A panel discussion on working from home

Opinions and attitudes

1. a) Whether working from home is effective for people and teamsGrace asks whether working from home actually works, and both guests discuss its effects on staff and teams.
2. b) New staff miss chances to learn informally from colleaguesHe says new staff used to learn by overhearing conversations, which doesn't happen on a video call.
3. c) Not having to travel to workThey valued the time they saved by not commuting most.
4. d) She thinks they can be pointless if people end up on video calls anywayShe criticises companies that insist on fixed office days when people then travel only to sit on video calls.
5. a) He accepts that Elena's criticism applies to his own teamThe phrase "I'll admit" shows he is conceding a point: his own team has had this problem, more often than he would want.
6. d) It depends on each person's situation at homeShe says it isn't universal: someone living alone may feel isolated, while a busy parent may value quiet hours.
7. a) Working alongside an experienced colleagueEach new starter is paired with an experienced colleague, and since then they settle in far more quickly.
8. c) Cautious, although she offers a general ideaShe says she is wary of predictions, but she still suggests which organisations might do well.

Listen for details

1. thirty / 30Grace introduces Ravi as the manager of a team of thirty.
2. three / 3Ravi says his team works from home three days a week.
3. twelve hundred / 1200 / 1,200 / one thousand two hundred / a thousand two hundredElena says they surveyed around twelve hundred employees.
4. fifty / 50The average saving was about fifty minutes a day.
5. Tuesday / TuesdaysRavi says they meet in the office every Tuesday.
6. collaboration / collaborating / working togetherHis prediction is that offices will become places for collaboration.

Grace: Good evening, and welcome to Working Lives. Tonight's question sounds simple: does working from home actually work? With me are Ravi Mehta, who manages a team of thirty at an architecture firm, and Elena Novak, who studies workplace behaviour. Ravi, let's start with you.

Ravi: Thanks, Grace. My team works from home three days a week, and for focused tasks, like drawing or writing reports, I'd say we're more productive than we used to be. Where we've struggled is with new staff. They used to learn a huge amount just by overhearing conversations, and that simply doesn't happen on a video call.

Grace: Is that something your research supports, Elena?

Elena: Partly. We surveyed around twelve hundred employees, and what they valued most was the time they saved by not commuting, about fifty minutes a day on average. But I'd argue the real issue isn't where people work, it's how teams communicate. Too many companies insist on fixed office days, and then people travel for an hour only to sit on video calls with colleagues in other buildings.

Ravi: I'll admit that's happened to us more often than I'd like.

Grace: What about loneliness? That's something many of our listeners have raised.

Elena: It's real for some people, but it certainly isn't universal. Someone who lives alone may feel quite isolated, while a parent with young children might value a few quiet hours at home.

Ravi: For new starters, we now pair each person with an experienced colleague, and they meet in the office every Tuesday. Since we started doing that, new staff seem to settle in far more quickly.

Grace: We're almost out of time. In one sentence, where will we be in five years?

Ravi: I think offices will become places for collaboration rather than rows of desks.

Elena: I'm wary of predictions, to be honest. But I suspect the organisations that do well will be the ones that ask their staff what works, rather than assuming they already know.