The changing work model

1. Imagine a friend of yours makes the comment below. What do you think
they mean?

Employees are back in the office, but that doesn’t mean they all like it.

2. Read the sentences and decide whether the people probably work from
home or from the office.
a) My colleagues and I usually communicate using emails and I often have to
wait for their answer. It’s not very motivating.
b) My workplace is casual. There are no desks, just tables and couches.
c) Talking to a customer on the phone is stressful because I can’t quickly ask a
colleague for help.
d) I can’t concentrate because there is always some noise: the printer, the coffee
machine, the lift. It’s really annoying.
e) I feel like I’m always at work, even when the day is over. This can be
challenging.
f) I am usually very productive because I can concentrate when I see others
around me working.
g) It isn’t convenient to have an online meeting because my cat loves walking on
my laptop.

3. Look at the statements in ex. 2 again and underline the adjective in each of
them. Then, decide if each adjective is generally positive or negative.

4. Complete the gaps with the adjectives you underlined in ex. 2.

a) He had a ........................... conversation with his colleague. She told him that
he’s doing a great job.
b) We discussed the problems we had with customers and found some great
solutions, so the meeting was …………………. .
c) I was so busy that I didn’t have time for lunch. What a ........................... day!
d) It’s ...............................when I have a lot of work to do and people around me are
talking.
 The changing work model

e) I had to work more hours during the pandemic. It was a ........................... time
for me.
f) I have a printer on my desk which is very ........................... because I print
loads of documents every day.
g) We can’t wear ............................... clothes to work because we see customers
every day.

5. Look at a list of things people like or don’t like about their place of work.
Think of one advantage and one disadvantage of each of these things.
• your boss in the same building
• a chatty colleague
• your family in the other room
• a window with a nice view near your desk
• a kitchen nearby
• sitting at a different desk every day
• spending an hour on a bus every day to get to work
• wearing pajamas

6. Discuss what the terms below mean.

• work remotely • hybrid work • co-working spaces

7. Watch a video [https://youtu.be/myOXc6otVTw] about a company called

WeWork and describe what the company does.
 The changing work model

8. Watch the video again complete the missing information.

a coffee shop
a) places you can work from when you work remotely: home, .......................... ,a
beach
conference rooms shared
b) types of spaces which WeWork offers: phone booths, ...........................,
coffee break areas , shared desk spaces
common areas with couches,...........................
c) perks of working at WeWork: games (like Jenga or Pac-Man), drinks (like
tea
coffee, root beer, ........................... or sparkling water), printers
d) location of WeWork co-working spaces: most............................around the
big cities across the
world United States and all
co-working spaces near me’
e) to find a shared space to work, google ‘ .............................

9. Discuss the questions.

• How is working in a co-working space different from working in a company’s
office?
• What could be annoying in co-working spaces? What could be motivating?
• Would you like to work in a co-working space? Why/Why not?
• Where did you work/ study during the pandemic? Was it convenient?
• Which one would you choose: working in your company’s office, working
remotely or hybrid work? Why?
• What kind of companies is the co-working model good for?