Unit 25
Managing remote teams
職場攻略/辦公日常
Workplace English/Communication in Workplace
BRAIN STORM
Share your ideas with your teacher and try to make sentences.
What do you think is a remote worker?
VOCABULARY
Repeat these sentences after your teacher.
1. brainstorming (n.) 頭腦風暴
I am so excited for our brainstorming session!
我們的集思廣益會議讓我感到非常興奮！
2. remote team (phr.) 遠端團隊
We will be hiring workers for our remote team.
我們將為我們的遠程團隊僱用工人。
3. familiarize (v.) 熟悉起來
We should first familiarize their names.
我們首先應該熟悉它們的名稱。
4. better acquainted (phr.) 更好了解
We have to meet as a group for us to be, better acquainted.
我們必須作為一個小組見面，以更好地結識。
5. coordinate (adj.) 協調
I will coordinate with John about the party.
我將就這次聚會與約翰協調。
6. teleconference (n.) 視頻會議
Please schedule a teleconference at 8.
請安排在8點召開電話會議。
7. webinar (n.) 網上會議
The webinar is so long.
網絡研討會太長了。
8. escalate (v.) 升級;惡化
The cold weather has caused the price of fuel to escalate.
寒冷的天氣導致燃油價格上漲。
Dialogue
Read the dialogue aloud with your teacher.
Hey Janet! I’m glad you could stop by my office today.
嗨Janet！ 我很高興你今天來我辦公室。
No problem, Ben. I’m anxious to get started on brainstorming some ideas about how to manage our new remote team.
沒問題，Ben。 我很想儘快頭腦風暴出管理新的遠程團隊的點子。
Let’s familiarize ourselves with everyone and their locations. I have Dan and Lisa in Chicago and Justin and Larry from Miami working in marketing.
我們先來熟悉一下成員和他們在哪兒。 我這兒有芝加哥的Dan和Lisa，加上來自邁阿密的Larry在市場部工作。
For the sales department I will be managing Scott and Dora from Los Angeles, as well as Natalie and Jessica from New York.
在銷售部，我手下有在洛杉磯的Scott和Dora，還有紐約的Natalie和Jessica。
Okay, I believe the first thing we need to do is get better acquainted with our team members. I think we should call each of them individually to welcome them to the team.
好，我相信要做的頭一件事就是和團隊成員熟悉起來。 我覺得應該給他們挨個打電話，歡迎他們成為團隊一員。
I agree. This will allow us to get a feel for their personalities and how they interact with us. What do you think our next step should be?
我同意。 這樣我們就能多少瞭解一點他們的性格，他們和我們的互動方式。 下一步你覺得該做什麼？
We need to have regular meetings in order to keep everyone updated on the status of projects, go over any issues or concerns, and to get feedback from everyone on the team. It may be a challenge to coordinate something with everyone located in different time zones. Do you have any suggestions?
我們要開例會，告知大家項目狀況，解決問題和關切，還要從大家那兒得到反饋。 要把地區不同的人協調起來很有挑戰性。 你有什麼建議嗎？
Let’s do it through a webinar which would allow us to set a particular time for the meeting and give everyone an access code and teleconference number.
我們開網上會議吧。 這樣我們就能定下會議時間，給大家分配進入碼和視頻會議號碼。
Sure. We should also send a summary email after each webinar to make sure everyone is clear on the action items and what they are each responsible for. But how do we monitor team member’s daily activities and their utilization?
當然。 我們還應該在會議后發送總結電郵，保證大家都知道該做什麼，各自職責是什麼。 但是，我們怎麼監測團隊成員的日常活動和使用狀況呢？
Well I don’t think we should focus on micromanaging people’s daily activities since they work remotely. Instead, we should focus on the results and make sure we give them clear targets early on.
嗯，我覺得我們不應該監控他們的日常活動，他們是遠端工作。 我們應該只看結果，並且保證提前告知他們明確的目標。
That makes sense. But I do think measuring productivity is important. Let’s look at some software that would help us do that.
這很有道理。 但我覺得衡量產出也很重要。 我們找些有用的軟體吧。
Right. We must also make sure that we are available to our team in case of important questions or emergencies. Let’s plan to keep ourselves logged in on Skype and check our emails for a few extra hours a day. Otherwise, we might lose a day because of time zone issues.
好。 我們也要保證團隊成員隨時找得到我們，以防有重大問題或者緊急狀況。 咱們暫定Skype一直在線，每天多查幾次郵箱。 不然的話，我們可能因為時區差異而多費一天時間。
Yes. I’d also like to propose weekly one-on-ones with the team members early on to develop a close working relationship and help us catch problems before they escalate. This will also help us determine whether the team members are up to speed or if they need additional training.
好。 我還想建議，儘早開始每週一對一談話，培養緊密工作關係，防患於未然。 這還能幫我們確定成員是跟得上節奏還是需要更多培訓。
Agreed. We’ve come up with some really good ideas so far. Let’s go ahead and get started on what we’ve discussed today.
我同意。 我們已經想出了不少好主意。 現在行動起來，落實今天的討論內容吧。
Grammar
How to use a Semicolon (;) correctly(如何正確使用分號)
An embedded question is a question included in another question or statement. Embedded questions feel less sudden or harsh, and have a softening effect. Embedded questions in statements and questions follow the same pattern. Because embedded questions are noun clauses, they follow the structure of a statement and not a question. sound polite.”
1. The rain stopped; the sun came out again.
2. James had, to put it mildly, a lot of issues at work; and not even his boss could help him.
3. Laura doesn’t feel well; in fact, she has a very high temperature. She decided not to come to the office.
DISCUSSION
Make a conversation with your teacher.
1.How will you motivate your team mates or co workers who are working remotely?
