Dialogue: Do we really want to work 40 hours a week?

Some people do not question that a full-time job means working 40 hours a week. Others see the practice of working 40 hours a week as old-fashioned and unnecessary. Listen to the following dialogue between colleagues at Metropolitan Mayhem, our fictional London-based advertising agency. co-workerKollege/KolleginCo-workers Michelle and Kyle have different opinions on this issueThema, Frageissue. Listen carefully because we’ll test your understanding of their conversation afterwards.

Michelle: I’m exhaustederschöpftexhausted. I’d love to work fewer hours per week. My sister has just started a new full-time job, and she only has to work 35 hours a week. I really envy sb.jmdn. beneidenenvy her.

Kyle: Personally, I’m quite happy working 40 hours a week. I don’t think I’d be as productive if my hours were reduced. I already feel like I barely have enough time to complete all my tasks.

Michelle: But don’t you think your work-life balance would be better if you worked fewer hours? It would allow people to spend more time with their children, too.

Kyle: That might be true, but I really enjoy work and I don’t have any kids. I find it easier to unwindabschaltenunwind after working a full day, because then I feel like I’ve earned it.

Michelle: Don’t get me wrong. I like my job, but I value my leisure timeFreizeitleisure time more. Some days, I’m in back-to-backunmittelbar aufeinanderfolgendback-to-back meetings, and when I get home, I don’t have enough energy to do anything other than sit on the couch and watch TV.

Kyle: That might be the case, but I’d wagerwettenwager that the working week would actually get more intense if we started working fewer hours a week. We’d have to condense sth.etw. zusammenpressen, konzentrierencondense the same amount of work into a shorter amount of time.