Ways of working

As world is changing, a shape of working is also changed. Here are some working ways of people. Which ones are old and new?

I’m an office worker in an insuransce company. It’s a nine-to-five job with regualr working hours. The work isn’t very interesting, but I like to be able to go home at a resonable time.

We all have to clock in and clock out everyday. In this company, even the managers have to, which is unusual!

* You also say clock on and clock off

I’m in computer programming. There’s a system of flexitime in my company, which means we can work when we want, within certain limits. We can start at any time before eleven, and finish as early as three, as long as we do enough hours each month. It’s ideal for me as I have two young children.

* BrE : flexitime, AmE : flextime

I work in a car plant. I work in shifts. I may be on the day shift one week and the night shift the next week. It’s difficult changing from one shift to another. When I change shifts, I have problems changing to a new routine for sleeping and eating.

I’m a commercial artist in an advertising agency. I work in a big city, but I prefer living in the country, so I commute to work every day, like thousands of other commuters. Working from home using a computer and the Internet is becoming more and more popular, and the agency is introducing this: it’s called teleworking or telecommuting. But I like going into the office and working with other people around me.

Old	New	Uncertain
nine-to-five regular working hours clock in/on clock out/off	flexitime Working form home teleworking/telecommuting	shifts day shift night shift commute

The meaning of words

office worker

someone works in office.

I’m an office worker on software development.

nine-to-five adv.

between nine o’clock and five o’clock, the normal working hours of an office worker.

I have a nine-to-five job. Well, actually It’s from 10.30 am to 7.30pm.

working hours

hours that someone has been working

You have to do your job in working hours

clock in/on

check a time in order to make sure when you start working.

clock out/off

check a time in order to make sure when you stop working.

This company has a strict rule of working time, so all employees have to clock in/on and clock out/off. There’s no exception.

flexitime/flextime /fleksitaɪm flekstaɪm/ n.

* BrE : flexi-, AmE : flex-

a system in which people work a particular number of hours each week or month, but can change the times at which they start and finish each day

My ex-company has a flexitime system, so everyone can controll thier working time.

shift /ʃɪft/ n.

if workers in a factory, hospital etc work shifts, they work for a particular period of time during the day or night, and are then replace by others, so that there are always people working

Everyone who works in shifts suffers from changing from one shift to another.

day shift

a shift working in day time.

night shift

a shift working in night time.

In this factory, someone is on the day shift one week and the night shift the next week.

commute /kəˈmjuːt/ ★★☆ v.

to regularly travel a long distance to get to work.

commuter /kəˈmjuːtə $ -ər/ n.

someone who travels a long distance to work everday.

I commute to work everyday, like thousands of other commuters.

working form home

working at home without commute to work.

I sometimes prefer working from home instead of working in the office

teleworking /ˈteliˌwɜːkɪŋ-ˌwɜːr-/ n.

telecommuting

[uncountable] working form home using a computer, FAX etc connected to the office of the company you are working for SYN telecommuting.

How to discribe your work?

All these words are used in front of ‘job’ and ‘work’

• satisfying, stimulating, fascinating, exciting : the work is interesting and gives you positive feeling.
  • I have a satisfying job. I really love it.
  • I have stimulating work. No two days are the same.
  • He said he got fascinating work and he enjoyed it.
  • I don’t think my job is boring, It’s much exciting work than people think.
• dull, boring, uninteresting, unstimulating : the work is not interesting.
  • I met one of my friends yesterday, and he said he quit his job, because the job is too boring.
  • I work as an accountant which is one of dull jobs.
  • Getting uninteresting work is better than out of work.
  • A unstimulating job makes people feel like being a part of mechine.
• repetitive, routine : the work involves doing the same things again and again.
  • Workers in a factory do repetitive process, they have a routine job.
• tiring, tough, hard, demanding : the work is difficult and makes you tired.
  • It is obvious you are tired since you get tiring work.
  • The job I got recently is tough.
  • I have suffered from the hard job for several months.
  • At the time I accepted a job, I had no idea It would be demanding.

Additional Words

satisfy /ˈsætəsfaɪ/ ★★☆ W2 vt.

to make someone feel plased by doing what they want.

I satisfy them by serve high-quality dishes.

stimulate /ˈstɪmjəleɪt/ ★☆☆ vt. OPP suppress

to encourage or help an activity to begin or develop further

She is a good teacher, she always stimulate her students.

fascinate /ˈfæsəneɪt/ ★★☆ vt.

if someone or something fascinates you, you are attracted to them and think they are extremely interesting.

I was fascinated when I know rules of a game correctly.

dull /dʌl/ ★★☆ adj.

not interesting or exciting.

It was dull, neither I and her had nothing to talk togeter.

repetitive /rɪˈpetətɪv/ adj.

done many times in the same way, and boring.

Anything repetitive is boring, of course.

routine /ruːˈtiːn/ ★★☆ W3 n.

[countable, uncountable] the usual order in which you do things, or the things you regularly do

Taking a shawer after getting up is my routine.

demand /dɪˈmɑːnd $ dɪˈmænd/ ★★★ W2 v.

to ask for something very firmly, especially beacuse you think you have a right to do this.

A teacher strictly said, “I demand you not to run in the class.”

Nature of work

My work involves + none (e.g. human contact, long hours, team work)

My work involves + -ing (e.g. solving problems, travelling a lot, dealing with customers)

Additional words.

involve /ɪnˈvɒlv $ ɪnˈvɑːlv/ ★★★ S2 W1 vt.

if an activity or situation invelves something, that thing is part of it or a result of it.

My work involves human contact.

to include or affect someone or something.

These changes will involve everyone on the staff.

It is the end of this time. : )