Topic 1: Does increasing travels between countries enable people to learn different cultures or to

Topic 23: Many employees may work at home with modern technology. Some people claim 
that it benefits only workers, but not employers. Do you agree or disagree?
 
( home working )
(introduce flexibility), (occasional workers) (part time workers) ;
(reduce interruptions and commuting time),
(increase staff motivation ), (reduce stress) ;
(save office space and other facilities), (reduce costs)
( manage home workers (monitor performance) ;
(maintain staff development), ( lead to possible deteriorating of employees' skills and work quality) ;
(maintain team spirit), ( lack communication), (a sense of isolation among home workers );
The spread of telecommunication technology-using the Internet, telephone, fax, scanners or 
text messaging-has opened up a new range of possibilities for working at home. Discussion has 
centered on whether it represents a benefit to workers alone, but not employers. In my opinion, 
employers can take full advantage of home working as well.
By allowing employees to work at home, employers can widen the base from which they 
recruit and boost the chances of capitalizing Oil rich human capital. For instance, parents with 
childcare responsibilities and those with disabilities prefer to work at home. Distance between 
their work place and their place of residence has never ceased to be a problem. Home working 
enables working people to perform their jobs at ease, and thus gives employers more options in 
human resource use.
Another benefit obtained from home-working is the boost for staff motivation. By working 
at home, employees can manage their time on their own and strike a balance between work and 
rest. Similarly important is that, without the presence of their immediate supervisors, they feel 
less stressful and more comfortable. Those two factors both play a part in boosting their 
productivity and job satisfaction.
Apart from those benefits, home working might have its drawbacks. A challenge that employers 
have to face is the difficulty in managing and monitoring employees' performance. Whether 
employees are as likely to meet a deadline when working at home as they are in the workplace 
remains unclear. Similarly difficult is to maintain team spirit because employees have limited 
interaction between each other. Furthermore, staff training, an integral part of increasing human 
capital, is not practical in a business where home working predominates.
Therefore, it is clear that although employers call benefit a lot from integrating home 
working into his or her business, e. g. introducing more flexibility and increasing employees' job 
satisfaction, they should work out methods to prevent the problems that are likely to arise from 
this move.
1. Represent=stand for=signify
2. Capitalize on= take (full) advantage of=make the most of=benefit from
3. Work place=place of work
4. At ease=comfortably=free from anxiety
1 

---

5. Productivity=output=efficiency=yield
6. Team spirit=cohesion=unity
7. Interaction=communication=contact
2 

---