from BBC Learning English.

I'm Georgina.

And I'm Neil.

In this programme, we're going to be

talking about the world of work.

Ah yes, travelling to an office

five days a week, sitting at a desk

all day, and then going home.

Neil, it's not always like that.

Office work doesn't have to be such a

routine - the usual, fixed

way of doing things -

it is much more

flexible these days.

That's true. During the pandemic,

we've all had to have

a more flexible approach to work.

Yes, we have.

And it has, perhaps, changed our attitude

to working flexibly.

But even before coronavirus there was an

opportunity to work flexibly,

and we'll be discussing that soon.

But there's one thing that

can't be changed and that's you

setting a quiz question!

Ah yes, I hadn't forgotten.

So, Neil, I know you work very hard.

But according to data from

the Organization for Economic

Cooperation and Development -

the OECD -

workers from which country work

the longest hours?

Is it... a) South Korea,

b) Germany, or

c) Mexico?

Well, as I'm not on the list,

let's go for c) Mexico.

OK, Neil, we'll find out if that's right

at the end of the programme.

But let's talk more about

flexible working now.

Different countries have different laws

about working flexibly...

but here in the UK, for last 14 years,

employees - workers -

have had the right to request

flexible working.

But what does it mean to work flexibly?

Sarah Jackson is a workplace

consultant and visiting professor at

Cranfield University School of Management.

She spoke to BBC Radio 4's

Woman's Hour programme

about what it means exactly...

Because of the pandemic, now

everybody thinks flexible working

means working from home -

it doesn't, it's about common sense,

what does the job need in terms of

when where, how long,

and what do you need and

what does your family - need  

and how do the two match?

So, flexibility really means

having some choice and control

over when, where and how

long you work, and agreeing

that with your manager.

So, flexible working is not just

working from home -

something we've got used to 

during the pandemic.

It is about common sense - using our

judgment to make sensible decisions.

So, requesting to work for two  

hours a day is not sensible -

but being able to work

from 12 until 8 instead of 9 to 5  

might be. 

Of course, this depends on the needs of

the business. 

And as Sarah said, you need to match

your needs with that of the business.

Match here means to work

equally on both sides.

Getting the working conditions

that suit you does require  

some negotiation with your manager.

You need agreement from him or her -

and that can be difficult if

your manager is inflexible -

not willing to change.  

But of course, in the UK at least,

an employee has a

right to request flexible working,

and this must  

be considered by the employer.

This law initially was just for parents

with a child younger than  

6 years old - 

or a disabled child less than 18.

But since 2014,

everyone has the right to request 

flexible working.

And that includes men. 

Which is an important point, as

Sarah Jackson explains. 

Fewer men seem to have their requests

for flexible working accepted -

let's find out why.

Men, when they do ask,

are more likely to be turned down,

so there's a real bias there in the system  

and the most important thing

that needs to happen here, I think,

is for employers to

really actively start saying to their men,

'we know you want to be active fathers' -

because there's a whole generation of young men

who do want to be active fathers -

'please use the right to request  

flexible working', work flexibly if you can -

because until men are

enabled to be active fathers,

we won't get equality at home and we

certainly won't get equality in the workplace either.  

OK, so men are more likely to

have their request turned down - or rejected.

And Sarah says there is a

bias in the system - unfairness,

treating one group of people more

favorably than another.

And this is unfair because it can

prevent some men being active fathers -

actually being involved with childcare.

But having more active fathers can

lead to equality - or fairness - at

home and in the workplace. 

It sounds like something that

needs to be looked at.

But now, Neil,

let's get the answer to my question.

According to official data,

in which country do workers work

the longest hours?

And I said Mexico.

Which is correct, well done!

According to the OECD,

the average Mexican spends

2,255 hours at work per year -

the equivalent of around 43 hours per week.  

Germans, on the other hand,

clock up the fewest hours.

Well, my working day is nearly over,

so let's just recap some of the vocabulary

we've discussed.

Starting with routine -

the usual, fixed way of doing things.

Common sense is our judgment to

make sensible decisions.

When you need something to match it

has to work equally on both sides.

And when someone is inflexible,

they are unwilling to change -

sometimes we say they won't budge!

Bias is unfairness, treating one

group of people more favorably than another.

And being active with something

means being involved with it.

Well, there's no flexibility in our 6 minutes  

so we're out of time.

We have plenty more 6 Minute English

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