Tag: Japan

Learn English with the News – Microsoft Implements 4-Day Work Week

In Japan, with a very severe and intense work culture, Microsoft is trying to change the norm. Last summer, they tried a new experiment which saw the company cut the work day from 5 to 4 days. Watch the video and then do the accompanying English language exercises.

The news is a consistent source of entertainment, knowledge and discovery that never ceases to exist and always comes out with more and more material each day. Because it plays such a vital part in our lives and is so important to keep up with, it is without a doubt a piece of your everyday routine that can’t go ignored. 

Whether it is to understand the ramifications of recent legislation passed, to hear about recent events and grasp the potential consequences to your country, or simply hear about what is happening in other countries in order to compare them to what’s happening in yours, the news is certainly a staple in our lives and the most consistent way to get information.

This is why Scrambled Eggs has decided to unite two of your biggest worlds: learning English and keeping up with what is happening in the world. We hope our challenging daily exercises, composed of listening, vocabulary and comprehension exercises in English, will satisfy both of those above worlds in a satisfactory and also entertaining way.

So enough about introductions, let’s get to today’s Learn English with the News topic:

Adapted from this article.

Now that you’ve had a listen, let’s put your knowledge to the test with some of our vocabulary and comprehension exercises:

Microsoft Implements 4 Day Work Week | Definition Match

Put the following words to the correct definitions.

Microsoft Implements 4 Day Work Week | Fill in the Blank

Fill the empty spaces with the proper words.

Microsoft Implements 4 Day Work Week | Percent Multiple Choice

Match the percentage with the correct statistic.

 

And that’s it for today’s English lesson, where you can improve your English with the news and current events. Do you have any comments or special requests for us for the next edition of Learn English with the News? Be sure to leave any feedback you have in the comments section below, as we would love to help you on your quest to learn the English language!

For other Learn English with the News segments, be sure to check out the rest of our posts:

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Full Text:

“The technology company Microsoft says it has successfully trialed a four-day working week in its Japan offices, which noticed improvements in worker productivity and job satisfaction. The trial took place last summer at its headquarters in Tokyo. Employees had every Friday off as paid leave in August. The company monitored the effects a three-day weekend had on total performance. Company executives said the shorter working week resulted in additional benefits. Productivity increased by 40 percent and 92 percent of employees declared satisfaction with the scheme. The trial could lead to a revolution in Japan’s traditional work culture, which is generally characterized by long hours and excessive overtime.
Microsoft named the trial the “Work-Life Choice Challenge.” The company said it aimed to “establish an environment where each employee can choose a diverse and flexible way of working according to the circumstances of their work and life”. Other aspects of the trial included shorter meetings, with a maximum of 30 minutes, and encouraging workers to choose online chats instead of face-to-face ones. There were additional advantages to the trial. Microsoft said that there was a decrease of 23 percent in electricity consumption and a drop of 59 percent in pages printed compared with August of the year before. Additionally, employee commute decreased by 20% and therefore reduced pollution. Microsoft has scheduled another experiment in Japan later this year and will ask employees for feedback.”