Computadores

BBC Learning English 6 Minute English

Work Emails
NB: This is not a word for word transcript

Michelle:

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Michelle.

Neil: Michelle:

And I'm Neil. Thanks for joining me Neil. Have you got used to being back in the office after that lovely long Christmas break?

Neil: Michelle:

Just about I think. It's alwaysdifficult coming back to work after a holiday, especially when the first thing you have to do is spend the morning going through all the work emails that have built up!

Neil: Michelle:

Yes indeed. Going through old work emails is a bore. Well today we're talking about a company that aims to ban, or to stop, all internal emails in the workplace.

Neil:

It's difficult to imagine office lifewithout internal emails! But before we get on to that, come on Michelle, it must be time for my first quiz question of the year?

Michelle:

OK if you're ready. Today's question is about spam. That's the word for annoying junk emails. Now we all hate getting spam, but according to a recent report, which country produces the most spam? Is it: a) India b) The United States c) China

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Neil:

I really have no idea what the answer might be. So I'm going to guess, and for no particular reason I'm going to say India.

Michelle:

OK well we'll find out the answer at the end of the programme. Now, for many office workers, sending and receiving emails to and from fellow employees is just part of the job. But now a big ITcompany called Atos plans to ban all internal emails by the year 2014.

Neil:

Yes, the company has said that employees are wasting too much time dealing with internal emails, and that this has become the natural, lazy way to communicate.

Michelle:

Let's hear from Rob Price, a managing partner at Atos. Here he's speaking on BBC 5 Live. First he says email has become the definitive thingpeople use, meaning something that's fixed or determined. But how does he suggest people in the office could communicate with each other instead?

Rob Price, managing partner of Atos Email has become the definitive thing that people have used, they naturally use, they lazily use. Why don't you walk across the office? Or, use Instant Messaging? Or, use a range of kind of social media? So there'sdifferent things that people can do. This is about deciding what's the most effective way of communication, and adopting and embedding those within the organisation. (OK).

Michelle:

So he suggested a couple of alternatives ways to communicate instead of using emails. Did you catch them Neil?

Neil:

Well first there was the good, old fashioned way of communication. Can you imagine walkingacross the office to speak to someone?

Michelle: Neil: Michelle:

Amazing. That's always a good one isn't it? And he also suggested using a range of social media like instant messaging. That's right. And he says that it's about deciding what is the most effective way of communication and embedding, or implanting it within the organisation.

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Neil:

So let's listen again to that clip once again.

Rob Price, managing partner of Atos Email has become the definitive thing that people have used, they naturally use, they lazily use. Why don't you walk across the office? Or, use Instant Messaging? Or, use a range of kind of social media? So there's different things that people can do. This is about deciding what's themost effective way of communication, and adopting and embedding those within the organisation. (OK).

Michelle:

So what do you think Neil? Do you think it's a good idea to get rid of work emails altogether?

Neil:

I think it's a good thing to try to do. I'm not sure if it could actually be eliminated completely. But, you know, go and talk to people, it's better!

Michelle:

I think so...