Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. a public servant
    • ex. Police officers are public servants who keep the community safe.
  2. a mandate
    • ex. The company has a new mandate that all employees will work from home on Fridays.
  3. represent
    • ex. The students are representing their school in the sports competition.
  4. denounce
    • ex. The mayor denounced the unfair rules at the meeting.
  5. productivity
    • ex. The new computer program helped increase my productivity at work.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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The government of New South Wales, Australia’s most busy state, ordered that all public servants return to their offices, restricting remote work. This mandate was released after many discussions about remote work, which became popular during COVID-19. Premier Chris Minns said that jobs can be flexible with part-time work, but it’s necessary to be in the office to provide public services.

The state of New South Wales has over 400,000 workers. It’s now asking employees to return to the office. This is different from other Australian states that still support remote work. Business groups in Sydney support the mandate. However, employee organizations representing public servants denounced the mandate and said they might fight it if needed.

Unions say the change might make it harder to fill important jobs. On the other hand, the Australian Property Council said the mandate could help city businesses and improve the economy. Minns believes that returning to the office will improve the work environment. It will also answer concerns about productivity that some business leaders have.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Remote Work and the Return to Office Work Mandate

  • During COVID-19, government offices in Australia allowed remote work. In your opinion, should remote work be allowed in government offices? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Which do you prefer, working at the office or remote work? Why? Discuss.
  • The government of New South Wales announced that all public servants have to return to the office. What do you think about this new mandate (ex. it’s necessary for public servants, it’s not good for workers)? Discuss.

Employee Productivity

  • In your opinion, what does productivity mean? Discuss.
  • Chris Minns says that returning to the office will improve the work environment. How can working in the office improve the work environment? Discuss.
  • Imagine that you own a business. What would you do to increase productivity? Discuss.