4. Understanding Work Benefits: Flextime, Leave, and Remote Work Explained (B1-B2)

Podcast Introduction

Hello, I’m Daryush, and welcome to the Business English Hub, the podcast that helps you speak clearly and confidently at work. This podcast is for professionals, students, and job-seekers who use English in meetings, presentations, interviews, and beyond. Listen regularly to build your vocabulary, improve fluency, and feel more comfortable using English in the workplace. By the way, there is a free transcript for this episode. If you want to read along or review later, just check the link in the description.

Episode Introduction

Today’s episode is all about terms and conditions of employment, basically, the common policies, benefits, and working arrangements that come with a job. I’ll be focusing on some key vocabulary that you might encounter when discussing a job’s conditions or reading an employment contract. We’ll explore terms like flextime, core hours, working from home, annual leave, maternity leave, paternity leave, sick leave, and statutory pay. These are all concepts that business English learners at the intermediate level should find useful, especially if you’re working in an international environment or preparing for a job interview in English.

To put these terms in context, I want to share an example conversation. In this dialogue, Matthew is a prospective employee, someone about to join a company, asking Olivia from HR about the company’s work policies and benefits. It’s a friendly Q&A where Matthew asks about working hours, remote work, holidays, and different types of leave. As you listen, try to catch the key terms I just mentioned. After we hear their conversation, I’ll come back and explain each of those terms one by one, with simple definitions and examples.

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Alright, let’s get into it. Here’s the conversation between Matthew and Olivia:

Matthew: Hi, I appreciate the chance to speak again. I have a few remaining questions about the company’s work policies and benefits, if that’s okay.

Olivia: Of course! I’m happy to clarify any details for you.

Matthew: Great. First, could you tell me about the working hours? Is there a standard schedule, and do you offer flextime?

Olivia: Absolutely. Standard office hours are 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM, Monday to Friday. However, we have flextime: you can adjust your start or end times as long as you’re available during core hours, 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. For example, some people start earlier and leave earlier, while others prefer a later schedule.

Matthew: That sounds very flexible, which is great. How about remote work? Does the company have a policy on working from home or hybrid schedules?

Olivia: Yes. We support remote work with a hybrid model. Typically, employees come into the office two days a week and work from home the rest. Some roles are fully remote. We have all the necessary tools to keep everyone connected, so regular work-from-home is fine as long as teams stay coordinated.

Matthew: Good to know. Now, I wanted to ask about annual leave entitlements. How many days of paid leave do employees get per year, and are there additional benefits for long service?

Olivia: Annual leave is 25 days per year, plus public holidays. We also reward loyalty: after five years you get an extra five days each year, so 30 days total. After ten years, you receive a one-time paid sabbatical of four weeks on top of your regular leave. It’s our way of thanking long-term team members for their commitment.

Matthew: Wow, that’s quite generous. It’s great to see the company values long-term employees. Now, what about other types of leave? Specifically, I’m curious about maternity and paternity leave policies, as well as how sick leave works here.

Olivia: Certainly. For maternity leave, we offer 16 weeks fully paid, and you can take up to a year in total, the rest at statutory pay or unpaid. Paternity leave is four weeks paid. We also offer a phased return for new parents if needed, for example, returning part-time initially. For sick leave, we have a trust-based policy with no fixed number of sick days. If you’re ill, you take the time you need. We only ask for a doctor’s note if you’re out more than seven days in a row. We want people to focus on getting well without worrying about strict sick day limits.

Matthew: That’s great to hear. The benefits sound very thoughtful. I have one last question: what is the workplace culture like regarding these policies? For instance, is it really okay to use all my annual leave and take advantage of flextime and remote work? I’ve seen companies with great policies on paper that aren’t actually practiced.

Olivia: I’m glad you asked. Our culture really encourages using these benefits. We encourage everyone to take their full annual leave. Managers lead by example by using their vacation time. Flextime and remote work are normal practice here. Many people work from home regularly, adjusting their hours when needed, and that’s completely fine as long as the work gets done. We include remote colleagues in meetings via video calls so no one is left out. And using sick leave or parental leave is absolutely supported. Teams plan around absences and welcome people back without any stigma.

Matthew: That’s really reassuring to hear. It sounds like a healthy environment where people actually use their benefits.

Olivia: Absolutely. We truly believe that well-rested, happy employees are more productive.

Matthew: Thank you for explaining all this. I feel much more confident and informed now. You’ve answered all my questions, and I’m really excited about the opportunity to join the team.

Olivia: You’re very welcome. I’m glad I could help. If any other questions come up, please feel free to reach out. Otherwise, we’ll be in touch soon about the next steps. We’re excited about the prospect of you joining us.

Matthew: Thank you. I appreciate your time today.

Olivia: Thank you as well. Have a great day!

Matthew: You too! Have a great day.

Language Focus

Now, there was a lot of useful vocabulary in the conversation. Let’s go through some of the key terms one by one and make sure everything is clear. I’ll define each term in simple words, give a quick example, and relate it back to what we heard in the dialogue.

Flextime: YYou can also say “flexitime” but it’s less common. Flextime basically means flexible working hours. If you have flextime, you don’t always have to work the exact same schedule every day, as long as you meet certain requirements. Typically, there will be core hours when everyone must be working, but outside of those, you can choose your start and finish times. In the dialogue, Olivia described their flextime policy: employees can adjust their start or end times as they like, as long as they’re working during the core hours of 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. For example, some people might choose to start work at 8:00 AM and leave by 4:00 PM, while others might start at 10:00 AM and work until 6:00 PM. Both are fine if the company uses flextime, because everyone is present for the important part of the day. Example: “Our company offers flextime. I can come in earlier or later, as long as I do my 8 hours and I’m there between 10 and 3.”

Core hours: Core hours are the key hours during the day when everyone is expected to be at work and available. In other words, even if you have flexible hours, core hours are the fixed period when all team members should be working or reachable at the same time. In our conversation, Olivia said their core hours are 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. That means everyone in that company must be working during that time window, even if some people start earlier or end later. Core hours make sure there’s overlap for meetings or collaboration. Example: “Under our flextime system, we can set our own schedules, but we all have to be online during the core hours of 11 AM to 4 PM so we can have meetings.”

Working from home: Well, working from home means doing your job from your home, or another remote location, instead of in the office. It’s a form of remote work. Many companies today allow employees to work from home part of the time. This can also be called a hybrid work arrangement if it’s mixed with office days. In the dialogue, Matthew asked about remote work and Olivia explained that they have a hybrid model: employees come into the office two days a week and work from home the rest of the week. She even mentioned some roles are fully remote, and that as long as teams stay coordinated, working from home regularly is fine. Example: “Since the pandemic, I’ve been working from home twice a week. I just log in from my living room and do all my meetings online.”

Annual leave: Annual leave refers to the number of paid days off you get each year for vacation, holidays, or personal time. It’s essentially your paid vacation allowance for the year. Different companies and countries offer different amounts of annual leave. In the conversation, Matthew asked about annual leave entitlements, and Olivia said employees get 25 days per year, plus public holidays. 25 days of annual leave is quite generous. That’s five weeks off, not counting public holidays. She also mentioned extra benefits for long service, like getting additional leave after five years, and even a sabbatical after ten years. Those are special perks for loyal employees. The main thing to remember is: annual leave means paid time off per year. Example: “I have 30 days of annual leave, so I’m planning a two-week vacation in July and I’ll still have some days left for Christmas.”

Maternity leave: Maternity leave is the time off work given to a mother around the birth or adoption of a child. It allows a new mother to recover from childbirth and take care of her baby while still keeping her job. During maternity leave, the mother often receives pay from her employer, though how much and how long varies by company and country. In our dialogue, Olivia said their company offers 16 weeks, which is about 4 months, fully paid maternity leave, and mothers can take up to a year off in total. That means after 16 weeks, the remaining time up to a year would be either at statutory pay or unpaid, depending on the situation. Example: “After her baby was born, Maria went on maternity leave for six months. Her company paid her full salary for the first four months, and then she used statutory pay for the last two.”

Paternity leave: Well, paternity leave is the time off given to a father, or the second parent, when a new baby arrives. It’s similar to maternity leave, but it’s for fathers or partners to bond with the newborn and support the mother. Paternity leave is usually much shorter than maternity leave. In the conversation, Olivia mentioned that at their company paternity leave is four weeks fully paid. That’s actually pretty generous, since most companies I know only offer one or two weeks for new dads. Example: “When his daughter was born, James took paternity leave for two weeks to help at home and spend time with the baby.”

Sick leave: Sick leave is time off from work that you take when you are sick or injured and can’t work. If you wake up with a high fever or you’re feeling really ill, you would use a sick day. Many companies have a policy for sick leave, some might give a certain number of paid sick days per year, others might be more flexible. In the dialogue, Olivia described their sick leave policy as trust-based, with no fixed number of sick days. This means employees can just take the time they need when they’re ill, and the company trusts that they won’t abuse it. She said they only ask for a doctor’s note if someone is out for more than seven days in a row, which is a common requirement in many places. The idea is to let people recover without worrying about “using up” a limited number of sick days. Example: “My company’s sick leave policy is very strict. I only get 5 sick days a year. But if I’m sick beyond that, I’d have to take unpaid leave or use vacation days.”

Statutory pay: Statutory pay means the minimum pay an employer is legally required to give an employee during a certain type of leave, according to the law. The word “statutory” comes from “statute,” meaning a law. So, statutory pay is basically pay mandated by law. For example, many countries have a statutory maternity pay or statutory sick pay, a set amount or percentage of your salary that the company must pay you when you’re on maternity or sick leave, as defined by government regulations. In the dialogue, Olivia used this term when talking about maternity leave. She said after 16 weeks fully paid, the rest of the leave would be at statutory pay or unpaid. That implies that beyond the company’s generous period, they at least follow the legal minimum payment for the remaining time. To put it simply, statutory pay is the legal minimum an employer has to pay. Companies can choose to pay more than the statutory pay, which many do to be fair or competitive, but they can’t pay less than what the law requires. Example: “Even if a company doesn’t offer much maternity leave, they still have to provide statutory pay for the period required by law. In the UK, for instance, there is a statutory maternity pay that covers a certain number of weeks at a set rate.”

So those are the key terms we pulled from Matthew and Olivia’s conversation: flextime, core hours, working from home, annual leave, maternity leave, paternity leave, sick leave, and statutory pay. I hope my explanations and examples made each of these clear and easy to understand. These are all useful words when discussing job offers, contracts, or company policies in English. You might encounter them when you negotiate a new job, read an employee handbook, or even just chat with colleagues about your workplace. I’ve designed a short interactive exercise to help you check your understanding of these key terms. You’ll find the link in the episode description.

So, this brings us to the end of this episode. Thank you for listening to this episode of Business English Hub. I hope you found my discussion useful and maybe even thought about your own job’s policies and benefits while listening. If you have a comment or a story about your experience with any of these terms, I’d love to hear it. Feel free to share by commenting or sending me a message.

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Thanks again for joining me, and until next time, keep learning, keep practicing, and keep exploring the world of business English. Have a great day at work, wherever in the world you may be! Talk to you soon!

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Click here to take the quiz and test your understanding of the phrases.