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Unit 02 :
Working from home

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Vocabulary

Repeat these sentences with your teacher first.

1. remotely (adv.)
in a remote place

2. adjust (v.)
to change something slightly, especially to make it more correct, effective, or suitable

3. roll out  (phr.)
to make a new product, service, or system available for the first time 

4. commute (n.)
to make the same journey regularly between work and home

5. productive (adj.)
resulting in or providing a large amount or supply of something

6. distracted (adj.)
nervous or confused because you are worried about something

7. appearance (n.)
an occasion when someone appears in public

8. virtual (adj.)
almost a particular thing or quality

9. slobs (n.)
a lazy, untidy, and often rude person

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Dialogue

Read the dialogue aloud with your teacher.

Jack

Amy

Jack, I heard that you’re working from home these days.

Yeah, the whole team has been working remotely for a while now.

Are you finding it easy to adjust?

Well it’s nice to roll out of bed a bit later and not have to worry about the commute.

No doubt! Although I’d imagine it’s hard to stay productive all day long.

It’s easy to get distracted, sure. But I have my routine and I stick to it.

You probably don’t have to worry about your physical appearance though, right?

I’m still dressing as though I were going to work. It helps me to stay on track.

A lot of workers must attend virtual meetings dressed like slobs.

At first people were in their pajamas and relying on app filters, but they’re getting better.

I guess the lesson is, don’t phone it in, even when you’re phoning it in!

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Article

Read the article with your teacher.

Working from home: the pros and cons

Many people are dreaming of working from home. However, in a Stanford study, 50% of home-based workers asked to return to the office. Here are a few pros and cons of working at home to consider.

Pros

You’ll have greater flexibility. Working at home allows you to adjust your schedule from day to day. Of course, many appreciate the flexibility for more practical reasons: to provide childcare or eldercare or simply to be at home when the plumber shows up.

You’ll save money. Commuting costs go away. Your professional wardrobe goes seriously downscale. Whether you’re a business owner or an employee, there are incidental costs to showing up at work five days a week that disappear when you stay home.

Cons

Staying motivated isn’t easy. Are you an extrovert who thrives on collaborating with others on projects? Do you get energy and inspiration from the kind of impromptu socializing that occurs among colleagues? If so, the solitary nature of working from home might drain rather than augment your energy.

There are distractions. Your home circumstances might have built-in distractions. These might include family members or roommates around the house.  In any case, if you can’t set aside time to devote to work and only work, you can’t pull this off.

Source: Bizfluent, “How to Take Orders by Phone”

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Discussion:

Answer the following questions to your teacher.

1. Is Working From Home The Right Thing For You?
2.Could you use some help achieving that balance? 

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Let’s practice

Choose the correct answer.

1. Even just getting dressed can make for a more ____ working atmosphere.

A. productive
B. distracted
C. slobby
D. remote

2. I always set timers to help myself ____ on ____ while working from home.

hold / stay / make / line / track

3. It’s not always easy to ____ a new working environment.

A. stick to
B. make up
C. adjust to
D. concentrate on

4. We can still constantly stay connected ____ we were sitting in our office.

A. as though
B. as to
C. as of
D. as long as