Ways of Working
Not everyone works the same way. Full-time or part-time, permanent or temporary, employed or freelance, in the office or at home. See the patterns and how technology has changed them.
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How people work
People do not all work the same way. Some work full-time, some part-time; some have a permanent job, others a temporary one; some are employed, others freelance. And thanks to technology, many now work flexibly or from home. This module is about those ways of working.
The language of work
Four ideas run through this module:
Permanent or temporary
A contract can go on and on, or last only for a while.
Match each way of working
- Temporary
- Freelance
- Remote
- Flexible
- A contract that lasts for a fixed or limited period
- Working for yourself, hired for separate jobs
- Working away from the main workplace, often from home
- Choosing when to start and finish within limits
How technology changed work
Email, video calls, shared online files and mobile devices let people work away from the office, at flexible hours, and across different places. This has grown home working and freelance work, but it can also blur the line between work and home life.
Employed or freelance?
Which way of working means being self-employed and hired for separate jobs, rather than being an employee?
- Freelance
- Full-time
- Permanent
- Part-time
Flexible and remote working
Select the TWO benefits of flexible or remote working.
- Better work-life balance for staff
- A wider pool of workers to recruit from
- It always increases office costs
- It removes the need for any communication
Match each pattern to a need
- Part-time
- Temporary
- Remote
- Full-time
- Suits someone who also studies or has caring duties
- Lets a business cover a busy season
- Cuts commuting time and office costs
- Gives the worker a steady, regular income
Set up home working
Put the steps a business takes to let a team work from home into a sensible order.
- Decide which roles can be done from home
- Give staff the laptops and software they need
- Set up video calls and shared online files
- Agree working hours and how to keep in touch
- Review how well it is working and adjust
The busy season
A business needs extra staff only for the busy summer season. Which way of working suits this best?
- Temporary workers for the season
- Permanent full-time workers all year
- Freelance designers on separate projects
- No extra staff at all
Ways of working in words
A _____ worker works fewer hours than a full week. A _____ contract lasts only for a limited period. A _____ worker is self-employed and hired for separate jobs. Working from home is a form of _____ working, made possible by _____.
Ways of working
Tap the TWO statements that are TRUE.
- A part-time worker works fewer hours than a full-time worker.
- Technology has made remote and flexible working easier.
- A permanent contract lasts only for a fixed short period.
- A freelance worker is a permanent employee of one business.
- Remote working means always working in the main office.
Choose the way of working
Match each need to the best way of working. Choose each time.
- A cafe is much busier in summer and needs extra staff only then. What suits?
- A worker wants to fit their job around caring for a young child. What could help?
- A software company wants to hire the best people wherever they live. What lets it do this?
Technology and work
Explain how technology has changed the ways people work, and give one benefit and one drawback of remote working.
- Describe two ways of working that technology has made easier
- Explain how digital tools support remote and flexible working
- Give one benefit of remote working for a business or a worker
- Give one drawback of remote working