VOA慢速英语20060123b

THIS IS AMERICA - Telecommuting: Going to Work Without Ever Leaving HomeBy Jerilyn Watson

Broadcast: Monday, January 23, 2006

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VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Pat Bodnar.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember. Millions of Americans are now paid to spend at least some of their work hours working from home. Computers, telephones and fax machines keep them connected to their offices.

VOICE ONE:

Today we examine the popularity 鈥?and problems 鈥?of telecommuting.

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VOICE TWO:

Some Americans start their workday fifteen minutes after they wake up. Some even stay in their nightclothes.

These people are among a growing number who work from home at least one day a month. Some even do this every day. This way of working is called telecommuting or teleworking.

Telecommuters do not always work from home. They might go to an office, but still it is away from their main place of employment.

The idea of telecommuting by computer goes back more than thirty years. For awhile, it did not gain as much popularity as its supporters had expected.

VOICE ONE:

Then came the nineteen nineties, and the rise of the personal computer and the Internet. Today, telecommuting is gaining much wider acceptance.

In nineteen ninety-seven, about twelve million people in the United States worked at home at least one day a month. That is what researchers found. Research done in August of two thousand five found a much different situation. More than forty-five million people had worked from home at some time during the past month.


telecommuter

VOICE TWO:

Government Computer News reported in December on the popularity of teleworking among federal employees. That publication told about a study by the United States Office of Personnel Management.

The study found that more than one hundred forty thousand federal workers took part in telecommuting in two thousand four. That was up from about seventy-three thousand in April of two thousand one.

Eight percent of federal civilian¹ workers now telecommute.

Federal law requires most government agencies to establish a telecommuting policy. Telecommuting is especially popular in the departments of Defense², Treasury³, Justice, and Health and Human Services.

VOICE ONE:


Congressman⁴ Frank Wolf

Congressman Frank Wolf of Virginia is a big supporter of telecommuting. Mister Wolf says teleworking can reduce heavy traffic and road damage in the Washington, D.C., area.

He leads a subcommittee in the House of Representatives that provides money for government operations. Congressman Wolf wants more agencies to let workers telecommute. And he wants those that already do to increase their number of telecommuters or lose millions of dollars.

VOICE TWO:

Telecommuting can also increase the employment of disabled workers, as President Bush called for in two thousand three. And it may be important for continuing government operations in times of severe weather, or an emergency like a terrorist attack.

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Of course, not everyone could telecommute and still get their jobs done. Could a plumber⁵ fix a broken pipe from home? Maybe -- by guiding someone else through the repairs. But many people have jobs that seem natural for telework.

Experts say lawyers, computer programmers and college professors are often good candidates. So are people like financial advisers⁶, tax experts and online teachers.

VOICE ONE:

But the idea of telecommuting does not appeal to everyone. Some people do not want to mix home and office life. Some fear that if they telecommute, they will not make progress in their organizations. They fear they may become less important to their employers.

Employers may or may not provide equipment for work at home. And tying into an employer's computer system may not always be easy.

VOICE TWO:


telecommuter

But many people want to telecommute. They welcome it as recognition of good work and dependability. It saves the time and cost of traveling to and from work.

In some cases, having employees work from home can reduce tensions in the workplace. It can give workers more freedom, so they feel more control over their lives. They can better decide how to balance work and family needs. For parents, that can mean fewer worries about children home alone.

Some telecommuters say having permission to work from home makes them better workers. They might feel the need to work harder and communicate more with their supervisors⁷.

VOICE ONE:

Some employers may have their suspicions about telecommuting. But many managers say they are pleased with it. They note that it can reduce the need for office space, and even cut down on employee absences. People who might make others sick if they came to work might still be well enough to work from home.

Experts say telecommuting can help organizations keep good workers who live far from the office, or want to move out of the area. It can also help when the office itself moves.

VOICE TWO:

Some unions have concerns about telecommuting. They worry that it might make enforcing work rules or conditions more difficult if people are away from the workplace. One union said it was unfair to other workers that telecommuters did not have to travel to the office.

Cisco Systems is the leading seller of equipment for making networks on the Internet. It says companies that want to establish telecommuting have dealt with union concerns in several ways.

Some let only non-union workers telecommute. Others make decisions without negotiating with the union. Still others have union representatives attend planning programs for telecommuters.

VOICE ONE:

Concerns about telecommuting extend beyond union issues. Employees who have to stay in the office might feel hostility⁸ toward those who are able to work from home.

Or they might feel that a telecommuter is not working hard enough -- or never did enough to earn the right to work from home. And what happens if there is a crisis that suddenly requires more people than are in the office to deal with it?

These are all issues that employers and employees must think about. Another is information security. There may be worries about the stealing of information from a telecommuter's home or computer. Experts, however, say good planning can reduce that risk, just as it can in an office.

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VOICE TWO:

One of the first telecommuters in the United States may have been the president of a bank in Boston, Massachusetts. In eighteen seventy-seven he began to use a telephone line that operated from his home to his bank.

But it took many years for modern telework to develop. It also took a rocket scientist.

Jack⁹ Nilles is called the father of telecommuting and telework. Mister Nilles was educated as a scientist and engineer. He led the design process for several space vehicles and communications systems for NASA and the Air Force.

VOICE ONE:

Jack Nilles was teaching at the University of Southern California, in Los Angeles, when he started his research on working from home. In nineteen seventy-three he began tests of a computer system. Telecommuters at home used machines linked to large computers at their jobs.

His studies helped lead to office telecommuting as well as call centers.

VOICE TWO:

In recent years, many companies have moved customer service operations out of a central office. Instead, they use customer service agents who work at home. These workers often take orders for products and services, anything from airplane tickets to flowers to health plans.

The pay is not high, but the people have more control over their hours. Many have young children or older family members who need care.

Today, telecommuting is not only changing how Americans work. It is also changing how a lot of people live.

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VOICE ONE:

Our program was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by Caty Weaver¹⁰. I'm Pat Bodnar.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember. Read and listen to our programs on the Web at www.unsv.com. And join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.

1 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

2 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

3 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

4 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

5 plumber   

n.(装修水管的)管子工

参考例句：

• Have you asked the plumber to come and look at the leaking pipe?你叫管道工来检查漏水的管子了吗？
• The plumber screwed up the tap by means of a spanner.管子工用板手把龙头旋紧。

6 advisers   

顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
• She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。

7 supervisors   

n.监督者，管理者( supervisor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I think the best technical people make the best supervisors. 我认为最好的技术人员可以成为最好的管理人员。 来自辞典例句
• Even the foremen or first-level supervisors have a staffing responsibility. 甚至领班或第一线的监督人员也有任用的责任。 来自辞典例句

8 hostility   

n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争

参考例句：

• There is open hostility between the two leaders.两位领导人表现出公开的敌意。
• His hostility to your plan is well known.他对你的计划所持的敌意是众所周知的。

9 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

10 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。