GT Writing Task 2 / Essay Sample # 255
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
These days, many people have their own computer with an active internet connection. So it is quite easy for them to do their job at home.
Does working at home have more advantages or more disadvantages?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
Model Answer:
In this tech-savvy epoch, many people own computers with an active internet connection, and computers are widely used to do official works. So, these people also have the facility to work from home. This essay argues that despite boosting productivity, this trend is not much advantageous, and it has more drawbacks as this arrangement lacks close collaboration, emotional attachment, and proper supervision.
The most evident benefit of telecommuting is that there is a rise in employee productivity. It promotes employee efficiency with none of the distractions from a typical office setting. When workers are allowed to work from home, they can skip the commute and dive right into work-related tasks. It results in more time to get work done and also more time to devote to family matters. This means that telecommuting helps to have a better work-life balance that optimizes productivity eventually. Apart from that, a business can run on less office space, so overheads are minimal. Thus, teleworking boosts productivity, and lowers overhead costs.
However, teleworking also has severe negative aspects. This work structure suffers from three major drawbacks. First and foremost, there is a lack of collaboration between work teams. It, in turn, increases employee stress, disagreements, and friction among co-workers, and decreases productivity. Secondly, emotional disengagement among employees and managers or owners is another severe limitation of remote working. Working remotely translates into the loss of connection, camaraderie, motivation, and enthusiasm for the company due to the lack of face-to-communication. It, in turn, exerts a negative impact on employees’ sense of belonging. Last but not least, teleworking makes direct monitoring nearly impossible. In this work environment, employee’s efficiency and productivity depend solely on their self-discipline and ability as they are more likely to work in a lax professional atmosphere. Therefore, I believe that working from home has more problems than advantages.
In conclusion, remote work increases productivity with less overhead costs; however, I believe that the lack of active collaboration, emotional disengagement, and direct supervision outweigh its positive aspects.