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In many organisations, there is still a culture in which the employee who arrives the earliest and leaves the latest is considered the most 1. ?

Answer: industrious
Explanation: An adjective is needed to describe the employee. “Industrious” means hard-working.

(INDUSTRY), and many bosses still believe that they can’t trust their employees to work independently. They worry that there are too many distractions for workers at home or that team working and 2. ?

Answer: communication
Explanation: A noun is needed as the subject of the clause (parallel with “team working”).

(COMMUNICATE) won’t be as good if workers are physically 3. ?

Answer: disconnected
Explanation: A past participle acting as an adjective is needed to describe the state of being separated from colleagues.

(CONNECT) from each other. Some employers think management is about the close 4. ?

Answer: supervision
Explanation: A noun is required after the adjective “close” and the definite article “the”.

(SUPERVISE) of employees to direct and control not just what is done but also exactly how it is done.

However, the nature of a lot of work today involves meeting deadlines, achieving certain objectives and hitting targets. As most people who’ve worked in these kinds of environments know, how productive you are is less about how many hours you spend in the office and more about how well you meet those goals. Even though they’re outside the office, the remote worker who is not meeting targets is quickly noticed. Micromanaging bosses don’t help 5. ?

Answer: productivity
Explanation: A noun is needed as the object of the verb “help”.

(PRODUCT) either. In fact, research shows that controlling bosses can have a negative effect on their employees’ 6. ?

Answer: performance
Explanation: A noun is needed following the possessive “employees’”.

(PERFORM).

In contrast, giving employees the 7. ?

Answer: ability
Explanation: A noun is required after the definite article “the”.

(ABLE) to organise their working schedule to fit with their personal life means they are working when they are best able to engage fully with their work and are therefore more efficient and productive. Having choices in their working environment and timetable creates 8. ?

Answer: responsible
Explanation: An adjective is required to modify the noun “workers” (parallel with “motivated”).

(RESPONSIBILITY) and motivated workers who are likely to get better results, knowing they can meet the demands of both their job and their 9. ?

Answer: personal
Explanation: An adjective is needed to modify the noun “life”.

(PERSON) life.

Flexible working is not just about practical working 10. ?

Answer: arrangements
Explanation: A plural noun is required to describe the setup of work.

(ARRANGE) but also about a culture and a 11. ?

Answer: mindset
Explanation: A compound noun is needed to describe a way of thinking or attitude.

(MIND). For example, many remote workers find themselves working past their working hours, partly because there is no commuting to mark the boundaries between work and personal life, making it hard to switch off from work. Companies might need to consider training both workers and 12. ?

Answer: management
Explanation: A noun used as an adjective (noun adjunct) to modify “staff”.

(MANAGE) staff to help them better understand what flexible working is, how to implement it and how to encourage a result-driven approach.