Telework: The Pros and Cons

 

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

Technology has changed the way we live and especially the way we work.

For many jobs, workers no longer need to be in a fixed¹ office building. People can telework: they can work from home or anyplace where they can access the necessary technology. For example, I wrote this story on a backyard porch in the mountains of West Virginia.

A 2015 survey from the company Gallup found that 37 percent of Americans worked from home. In 1995, that number was only 9 percent.

It is easy to think that this freedom to work whenever or wherever is good for workers and for families.

As it turns out, teleworking is both good and bad.

A new report warns that some forms of teleworking may blur² the line between our personal and professional lives. In other words, some teleworkers may have a hard time keeping their personal life separate from their professional life. This report claims that this “blurring⁴” may have negative effects on the health and well-being⁵ of teleworkers.

The report, titled, "Working anytime, anywhere: The effects on the world of work," is a combined effort by the International Labor⁶ Organization and the research institute, Eurofound. It looks at the pros⁷ and cons⁹ -- or the advantages and disadvantages -- of teleworking from home. The report looked at 15 countries including Argentina, Brazil, India, Japan, the United States and 10 European nations.

Oscar Vargas is with Eurofound and Jon Messenger is from the International Labor Organization. The two co-wrote the report. They say in the findings of the study are unclear and, in some cases, contradictory¹⁰.

For example, the researchers found that on the one hand, teleworkers "report reduced commuting¹¹ time, more time for their families and a better balance between work and personal life; on the other hand, they also report an increase in working hours, a blurring of the boundaries between paid work and personal life and more work-life interference.”

For some people, teleworking adds more family-work conflict, for others teleworking lowers family-work conflicts. For some people, teleworking lowered stress; for others it lead to higher levels of stress and other health problems such as sleep disorders¹².

Vargas explains that some of the pros are less commuting time and greater freedom, or as he says, autonomy. One of the cons is working longer hours.

“Among the positive effects, we find the reduction of commuting time leading, greater work autonomy leading to more flexibility¹³, better overall work-life balance and higher productivity. There are also disadvantages. For example, these workers tend to work longer.”

How teleworking affects the health and lifestyle of the workers seems to depend on how much and what type of teleworking they are doing.

The study puts teleworkers into three categories:

those who work commonly from home,

those who work from several locations outside an office,

and those who work both in an office and off-site.

Vargas notes the study found that 20 percent of people in Europe who worked in an office reported high levels of stress. Compare this to 40 percent of stressed-out people in Europe engaged in high-intensity¹⁴ work at home. He said the findings were similar for those who suffer from sleep disorders.

The report also states that teleworkers who are out of the office too often say they feel isolated¹⁶, or separate from their colleagues and the work environment.

Messenger told VOA that always working away from the employer's work-site seems to be more negative. One of the downsides is this isolation¹⁷. He calls this a “disconnect from co-workers and from the organization as well.

“This constant work outside the employer’s premises¹⁸ seems to be more negative. And one of the downsides is this isolation, this disconnect from co-workers and of course from the organization as well.”

Also, the high-intensity teleworkers that we talked about earlier may have a difficult turning off their work.

Part time telework = the sweet spot

Vargas explains that there are upsides for those who telework part-time, or not all the time. He said this was good not only for the workers, but also for employers and companies.

“The findings show that if workers do it on a part-time basis -- this way of working can be associated to positive outcomes both for workers but also for employers and companies.”

Messenger adds that "two or three days seems to be the sweet spot,” or the most effective balance. Half the time in the office and half the time outside the office seems to help avoid these “isolation and disconnect issues."

“Two or three days a week seems to be the sweet spot. So, half your time in the office and half your time outside the office and that helps to avoid these isolation and disconnect issues.”

Messenger explains that many organizations have developed policies to overcome this problem. They set maximum numbers of days per week during which people can work outside the employer's work-site. Usually, employees are able to telework two or three days a week.

Authors of the report urge policymakers to pass legislation that addresses telework issues. These issues include such things as extra work, which is often viewed as "unpaid¹⁹ overtime²⁰." They said employers should pay teleworkers for the extra work they do at home.

The report also recommends measures, such as shutting down computer servers outside working hours and not sending employees e-mails when they are on holiday.

The researchers suggest that turning off all electronic devices and rest periods for teleworkers will also help avoid negative effects on workers' health and well-being.

And that’s the Health & Lifestyle report. I’m Anna Matteo.

Words in This Story

blur – v. to become unclear

contradictory – adj. involving or having information that disagrees with other information

positive – adj. good or useful (also; pro³, advantage, upside)

negative – adj. harmful or bad (also; con⁸, disadvantage, downside)

flexibility – adj. characterized by a ready capability²¹ to adapt to new, different, or changing requirements

off-site – adj. not located or occurring at the site of a particular activity

part-time – adj. working or involving fewer hours than is considered normal or standard

basis – n. a fixed pattern or system for doing something — used with on < He visits his grandmother on a regular basis.

premises – n. plural²² a building and the area of land that it is on

intensity – n. the quality or state of being intense; especially : extreme degree of strength, force, energy, or feeling

isolate¹⁵ – v. to put or keep (someone or something) in a place or situation that is separate from others

sweet spot – informal n. an area or range that is most effective or beneficial

1 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

2 blur   

n.模糊不清的事物；vt.使模糊，使看不清楚

参考例句：

• The houses appeared as a blur in the mist.房子在薄雾中隐隐约约看不清。
• If you move your eyes and your head,the picture will blur.如果你的眼睛或头动了，图像就会变得模糊不清。

3 pro   

n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者

参考例句：

• The two debating teams argued the question pro and con.辩论的两组从赞成与反对两方面辩这一问题。
• Are you pro or con nuclear disarmament?你是赞成还是反对核裁军？

4 blurring   

n.模糊，斑点甚多，（图像的）混乱v.（使）变模糊( blur的现在分词 )；（使）难以区分

参考例句：

• Retinal hemorrhage, and blurring of the optic dise cause visual disturbances. 视网膜出血及神经盘模糊等可导致视力障碍。 来自辞典例句
• In other ways the Bible limited Puritan writing, blurring and deadening the pages. 另一方面，圣经又限制了清教时期的作品，使它们显得晦涩沉闷。 来自辞典例句

5 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

6 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

7 pros   

abbr.prosecuting 起诉；prosecutor 起诉人；professionals 自由职业者；proscenium （舞台）前部n.赞成的意见( pro的名词复数 )；赞成的理由；抵偿物；交换物

参考例句：

• The pros and cons cancel out. 正反两种意见抵消。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We should hear all the pros and cons of the matter before we make a decision. 我们在对这事做出决定之前，应该先听取正反两方面的意见。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 con   

n.反对的观点，反对者，反对票，肺病；vt.精读，学习，默记；adv.反对地，从反面；adj.欺诈的

参考例句：

• We must be fair and consider the reason pro and con.我们必须公平考虑赞成和反对的理由。
• The motion is adopted non con.因无人投反对票，协议被通过。

9 cons   

n.欺骗，骗局( con的名词复数 )v.诈骗，哄骗( con的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The pros and cons cancel out. 正反两种意见抵消。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We should hear all the pros and cons of the matter before we make a decision. 我们在对这事做出决定之前，应该先听取正反两方面的意见。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 contradictory   

adj.反驳的，反对的，抗辩的；n.正反对，矛盾对立

参考例句：

• The argument is internally contradictory.论据本身自相矛盾。
• What he said was self-contradictory.他讲话前后不符。

11 commuting   

交换（的）

参考例句：

• I used the commuting time to read and answer my mail. 我利用上下班在汽车中的时间来阅读和答复给我的函电。
• Noncommuting objects are as real to the mathematicians as commuting objects. 对于数学家来说，不可交换的对象与可交换的对象是一样真实的。

12 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

14 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

15 isolate   

vt.使孤立，隔离

参考例句：

• Do not isolate yourself from others.不要把自己孤立起来。
• We should never isolate ourselves from the masses.我们永远不能脱离群众。

16 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

17 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

18 premises   

n.建筑物，房屋

参考例句：

• According to the rules,no alcohol can be consumed on the premises.按照规定，场内不准饮酒。
• All repairs are done on the premises and not put out.全部修缮都在家里进行，不用送到外面去做。

19 unpaid   

adj.未付款的，无报酬的

参考例句：

• Doctors work excessive unpaid overtime.医生过度加班却无报酬。
• He's doing a month's unpaid work experience with an engineering firm.他正在一家工程公司无偿工作一个月以获得工作经验。

20 overtime   

adj.超时的，加班的；adv.加班地

参考例句：

• They are working overtime to finish the work.为了完成任务他们正在加班加点地工作。
• He was paid for the overtime he worked.他领到了加班费。

21 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

22 plural   

n.复数；复数形式；adj.复数的

参考例句：

• Most plural nouns in English end in's '.英语的复数名词多以s结尾。
• Here you should use plural pronoun.这里你应该用复数代词。