Part 5 ‘You are going to read an artiole about a company and its employees. For questions 31-36, choose the answer (A.B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the tex Inthe exam, mark your answers on the separate answer sheet Take as much holiday time as you want Most organisations reat vacations in the sume reluctant sway that paren dale out candy to their children. They dlspense a certain numberof days each year ~ but once weve reached our allotment, no more sweets for us (One US company, however, has quietly pfoncesed an alternative approach, Netflix lc. isa streaming video and DVD--byemal service tha has amassed 15 mi subscribers. At Netix, the vacation policy is audaciously simple and simply audacious. Salaried employees can take as much time off as cheyd like, whenever they want to take it, Nobody ~ nor employees dhemselves, not ‘managers ~ racks vacation days. In other words, Nesfixs holiday policy isto have no policy aca. Back in the old days ~ 2004 — Netflix treated holidays the old-fashioned way: ialloted everyone’ days a yeas. You cither used them up or you tred co get paid forthe time you didnt consume, But eventually some employees recognised that this arrangement was at odds with how they really did dhe jobs. Afterall, hey were responding to cmails ac weekends, they were solving problems online at home at night. And, every so often, they would cake fff an afternoon eo ferry a child to che paediatrician or to check inom an ageing parent. Since Netflix werent tacking how many hours people were logging cach work day, these employees wondered, why should it cack how many holidays people were taking each work year? Fair point, sid management, As the company explains ints Reference Guide on our Fredam & Responsibility Giltare: "We should focus on what people get done, not how many hours or days are worked. Just s we dont have 12 9-0-5 day policy, we don' need a vacation policy’. So the company scrapped the formal plan. Today, Netfix’s roughly 600 salaied employees can vacation any time they desir for as long as they want — provided tha thei managers know where they are and chat their work is covered. Tis ultiflexible,fredom-intensive approach to holiday time hasnt exacly hue che company. Launched in 1999, Netflix is now a highly successful and growing enterprte, Pethaps more importantly, this non-policy yields broader lessons about the modem workplace. For instance, more companies are realising thar autonomy isnt the ‘opposite of accountability ~i¢s the pathway toi. “Rules and policies, and regulations and stipulations are innovation killers, People do their bese work when they'e ‘unencumbered, says Steve Swasey, Netfi’s Vice President For corporate communication. If youre spending alot of time accounting for the time you're spending, that’ time you're not innevating” “The sume goes for expenses. Employees typically don't ced to get approval to spend money on entertainment, travel or gift. Insread, che guidance is simpler: atin [Netfix’s best ineret, fe sounds deigheflly adult. And i isin every regard. People who dont produce are shown the door. Adequate performance, the company say, ‘gets ‘a generous severance package “The ides is that freedom and responsibility long, considered incompatible, actually go together quite wel. ‘Whar’ more, Netfi’s holiday policy reveals the limits of iying on timein managing the modern workforce. [nan ‘era when people were tuening serews on an assembly ine fF processing paper in an office, the connection between inpue and ouput vas tight. The more time you spent ‘on a task, the more you produced. But in much white- callar work today, where one good idea can mean orders fof magnitude more valuable than a dozen mediocre ones, the link between the time you spend and the results you produce is muskier. Results are whar matter. How you got haere, oF how long ie ook, is less relevant. Finally the Nets technique demonstrates how the starting premises of workplace arrangements can shape behaviour In his new book, Cognitive Surplus: Creativity land Goneroityin a Connected Age, New York University Scholar Clay Sheky argues that when we desiga systems that assume bad faith fom the participants and whose ‘main puapose isto defend against that nasty behaviour, ive often foster the very behaviour we'e trying to deter People will push and push che lms of the formal rules, search for every availble loophole and look for ways co ‘game che system when the defenders arent watching, By ‘contrast, a structure of rules tha assumes good faith can actully encourage that behaviour Tip Sep SHEN RTT RS ‘Question 32: Look in the second paragraph for the answer to this question. What does ‘at odds with’ mean? Gueron toto te anf omen toa Wha ec as) inayat tower oun etx esate tte fr dean he gun TEST 2: READING AND USE OF ENGLISHa 32 33 34 35 36 In the first paragraph, the writer emphasises ‘A. how popular Netfix’s holiday policy is. B how unusual the situation at Netfix is. Chow important holidays are to employees. D_ how hard it can be to change a holiday policy Employees at Netfix pointed out that the company’s holiday policy ‘A. gave them loss time off than they deserved. B__was fairer for some emiployees than for others. © _ was not logical in the circumstances, D did not reflect the way their jobs had changed. ‘The management of Netfx came to the conclusion that ‘A alhappy workforce was the key to future success and growth, B_ employees would be wiling to do some work during their holidays, © they should introduce both flexible working hours and flexible holidays. D_ employees achievements were the company’s top priority. Steve Swasey expresses the view that company policies often prevent employees from being as effective as they could be. result in employees being given the wrong roles. ‘cause confusion among employees because they are so complex. ‘assume that only certain employees can make decisions for themselves. com> The writer says that one way in which the situation at Netflix is ‘adult is that Competition among employees is fierce, ‘managers’ expectations of employees are very high. expenses allowed for employees are kept to a minimum. ‘employees are given a lot of help to improve their performance, ooo Inthe writer's opinion, Netfix’s approach addresses the modem issue of employees wanting more responsibilty than in the past wasted time being more damaging than in the pest. {900d ideas taking longer to produce than mediocre ones, ‘outcomes being more important than methods. com> TEST 2: READING AND USE OF ENGLISH