Business English Bits Issue 98
The 10-min homework newsletter that supports your advanced business and English language learning...
Good morning and greetings to this Tuesday’s issue of Business English Bits.
In today’s issue we are looking at a video report from a new Youtube channel, PBS News Hour. The subject covered in this report is the four-day working week (without corresponding wage reduction). With current full employment in the US, it is said that up to a third of American firms are thinking about bringing in these new working practices. This employment trend is increasingly being proposed as a way of improving work-life balance; reducing burnout*; helping to retain workforce and boosting** economic productivity.
*Burnout (n) - State of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion
**To Boost (v) - To increase or improve smth
The concept of reducing hours whilst maintaining salary is an emotive subject with supporters and detractors* quick to put forward** arguments concerning efficiency, cost and competitiveness. Recent experiments in reducing working weeks from Monday to Thursday or to 32-35 hours/week have produced mixed results. Worker satisfaction, burnout reduction and retention have improved, but often work demands fail to fit into rigidly into reduced timetables and usually more flexibility is required from employees.
*Detractor (n) - Sb who criticises smth/sb
**To Put forward (pv) - To propose; suggest; Nominate
Take a look at the report which delves into NGO* and SME** examples.
*NGO - Non-governmental organisation
**SME - Small and medium sized enterprise
Focus on some key new adjectives from the video ….
1. VIDEO: PBS News Hour - (8min) - Benefits companies are seeing after embracing 4-day workweek
Key Words - (Smth = Something; Sb=Someone)
Pantry (n) - Room where food is kept
Overwhelmed (adj) - Overcome by force or emotion
Discouraged (adj) - Lose enthusiasm over actions
To Tread water (ph) - Expend effort to maintains state, but no progress
To Oversee (v) - To direct, supervise, manage (workers)
Procurement (n) - Obtaining or purchasing goods or services
To Quit (v) - To leave (a job), usually permanently
Sabbatical (n) - Rest or break from work
Output (n) - Production
To Foresee (v) - To realize smth beforehand
Bonanza (n) - Smth very valuable, profitable, or rewarding
Bunch (n) - Number of things of the same type
To Come into play (ph) - To begin to be used or to have an effect
Learning curve (cn) - How long it takes to acquire new skills or knowledge
To Set aside (pv) - To keep money, time, land, etc. for a particular purpose
Tangible (adj) - Smth that can be touched or felt
Outmoded (adj) - No longer acceptable, current, or usable
Rejuvenating (adj) - To give new vigour
To Trend (v) - To change or develop in a general direction
Kick ass (col ph) - Incredible
To Buck (v) - To oppose or resist
Word of the Day … Guess the missing key word. Answer given below with examples!
Some new phrasal verbs to review …
Word of the Day Answer:
Pioneer (Noun) - Develop of be the first to use or apply
Examples:
“Our firm was a pioneer in the development of new cancer treatments.”
“They were pioneers in the company regarding their sales methods.”
Have a fantastic Tuesday and see you tomorrow for the phrasal verb test …
Kevin