The Benefits and Drawbacks of Remote Working

Useful Vocabulary and Phrases

• remote working (n) – working from a location outside of the office, usually at home
• flexible schedule (n) – working hours that can be adjusted
• work-life balance (n) – the ability to manage work and personal life effectively
• isolation (n) – the feeling of being alone or disconnected from others
• productivity (n) – the rate at which work is completed efficiently
• communication barriers (n) – difficulties in sharing information clearly
• collaboration (n) – working together with others on tasks or projects
• distractions (n) – things that prevent someone from concentrating
• self-discipline (n) – the ability to stay focused and manage time effectively
• digital tools (n) – software or platforms used to support remote work

Exercises:

Task 1: Write sentences from given cues. Make changes to the cues when needed.

1. Remote working / offer / employees / flexible schedule / and / better / work-life balance.

2. Isolation / be / one / major / drawbacks / of / working from home.

3. Communication barriers / occur / when / team / rely / only / digital tools.

4. Productivity / increase / when / workers / avoid / daily commute.

5. Workers / need / self-discipline / manage / distractions / at home.

Task 2: Vocabulary list for fill in the blanks

remote working | flexible schedule | work-life balance | isolation | productivity
communication barriers | collaboration | distractions | self-discipline | digital tools

Fill in the blanks with the correct words from the list above.

In recent years, (1) ____________ has become increasingly popular, offering employees a (2) ____________ and greater control over their (3) ____________. Without the need to commute, many workers report increased (4) ____________ and less stress.

However, there are also challenges. (5) ____________ can be a problem for those who miss daily interactions with colleagues. In addition, (6) ____________ such as household noise may reduce focus, making (7) ____________ an essential skill. Teams often rely on (8) ____________, but this can lead to (9) ____________ and reduce the quality of (10) ____________ if not managed properly.

Answer Sheet

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Task 1:

1. Remote working offers employees a flexible schedule and better work-life balance.
2. Isolation is one of the major drawbacks of working from home.
3. Communication barriers occur when teams rely only on digital tools.
4. Productivity increases when workers avoid the daily commute.
5. Workers need self-discipline to manage distractions at home.

Task 2:

1. remote working
2. flexible schedule
3. work-life balance
4. productivity
5. isolation
6. distractions
7. self-discipline
8. digital tools
9. communication barriers
10. collaboration