CET-6 Listening Long Conversation: A Four-Day Work Week

Conversation One.

My guest today is Laura Bennett, operations manager at a software company.

Laura, last year your company moved to a four-day week. Why?

Mainly because we were losing good people.

Our staff were tired, and several of our best developers left in one year.

But didn't you worry that less time would mean less work?

Of course! That was the first thing our board asked.

So we agreed on a six-month trial, with clear targets for every team.

Same pay, same goals, but only four days to reach them.

And what happened?

Honestly, the results surprised all of us!

Productivity stayed the same, and sick days fell by almost half.

People cut long meetings and stopped answering emails late at night.

Were there any problems?

Yes. Our customer support team found it much harder.

Customers still expect help five days a week.

So that team works in shifts, and each person picks a different day off.

Would you advise other companies to try it?

Only if they measure results, not hours.

If you still judge people by how long they sit at a desk, it won't work.

Laura Bennett, thank you very much.

Questions one to four are based on the conversation you have just heard.

Question one. Why did the company move to a four-day week?

Question two. What happened during the six-month trial?

Question three. What problem did the customer support team have?

Question four. What does the woman advise other companies to do?

Four days of work, three days of rest.

It's not a dream if you plan it well.