Assignment C - Part 2.i
Authentic Text
ü Check the Class Description and Notes on Part 2 on the assignment platform before you begin.
ü The text should be 500 - 700 words long. (4-5 minutes for listening texts).
ü In this document, provide a copy of the reading text or a transcript of the listening text you
have chosen.
ü Ensure the text is referenced, and if you have selected a listening text or video, provide a link.
ü If you choose a reading text, you can shorten and/or adapt it slightly.
ü Please supply a copy of the original and your adapted version.
ü If you have adapted the text, briefly explain the decisions you've made about changing the text
in section b) of the essay.
Adapted Version
Will the pandemic really shape the future workplace?
The workplace and modes of working have come into the spotlight amid Covid-19 lockdowns that
have enforced remote working as the new norm for most businesses.
Companies have had to review their practices to accommodate a hybrid-approach which allows
employees to spend some time in the office to create social work experiences.
Research suggests that the pandemic could also shape other future workplace trends. Two trends
stand out: the rise in telework and virtual collaboration on the one hand and the increasing divide
between formal and informal work on the other.
The Covid-19 pandemic has reminded us about the great divide between ‘them’ and ‘us’,
inequalities, and exploitation in informal workplaces. The dire reality of unemployment is a major
challenge. Joblessness is exacerbated by the use of the informal sector as a shock absorber.
The contractual labour market has shown a steady growth over the past decade. This casualisation
of work can have positive and negative consequences. In South Africa, which has a long tradition of
work casualisation, the effect has not always been positive as some workers have been victimised
and exploited.
They have also not been provided with basic provisions, including personal protective equipment, to
enable them to do their jobs. On the other hand, trends like the rise of the gig economy, flexible
labour and self-employment form a significant part of the developing economy and the potential for
job creation.
Informal versus formal
The idea of who works centres on types of workers and their identity. The pandemic has highlighted
the divide between types of workers, for example those in the informal versus formal sectors.
It has further created new types of divides between ‘us’ and ‘them’, including ‘essential’ versus
‘non-essential’ and frontline versus remote workers. Workers in the formal sectors, for example, had
more support from their organisations during the lockdown. Employers helped facilitate
arrangements for working from home. Informal sector workers had no such support.
© 2020 The TEFL Academy. All rights reserved. 1
Authentic Text
ü Check the Class Description and Notes on Part 2 on the assignment platform before you begin.
ü The text should be 500 - 700 words long. (4-5 minutes for listening texts).
ü In this document, provide a copy of the reading text or a transcript of the listening text you
have chosen.
ü Ensure the text is referenced, and if you have selected a listening text or video, provide a link.
ü If you choose a reading text, you can shorten and/or adapt it slightly.
ü Please supply a copy of the original and your adapted version.
ü If you have adapted the text, briefly explain the decisions you've made about changing the text
in section b) of the essay.
Adapted Version
Will the pandemic really shape the future workplace?
The workplace and modes of working have come into the spotlight amid Covid-19 lockdowns that
have enforced remote working as the new norm for most businesses.
Companies have had to review their practices to accommodate a hybrid-approach which allows
employees to spend some time in the office to create social work experiences.
Research suggests that the pandemic could also shape other future workplace trends. Two trends
stand out: the rise in telework and virtual collaboration on the one hand and the increasing divide
between formal and informal work on the other.
The Covid-19 pandemic has reminded us about the great divide between ‘them’ and ‘us’,
inequalities, and exploitation in informal workplaces. The dire reality of unemployment is a major
challenge. Joblessness is exacerbated by the use of the informal sector as a shock absorber.
The contractual labour market has shown a steady growth over the past decade. This casualisation
of work can have positive and negative consequences. In South Africa, which has a long tradition of
work casualisation, the effect has not always been positive as some workers have been victimised
and exploited.
They have also not been provided with basic provisions, including personal protective equipment, to
enable them to do their jobs. On the other hand, trends like the rise of the gig economy, flexible
labour and self-employment form a significant part of the developing economy and the potential for
job creation.
Informal versus formal
The idea of who works centres on types of workers and their identity. The pandemic has highlighted
the divide between types of workers, for example those in the informal versus formal sectors.
It has further created new types of divides between ‘us’ and ‘them’, including ‘essential’ versus
‘non-essential’ and frontline versus remote workers. Workers in the formal sectors, for example, had
more support from their organisations during the lockdown. Employers helped facilitate
arrangements for working from home. Informal sector workers had no such support.
© 2020 The TEFL Academy. All rights reserved. 1
