Does Technology Make Us Work Too Much?

Microsoft’s ‘Get It Done’ Campaign Raises Concerns About Working Too Much

Microsoft’s ‘Get It Done’ campaign stresses how easy technology has made it to work from anywhere, but many question if doing so is a good idea. Featured in it are statistics that show the percentages of people who keep plugging away regardless of where they are or what they’re doing. Those numbers were gathered by Microsoft with the help of Harris Interactive, Inc. Researchers found that among those polled 55% said they need the ability to get work done regardless of where they are. For 19 percent of them that includes in the bathroom. Nearly half said they’ve remotely participated in meetings while on vacation. Over a quarter reported that they’d performed work-related tasks while out for happy hour. Though the ad campaign certainly shows the flexibility technology provides, it’s also raised questions about whether taking advantage of it is a good idea. Among the concerns expressed is that individuals are increasingly packing more work into their day at the expense of their work performance and their health.

Can you find the words or expressions in the text that have the same or similar meaning?

1. one fourth of something

2. from a distance

3. worry

4. to take part

5. to make use of

6. to collect

7. to keep working hard

8. to interview in a survey

9. the ability to change easily

10. not depending on something

Key:

1. quarter

2. remotely

3. concern

4. to participate

5. to take advantage of

6. to gather

7. to plug away

8. to poll

9. flexibility

10. regardless of something