2.Warunki pracy, zatrudnienia, rynek pracy.doc

2.Warunki pracy, zatrudnienia, rynek pracy.

Ćwiczenie 2.

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As technology increasingly blurs the              shortest emails. In contrast, middle

boundary between work and home              managers send lengthy emails full of

life, it might become necessary to              instructions. And inclusion or

have regulations to protect the              exclusion from internal management

privacy of employees' out-of-office              email lists can become another

hours, says a senior thinktank*              expression of a pecking order*,
researcher.              There is little chance of escaping

The emergence of a flexible              the rise and rise of technology, as
workforce using technology to work              three-quarters of jobs now involve the
from home or when they're on the              use of some type of computer
move hasn't so far been matched by              technology This has meant re-
guidelines to protect them. While              organisation in the workplace, but it
there are regulations in areas such as              hasn't created the social changes that
health and safety and bullying and              we might once have expected. There
harassment, it remains uncertain to              has been plenty of talk about tele-
what extent employees can be expected              workers living in techno-crofts on
to be 'flexible' about answering the              a remote island or wherever. But in
mobile phone or emails in their own              practice, this is still a rare species. And,
time.              apart from the already self-employed,

Anyone on a commuter train will              there is little sign of full-time remote

know from the phone calls around              working becoming more standard,
them that many people's working day              But there are positive sides,

stretches outside the office. And as              Techno-logy has meant that at least

email is integrated into mobiles,              some people can be more flexible

presumably we'll soon be working in              about their work. And there is

even more diverse places. This raises              evidence that where technology is

questions about what is reasonable.              more thoughtfully and systematically

How many calls or emails? How late at              deployed, there are benefits. Despite

night would they have to be, for it to              fears about work-place technology

be considered unacceptable?              being used as a form of surveillance*,

Also, rather than changing              this doesn't seem to happen,
workplaces, technology can become              But despite the hype*, technology

a way of reinforcing the existing              for many workers has meant nothing

hierarchies. Emails can become              more innovative than a headset or

a reflection of how far someone has              a checklist on a PC. And a gap remains

shinned up* the corporate ladder.              between what technology promises...

The most powerful people in an              and what happens in practice,
organisation tend to send off the

* thinktank - a group of experts who provide advice and ideas about a problem (zespół doradców)

*a pecking order - the way the positions people have are arranged according to their status (hierarchia w obrębie grupy)

Pytania:

1.    Is working from home really the future of employment? Present its advantages and disadvantages. Is the comfort of one's home always conducive to working effectively? Can the relative lack of interpersonal contact with other employees and staff (e.g. in the office) help in working effectively? How?

2.    Would you like to work from home or rather not? Why?

When I grow up I want to be a nurse ...              professionals taking stock of their

then a policewoman ... then an actor...              careers and switching to

then a journalist... then a teacher ...              a completely different path. According

then an artist...              to a recent study, five million people are

Jane Haddow would have made her              expected to plan a career change in

careers adviser proud. By the time she              2005. School-leavers are now advised

reached her 30th birthday, she had              that they can expect 19 job changes in

ticked all the right boxes and was on              their lifetime, at least five of which will

her way to becoming a stereotypical              move them into

success story. She had a degree, she had              a dramatically different sector,
travelled and she had worked her way              As recently as 30 years ago, this could

up through the ranks of              not have been further from the norm,

a prestigious organisation. But looking              The position chosen after school or

back on her time as the art director of              university set the pattern for lifelong

a large television company, she sounds              employment, certainly in the same

dejected*. "I was facing a dark tunnel.              profession or trade, if not exactly the

It felt as though there was no way out,              same position. Job security was high

everything just overwhelmed me."              and guaranteed, so long as an employee

Haddow's schedule was packed with              showed loyalty and commitment to

exciting work projects, and her free              their firm.

time was filled with all the social highs              Interviews from a sample of more
you would expect of a 20-something              than 1,000 employees found that one in
living in London. "I did love it at the              15 under-35s had already left a high-
beginning, as London can be fantastic,"              powered, high-stress job in favour of
she says. "But I was working 12-hour              a more fulfilling career. A further 45
shifts, six days              per cent were considering a change of
a week, in a very high-pressured job.              career to something less demanding.
After a few years, I found that there was              The move - referred to as 'protirement' -
nowhere left to go."              tended to lead this group away from

After seven years, Haddow left her              traditional professions such as law,

job and enrolled on a sports massage              finance and the media into more

course. She moved to Edinburgh and              'satisfying' roles in charity work,

now practises sports massage, while              outdoors employment or creative

supporting herself with another part-              occupations.

time job. "I now earn about a quarter              Careers advisers are now training the

of my London salary, but there is no              next generation of workers to be

doubt in my mind that I did the right              prepared for change. With part-time

thing. I am so much happier now," she              access courses and career development

says.              loans, the path towards a new career is

Haddow is not unusual. Over the              much easier,
past decade there has been a marked
increase in the number of young

Stressed out office workers dream of outdoor life

Millions of office workers dream of              questioned said they would like to

having a practical or outdoor job              become their own boss, with stress

because of rising levels of stress and              one of the main reasons for office

workloads, a new survey of 1,000              staff wanting a new challenge.
employees revealed today. One in five              Research findings indicate that

office staff long to get their hands              self-employment is a popular choice

dirty in a more vocational post, while              as workers push job satisfaction up

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