The Reading / Listening - Dogs in Offices - Level 5

Coronavirus has changed working conditions worldwide. Millions of us switched from working in offices to working remotely at home. A Japanese company has a new measure to entice workers back into the office. The technology giant Fujitsu will let some workers bring their pet dog to work. Executives set up an experimental "dog office" at a building near Tokyo. Members of staff can return to their office and bring their dog with them. It is part of a trial to make workers more comfortable in the workplace. More people may give up working remotely from home.

Japan's workforce is well known for working long hours. The pandemic changed this. Many workers now work from home. They think that working remotely is better than their two-hour commute from the suburbs. They like the idea of spending more quality time with their pet. Fujitsu hopes its experiment will get workers back to the office. One worker said he could "communicate with other people with the help of our dogs". Reuters says the Fujitsu "dog office" has space for up to six dogs. It also has stain-proof carpets and different pet supplies.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Dogs in Offices - Level 4 or  Dogs in Offices - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/salarymans-best-friend-japan-office-lets-dogs-post-covid-work-shift-2022-09-22/
  • https://nypost.com/2022/09/23/japanese-company-fujitsu-lets-employees-to-bring-dogs-to-work/
  • https://money.usnews.com/investing/news/articles/2022-09-22/salarymans-best-friend-japan-office-lets-in-dogs-in-post-covid-work-shift


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. working
  2. entice workers
  3. bring their pet dog
  4. Executives set up an experimental
  5. Members
  6. It is part
  7. make workers more
  8. More people may
  1. back into the office
  2. of a trial
  3. dog office
  4. conditions
  5. give up
  6. of staff
  7. to work
  8. comfortable

Paragraph 2

  1. well known for working
  2. The pandemic
  3. working remotely is
  4. two-hour commute
  5. spending more quality time
  6. communicate
  7. space for up
  8. pet
  1. better
  2. supplies
  3. from the suburbs
  4. with other people
  5. to six dogs
  6. changed this
  7. with their pet
  8. long hours

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Coronavirus (1) ___________________ conditions worldwide. Millions of (2) ___________________ working in offices to working remotely at home. A Japanese company has (3) ___________________ to entice workers back into the office. The technology giant Fujitsu will let some workers bring their pet dog to work. (4) ___________________ an experimental "dog office" at a building near Tokyo. Members of staff can return to their office and bring their dog with them. It is part (5) ___________________ to make workers more comfortable in the workplace. More people may give up working (6) ___________________.

Japan's workforce is (7) ___________________ working long hours. The pandemic changed this. Many workers now work from home. They think that working (8) ___________________ than their two-hour commute (9) ___________________. They like the idea of spending more quality time with their pet. Fujitsu (10) ___________________ will get workers back to the office. One worker said he could "communicate with other people with (11) ___________________ our dogs". Reuters says the Fujitsu "dog office" has space for up to six dogs. It also has stain-proof carpets and (12) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Coronavirushaschangedworkingconditionsworldwide.Millionsofuss
witchedfromworkinginofficestoworkingremotelyathome.AJapanese
companyhasanewmeasuretoenticeworkersbackintotheoffice.Thete
chnologygiantFujitsuwillletsomeworkersbringtheirpetdogtowork.Ex
ecutivessetupanexperimental"dogoffice"atabuildingnearTokyo.Me
mbersofstaffcanreturntotheirofficeandbringtheirdogwiththem.Itisp
artofatrialtomakeworkersmorecomfortableintheworkplace.Morepe
oplemaygiveupworkingremotelyfromhome.Japan'sworkforceiswell
knownforworkinglonghours.Thepandemicchangedthis.Manyworker
snowworkfromhome.Theythinkthatworkingremotelyisbetterthanth
eirtwo-hourcommutefromthesuburbs.Theyliketheideaofspendingm
orequalitytimewiththeirpet.Fujitsuhopesitsexperimentwillgetworke
rsbacktotheoffice.Oneworkersaidhecould"communicatewithotherp
eoplewiththehelpofourdogs".ReuterssaystheFujitsu"dogoffice"hass
paceforuptosixdogs.Italsohasstain-proofcarpetsanddifferentpetsup
plies.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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