WORK-LIFE BALANCE BUSINESS VOCABULARY IN USE (ADVANCED)

 

BUSINESS VOCABULARY IN USE (ADVANCED) 6. WORK-LIFE BALANCE

 

A Stress People talk about being under (a lot of) stress or pressure. They say their work is stressful and that they feel stressed or stressed out. They want to find ways to de-stress. They may complain that they have stress-related illness. Some people may suffer burn-out or a complete breakdown, which means they are no longer able to work. ‘Stress’ often occurs in these combinations: B The causes of stress The most common causes of stress are: • heavy workloads: too much to do in the limited time available. • office politics: problems with colleagues who above all, want to advance their own position. These people like playing politics. • role ambiguity: responsibilities are unclear. C Quality of life Some people are workaholics – they think about very little except work. Others are increasingly looking for quality of life: less commuting, more time with their families, etc. Journalists write about people downshifting or rebalancing their lives. They may work part-time, work from home, move to the country and so on. a. 95 per cent of homeworkers said they have a better work-life balance or home-work balance than when they were in-company because they can spend more time with their families and on leisure activities. b. 82 per cent said they have more autonomy and independence: they are able to organize their work and their time how they want. EXERCISES 6.1 Complete the article with appropriate forms of ‘stress’ from A opposite. PAYOUTS PREDICTED FOR STRESSED TEACHERS Teachers could win settlements of up to £250,000 over a week over work-related (1)_________, a senior lawyer for the National Union of Teachers has predicted, following last week’s £47,000 compensation deal for a Wirral secondary teacher made ill by overwork. 6.2 Which two of the causes of stress in B opposite are specifically mentioned in the article above? 6.3 Match the statements (1-4) to the findings in the survey in C opposite. 1. Sometimes I wish I was working every day as part of a team in an office. 2. Yes, I see much more of my children. 3. Yes, my boss isn’t breathing down my neck the whole time. 4. I work in the living room, and the work is always there, waiting. I can’t get away from it.

ANSWER KEY