VIP Class Notes (Vicki)

Write about something interesting you see in the news

Vocabulary

accountant – kuai ji

finance – jin rong

bond – zheng quan

nurse – hu shi

get off work at 3 o’clock in the afternoon

pandemic – a disease that spreads very fast

disease – illness 病

out of bounds – not allowed to go inside
i.e. My house is out of bounds for you.

advantage – good thing 优点

disadvantage – bad things 缺点

distracted – 分神

realize – find out 发现
i.e. I just realized that I like yoga.

task – mission 任务

commute – 出勤, go to work/office

recent – latest 最近

majority – the most of

productive (adj.) – can do many things within a short period of time 有效率的

livestream – 直播

permanent – forever
i.e. A tattoo is permanent.

semi-permanent – 半永久

tattoo – 纹身

fail – not successful 失败

accommodate – 协调

accommodating (adj.) – 配合的

responsibility – 责任

pressure – 压力

For many white-collar workers around the world, the recent pandemic has meant having to work from home. Their usual office location has been out of bounds. This means different working practices, which have advantages and disadvantages for employees. But the big question is, will they ever see their offices again?

Home working has made people realise what tasks they can perform at home, rather than enduring a commute to the office to do the same thing. It has given them more time with the family; they’ve been sleeping better and have saved money by not travelling or buying lunches on the go. And recent research suggests the majority of people working from home are just as productive.

For some people, this could be a permanent arrangement. In the UK, fifty of the biggest employers questioned by the BBC, have said they have no plans to return all staff to the office full-time in the near future. Of course, one main reason is that firms couldn’t see a way of accommodating large numbers of staff while social distancing regulations were still in place. But the BBC also heard from some smaller businesses who are deciding to abandon their offices altogether.