Part

Unit 1  Reading 1 3

Worksheets — Reading
NAME:   No.   CLASS:
DATE:   EVALUATION:
TEACHER:   E. E.

1 
If you had the chance, would you consider doing a part-time job?

2 
Read the following text carefully.
Part-time workers “trapped” in jobs with no chance of promotion
More than three quarters of part-time
workers feel trapped in their jobs and unable to
get promoted or find another flexible role that
fits their skills, according to research.
5 A quarter of Britons now work 30 hours or
less, but a survey of 1,000 employees earning the
equivalent of £20,000 to £100,000 a year suggests
those who have opted to do shorter working
weeks often “hit a wall” and see their careers stall.
10 The research is included in a report by the
Timewise Foundation, entitled The Flexibility
Trap, published on Monday.
It said that only around 3% of UK job vacancies for part-time roles offered a pro-rata salary of £20,000 or
more, and workers were being forced to lower their expectations when searching for work.
15 Seven in 10 of respondents said they had downgraded the salary and level of job they applied for, with the
average salary sacrifice at £6,730. Employees with children expected to take home £436 less than those without.
Almost three-quarters of those interviewed by researchers said they haven’t been promoted since working
part-time, with more than a fifth saying they wouldn’t expect to be. However, more than a quarter said they are
overqualified for the part-time role they currently hold.
20 Almost all (99%) said they wished employers would make it clear when advertising a job whether it can be
worked part-time or flexibly, and there was uncertainty about when it was right to ask.
“Work in the UK is undergoing a fundamental shift,” said Karen Mattison, co-founder of the Timewise
Foundation, a business aimed at supporting part-time workers. Mattison added: “More than a quarter of UK
workers are part-time or flexible, with most needing to fit their careers with something else in life. Yet millions
25 are hitting a wall at key points in their careers, when they want to progress or move to a new role.”

Jaya Patel, 37, has two children under the age of six. She felt that working part-time in banking litigation
made it extremely difficult to get a promotion. “When I had my first child the firm was shocked, but good about
it. Upon my return, I negotiated flexible hours, which meant leaving at 5.30pm, with one day a week off. I agreed
to log back on at home and work when necessary, but this happened almost every night,” she said
30 “Everything came to a head during my last appraisal. I was told that I needed to be seen pushing for counsel
or partnership, and to achieve this I would need to spend at least four nights a week on marketing or business
development.” Patel eventually decided on a career change, which involved taking a large pay cut. “I’m enjoying
it. But it’s incredibly hard to find jobs that are openly part-time or flexible, from day one.”
Elizabeth Gardiner, head of policy at Working Families, said: “It may be the easy option to offer a vacancy on
35 the same basis as the last full-time job, but there is a business case for changing practice. Failing to advertise jobs

as available on a part-time or flexible basis means employers are recruiting from a limited talent pool, and skilled
part-time workers are less able to advance their careers.”

be connected  •  Inglês  •  11.o ano  •  Material fotocopiável  •  © Santillana 145

520453 119-190.indd 145 27/02/14 12:23

 Part

3
Gardiner said she wanted all jobs to be advertised on a flexible, part-time or job share basis and hoped
employers would adopt a “happy to talk flexible working” strapline to include in job adverts.
40 “Using the strapline would encourage employers to consider job design, signal their willingness to discuss
Worksheets — Reading

outputs not hours, and give more employees the confidence to ask for a pattern of work that suits them,” she said.
http://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/jul/08/part-time-workers-trapped-jobs

3 
Say if the following sentences are TRUE or FALSE. Quote from the text to justify your answers.
  a) Most Britons are very pleased with their type of job.


  b) Part-time jobs aren’t well paid.


  c) Workers who opt for shorter working hours are unable to progress in their jobs.


  d) Work in the United Kingdom is quite stable at the moment.

4 
Find words in the text that mean the same as …
a) stranded (paragraph 1)
b) come to a standstill (paragraph 2)
c) opportunities (paragraph 4)
d) lowered (paragraph 5)
e) going through (paragraph 8)
f) assessment (paragraph 10)

5 
Explain the meaning of the following sentences.
a) “… often hit a wall and see their careers stall”.




b) “… they had downgraded the salary and level of job they applied for …”

146 be connected  •  Inglês  •  11.o ano  •  Material fotocopiável  •  © Santillana

520453 119-190.indd 146 27/02/14 12:23

 Part

6 
Answer the following questions.
a) According to Karen Mattison, why do people opt for part-time jobs?
3

Worksheets — Reading






b) Describe Jaya Patel’s working experience as a part-time worker?











c) Why is the use of straplines advisable?

be connected  •  Inglês  •  11.o ano  •  Material fotocopiável  •  © Santillana 147

520453 119-190.indd 147 27/02/14 12:23