Some Employers Want to be Able to Contact their Staff at all Times – IELTS Writing Task 2

Some employers want to be able to contact their staff at all times, even on holidays. Does this development have more advantages than disadvantages?

Outline

Essay type

Advantage and Disadvantage Essay

Introduction

Sentence 1: Introduce the given topic about staff being contacted on holidays.

Sentence 2: Give both points of view with one short and simple sentence.

Body

Paragraph 1: The potential benefits of reaching out to the employee on holidays.

Paragraph 2: Importance of a stress-free environment, away from the pressure of work life.

Conclusion

Restate advantages and disadvantages and also your opinion supported in introduction.

Sample Essay

In these competitive times, people do not have enough time to relax and spend time with their families and friends, even on holidays, as some corporate employees are obliged, usually against their choice, to contact the other colleagues who are on vacation. However, in my opinion, this strategy has pressing repercussions. In the following paragraphs, I shall discuss both advantages and disadvantages of this trend and explain why it is critical to promote employee relaxation.

The potential benefit of maintaining a connection with the employees during their off-hours is that in case of an emergency, one employee of the company can contact another on vacation or holiday and get help in resolving problems. Sometimes, certain projects are dependent on some employees, and their absence impinges on productivity. Therefore, in order to maintain the flow of the operations, companies are required to contact these employees. Similarly, certain job roles in hospitals, fire service departments, disaster management services, and much more demand an immediate response. Therefore, employees are required to provide emergency help in these types of companies and failing to do so results in a variety of damages.

Regardless of the advantages of contacting an employee during their off-hours, the drawbacks must be considered. Relaxing may seem counterintuitive to the company, but it appears that a little time away from work might help people lower their stress. Most importantly, employees feel limited if they are forced to work even on their vacations. In other words, employees find it difficult to strike a proper balance between their personal and professional lives. Moreover, continual pressure from the firm or the supervisor reduces their productivity. Additionally, it has a nocuous influence on health in the long run. Relaxed employees, on the other hand, have fewer work-related complaints.

To summarise, while some workplaces demand continual support from staff, the drawbacks of calling them on vacations cannot be disregarded. As a result, companies should provide the requisite time and space for their employees to unwind and balance their personal lives.

Vocabulary

• Potential 

Meaning: (adj) having or showing the capacity to develop into something in the future.

Eg: The supervisor has asked his team to identify the potential threats.

• Counterintuitive 

Meaning: (adj) contrary to intuition or to common-sense expectations.

E.g: The findings of the archeologist seem somewhat counterintuitive.

• Strike a balance

Meaning: (phrase) to achieve a state where different things occur in equal or proper amounts or have an equal or proper amount of importance.

Eg: Jim and Mary need to strike a balance between their conflicting interests.

• Drawbacks

Meaning: (noun) a feature that renders something less acceptable; a disadvantage or problem.

Eg: The only drawback of using hair oil is its greasy texture.

• Requisite 

Meaning: (adj) made necessary by particular circumstances or regulations.

Eg: Vandana lacks the requisite skills required for this job role.

• Unwind 

Meaning: (verb) relax after a period of work or tension.

Eg: Beaches are the best place to unwind after a long and tedious journey.

• Repercussions 

Meaning: (noun) an unintended consequence of an event or action, especially an unwelcome one.

Eg: The new trade rules will have repercussions on the company.

• Oblige 

Meaning: (verb) make(someone) legally or morally bound to do something.

Eg: Employees are obliged to obey the rules.

• Impinge 

Meaning: (verb) to make an impression; have an effect or impact.

Eg: The directors’ decision of reducing the pay scale of employees will impinge on them.

• Nocuous 

Meaning: (adj) harmful

Eg: The scientists are aware of the dangers of working with nocuous gases.