F2F Class Notes (George)[R]

Demo StudentShirley

Today we focused on:

Reading

4-Day Work Week – Level 4

Microsoft trialed a four-day working week in Japan. Workers’ productivity and job satisfaction improved. The trial was at the tech giant’s Tokyo headquarters. Workers had every Friday off as paid leave in August. Analysts found the shorter working week had several benefits. Productivity rose by 40 per cent and 92 per cent of workers were happy with the trial. It could change Japan’s famous workplace practices of long hours and overtime.

The “Work-Life Choice Challenge” aimed, “to create an environment where each employee can choose a diverse and flexible way of working according to [their] circumstances”. It included limiting meetings to 30 minutes and asking workers to chat online rather than face-to-face. Microsoft said electricity bills were down by 23 per cent and 59 per cent fewer pages were printed compared with August 2018. Microsoft will repeat the experiment in Japan.

Vocabulary

Trial : (n/v) /traɪəl/ 试验
to test something in a formal way for a limited period of time

Analyst: (n) /ˈæn.ə.lɪst/ 分析者
someone who study something in details

Aim: (v) /eɪm/ 打算，计划
to intend to do something

Diverse: (adj.) /dɪˈvɝːs/多种多样的
many different types of thing or people.

circumstance: (n) /ˈsɝː.kəm.stæns/情况
a fact or an event that makes a situation the way it is

Bill:(n) 账单
request for payment