IELTS Reading Practice: Working From Home
IELTS · ReadingA passage on remote and hybrid work, with True / False / Not Given questions.
1Read the text
Working from home was once unusual, available mainly to freelancers and a few employees in technology companies. In the early 2020s, many organisations moved most of their staff to home working within weeks, and a large number of those employees have not returned to the office full time.
Surveys of workers often report benefits. People save the time and money they would have spent on commuting, and many say they can concentrate better without the interruptions of an open-plan office. Parents and people with health conditions in particular describe greater flexibility. Employers have also found that they can recruit from a wider area when the job does not require daily attendance.
There are drawbacks, too. Some employees feel isolated, and others find it hard to separate work from home life, so that the working day gradually becomes longer. Managers report that it can be harder to train new staff remotely, since much of what a junior worker learns comes from watching colleagues. Evidence on productivity is mixed, partly because jobs differ so much and partly because productivity is hard to measure.
Many organisations are now settling on a hybrid arrangement, in which staff come to the office on some days and work from home on others. Supporters say this keeps the benefits of both. Sceptics worry that it may create two groups of employees, with those who are in the office more often being noticed and promoted more easily.
2True, false or not given Tap an answer. You see why straight away.
1. Before the early 2020s, working from home was common in most industries.
2. Some workers say they can concentrate better at home than in an open-plan office.
3. Employers can recruit from a wider area when daily attendance is not required.
4. Research has proved that people who work from home are less productive.
5. Most organisations that use hybrid working have reduced the size of their offices.
6. People who work from home are paid less than people who work in an office.
Done. Your first lesson is on its way.
Answer key — IELTS Reading Practice: Working From Home
- FALSE — The passage says it "was once unusual, available mainly to freelancers and a few employees in technology companies."
- TRUE — The passage says "many say they can concentrate better without the interruptions of an open-plan office."
- TRUE — The passage says employers "can recruit from a wider area when the job does not require daily attendance."
- FALSE — The passage says "Evidence on productivity is mixed", so nothing has been proved either way.
- NOT GIVEN — The passage describes hybrid working but says nothing about office size or rent.
- NOT GIVEN — The passage does not mention pay.