Remote and hybrid work

What's in the lesson

1. 1Warm-up
2. 2In this lesson
3. 3Guess the words (1)Vocabulary exercise
4. 4Guess the words (2)Vocabulary exercise
5. 5Check the wordsVocabulary
6. 6Useful phrases: working remotelyVocabulary
7. 7Check your understandingReading comprehension
8. 8Listen: Rohan's last jobListening comprehension
9. 9Use the new wordsVocabulary exercise
10. 10What does it mean?Grammar exercise
11. 11A team chatGrammar exercise
12. 12Rules and expectationsGrammar rule
13. 13Choose the right formGrammar exercise
14. 14Explain the office rulesGrammar exercise
15. 15Say it naturallySpeaking practice
16. 16The monitoring meetingSpeaking practice
17. 17Let's discussDiscussion
18. 18Wrap-up

Homework

1. 1Homework: closest meaningVocabulary exercise
2. 2Homework: your sentencesVocabulary exercise
3. 3Homework: questions and rulesGrammar exercise
4. 4Homework: a message about the new rulesDiscussion

Words

• commute/kəˈmjuːt/

  the trip to work and back home again every day (also a verb: to commute)

• core hours/ˈkɔːr ˌaʊərz/

  the hours of the day when everyone on a flexible schedule has to be available

• mandate/ˈmændeɪt/

  an official order that people have to follow (a return-to-office mandate)

• stipend/ˈstaɪpend/

  a fixed amount of money that is paid regularly for a particular purpose

• etiquette/ˈetɪkət/

  the rules of polite behavior in a particular place or situation

• idle/ˈaɪdl/

  not working, moving or being used (an "idle" status: a computer or a person that has not been active for a while)

• monitor/ˈmɑːnɪtər/

  to watch, check or record something over a period of time (monitoring: the noun)

• keep track of/ˌkiːp ˈtræk əv/

  to keep up-to-date information about something, so that you know where it is or what is happening

• privacy/ˈpraɪvəsi/

  being free from other people watching you or knowing your personal information

• invasive/ɪnˈveɪsɪv/

  going into your private life or space in a way that is not welcome

Two slides from the lesson

Warm-up

Let's talk about where and how you work.

1. Where did you do most of your work or studying last week: at home, in an office, on campus or somewhere else?
2. What's the longest commute you've ever had? How did you use the time?
3. How does your team stay in touch during the day: chat, email, video calls or talking at someone's desk?

Grammar rule

Rules and expectations

What the rules say, and what people expect

Meaning	Now	In the past
necessary: a rule or a real need	have to / need to / must + verb	had to / needed to
not necessary: you can choose	don't have to / don't need to + verb	didn't have to / didn't need to
allowed by the rules	can / be allowed to + verb	could / was or were allowed to
not allowed	can't / not be allowed to / must not + verb	couldn't / wasn't or weren't allowed to
expected by a rule, a plan or other people	be supposed to + verb	was or were supposed to

Examples: New hires have to set up two-factor login on their first day. Part-time staff don't need to join the Monday stand-up. Interns are allowed to sit in on client calls. You can't use the office printer for personal documents. The quarterly report was supposed to go out on Monday, but it went out on Wednesday.

must is strong and formal: you see it in written rules and policies. In speech, Americans usually say have to (or have got to). must has no past form: use had to. mustn't is rare in American English: write must not, and say can't or aren't allowed to.

don't have to is not must not: You don't have to log in on weekends (you can, but it isn't necessary). You must not forward client files to a personal email account (it isn't allowed).

be supposed to says what should happen, and often suggests that it doesn't: We're supposed to reply within four hours, but on busy days we can't. not be supposed to is an informal way of saying that something isn't allowed.

needn't + verb (You needn't print it) means don't need to. It is formal and mostly British; in American English, say don't need to or don't have to.

Policies also use are required to (= have to), may (= are allowed to), may not (= must not) and are expected to (= are supposed to): Employees are required to lock their screens when they leave their desks. Visitors may not take photos. And watch the forms: in be supposed to and be allowed to, keep the d (not We're suppose to, We're allow to) and keep be (not We supposed to).