Hello. This is 6 Minute
English from BBC Learning
English. I'm Georgina.
And I'm Neil.
In this programme, we're
going to be talking about
the world of work.
Ah yes, travelling to an office
five days a week, sitting at a
desk all day, and then
going home.
Neil, it's not always like that.
Office work doesn't have
to be such a routine - the
usual, fixed way of doing
things - it is much more
flexible these days.
That's true. During the
pandemic, we've all
had to have a more flexible
approach to work.
Yes, we have. And it
has, perhaps, changed
our attitude to working
flexibly. But even before
coronavirus, there was
an opportunity to work
flexibly, and we'll be
discussing that soon.
But there's one thing that
can't be changed and
that's you setting a
quiz question for me!
Ah yes, I hadn't forgotten.
So, Neil, I know you work
very hard. But according
to data from the
Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development -
the OECD - workers from
which country work
the longest hours?
Is it... a) South Korea,
b) Germany, or
c) Mexico?
Well, as I'm not on
the list, let's go
for c) Mexico.
OK, Neil, we'll find out
if that's right at the end
of the programme.
But let's talk more about
flexible working now.
Different countries have
different laws about
working flexibly... but
here in the UK, for last
14 years, employees -
workers - have had the
right to request
flexible working.
But what does it mean
to work flexibly?
Sarah Jackson is a workplace
consultant and visiting
professor at Cranfield
University School of
Management. She spoke
to BBC Radio 4's
Woman's Hour programme
about what it means exactly...
Because of the pandemic,
now everybody thinks
flexible working means
working from home - it
doesn't, it's about common
sense, what does the job
need in terms of when
where, how long, and
what do you need and
what does your family
need - and how do the
two match? So, flexibility
really means having choice
and control over when,
where and how long you
work, and agreeing
that with your manager.
So, flexible working
is not just working from
home - something we've
got used to during the
pandemic. It is about
common sense - using
our judgement to make
sensible decisions.
So, requesting to work
for two hours a day is
not sensible - but being
able to work from 12
until 8 instead of 9 to
5 might be. Of course,
this depends on the
needs of the business.
And as Sarah said, you
need to match your needs
with that of the business.
Match here means to
work equally on
both sides.
Getting the working
conditions that suit
you does require some
negotiation with your
manager. You need
agreement from him or
her - and that can be
difficult if your manager
is inflexible - not willing
to change.
But of course, in the
UK at least, an
employee has a right
to request flexible
working, and this
must be considered
by the employer.
This law initially was
just for parents with
a child younger than
6 years old - or a
disabled child
less than 18.
But since 2014,
everyone has the right to
request flexible working.
And that includes men.
Which is an important point,
as Sarah Jackson explains.
Fewer men seem to have
their requests for flexible
working accepted - let's
find out why
Men, when they do
ask, are more likely to
be turned down, so
there's a real bias
there in the system
and the most important
thing that needs to
happen here, I think,
is for employers to
really actively say to
their men, 'we know
you want to be
active fathers' - because
there's a whole
generation of young
men who do want to
be active fathers -
'please use the right
to request flexible
working, work flexibly
if you can - because
until men are enabled
to be active fathers,
we won't get equality
at home and we
certainly won't get
equality in the
workplace either.
OK, so men are more
likely to have their
request turned down -
or rejected. And Sarah
says there is a bias
in the system -
unfairness, treating
one group of people
more favourably than another.
And this is unfair because
it can prevent some
men being active fathers -
actually being involved
with childcare. But
having more active
fathers can lead to
equality - or fairness -
at home and in
the workplace.
It sounds like something
that needs to be looked at.
But now, Neil, let's get the
answer to my question:
According to official data,
in which country do
workers work the
longest hours?
And I said Mexico.
Which is correct,
well done! According
to the OECD, the average
Mexican spends 2,255
hours at work per year -
the equivalent of
around 43 hours
per week. Germans,
on the other hand,
clock up the fewest hours.
Well, my working
day is nearly over,
so let's just recap
some of the vocabulary
we've discussed.
Starting with routine -
the usual, fixed way
of doing things.
Common sense is our
judgement to make
sensible decisions.
When you need
something to match
it has to work equally
on both sides.
And when someone
is inflexible, they are
unwilling to change -
sometimes we say they
won't budge!
Bias is unfairness,
treating one group of
people more favourably
than another.
And being active
with something means
being involved with it.
Well, there's no
flexibility in our 6
minutes so we're out
of time. We have
plenty more 6 Minute
English programmes
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at bbclearningenglish.com.
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Bye for now.
Goodbye.