lecture discuss the introduction of a four-day week
into working places. The author believes that such move can improve the profits of
numerous companies, reduce unemployment rates, and even refine the quality of
employees’ personal lives, whilst the lecturer disagrees with the above-mentioned
points.

To start with, the passage states that the less days the employees spend at
desks, the more effective their work is, which increases the income of a company.
The lecturer, however, casts doubt on it as the reduced number of working days
may result in the demand for new workers that leads to much more expenditures on
the office space and health insurance.

Secondly, according to the author, this change can lead to the increased
number of individuals engaged in working process. The lecturer opposes to this
idea reminding about the above-mentioned idea. Moreover, due to the minimized
number of working days, some of the employees can be asked to work overtime,
and even managers may start having higher expectations from workers believing
that it is possible to complete the same amount of work much faster.

Thirdly, the passage narrates about the perfected quality of people’s personal
lives, whereas the lecturer contradicts the given hypothesis. The lecturer contends
that owing to the increased number of risks and decreased job stability, the quality
of employees’ lives may be adversely affected. Furthermore, it is likely that the
economic downturn and consistent supervision from their managers may become
an immense problem.

(247 words)