Should We Really Be Texting for Work?
Work has already invaded our homes,
evenings and weekends. Now it’s coming
for the fun part of your phone.
Mr. Dunlap, 43, the chief executive of a consulting company in Austin, Texas, has asked colleagues not to overdo it on the work texts.
“Text is kind of the final frontier of personal space,” he said.
Brace your thumbs for the era of the work text: the blue bubble has put on its best business-casual and joined email and Slack in the sprawling digital workplace.
Its arrival has been polarizing.
Fans of the work text consider it productive, even collegial; to detractors, it’s outright invasive.
The medium is loved and feared for its immediacy, and the way that it invites co-workers into something like the inner sanctum of our digital lives.
More than 40 percent of workers use text messaging on their personal phones to communicate for work purposes, according to the economic research organization WFH Research, which surveyed more than 6,000 Americans in May.
Nick Bloom, a professor of economics at Stanford who worked on the study, said that the pandemic may be to thank.
As many employees worked from home, companies relied on layers of digital communication software to keep them in touch: Zoom on top of email on top of Microsoft Teams on top of Slack.
The result was a series of noisy digital inboxes all competing for workers’ attention.
Texting, which we use to maintain our closest social bonds, was a reliable way to cut through.
Ninety-seven percent of text messages are opened within 15 minutes, according to a report from Insider Intelligence, a research firm.
“I may interrupt a meeting if I have a text, because my kids text,” Dr. Bloom said.
“I would never interrupt a meeting for an email.”
Texting has grown in importance since the first SMS, or short messaging service, greeting was sent by a 22-year-old engineer in 1992.
In 2010 it overtook the phone call as the preferred method of communication between teenagers and their friends.
Those teenagers have aged into a professional generation more reliant on texting.
Ashlyn Shadden was a high schooler in the early 2000s when she got her first cellphone, a pink Nokia that she mostly used to text her boyfriend.
Ms. Shadden, 34, who now runs a clothing boutique in St. Jo, Texas, said she had noticed that a lot of other people around her age prefer to do business over text.
A Sra. Shadden, 34, que agora administra uma boutique de roupas em St. Jo, Texas, disse que percebeu que muitas outras pessoas da sua idade preferem fazer negócios em vez de enviar mensagens de texto.
Work texts can easily veer into uncomfortable or invasive territory.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, more clients have asked Lauren Young Durbin, a career coach in Richmond, Va., how to keep their co-workers from texting them too much.
Workers give out their personal phone numbers in an effort to seem friendly and accessible, she said, then come to regret it once they realize the nozzle cannot be turned off.
Gabrielle Blackwell, 32, who works in sales for a software company in Austin, tries to keep business conversations confined to work-specific channels like Slack and email.
Ms. Blackwell had first been flattered when a boss at a previous job had wanted to communicate with her via text.
She soon discovered her supervisor had “no boundaries” and would text her for input incessantly, with questions beyond her job description.
“Once they had my number, they felt like they could reach out to me any time,” she said.
“That was a very unhealthy situation.”
All the workers interviewed for this article offered their own suggestions for preventing work from overwhelming their text inboxes, and by extension, their lives.
Mr. Dunlap tries to respond only to timesensitive text messages from co-workers.
Ms. Young Durbin tells clients to establish “texting hours” when they give out their phone numbers.
Ms. Shadden has thought about getting a second phone to be used just for work.
Dr. Bloom emphasized that just because you can reply to a work text at any time of the day or night does not mean that you should.
“Imagine you’ve had two or three glasses of wine,” he said.
If you flub a response to your boss while inebriated, he said, “you’re in trouble.”
Those suggestions might help some workers fortify their inboxes.
They also might be Band-Aids for the larger issue of work’s overreach into our personal lives, said Anne Helen Petersen, the writer of the newsletter Culture Study and an author of “Out of Office: The Big Problem and Bigger Promise of Working From Home.”
Email and Slack once dangled the possibility of seamless connection before workers, only to end up tethering them more closely to ever-present digital desks, she said.
By giving us the illusion that we can work and relax simultaneously on a trip to the gym or a midafternoon walk, text, too, might be further entangling our work and personal lives.
01 – The main purpose of the article is to
(A) report on the prevalence of highly technological methods of communication in the corporate environment, which are clearly inadequate when compared with dedicated tools, such as Slack and email.
(B) discuss the increasing use of texting at work, highlighting its efficiency in communication but also its potential to blur the boundaries between personal and professional life.
(C) criticize the use of traditional communication channels in the workplace, since it requires that workers direct their attention to multiple tools and resources simultaneously.
(D) demonstrate how exclusive tools designed for corporate communication have a superior performance if concepts like reliability and usability are taken into consideration.
(E) refute the idea that texting for work might be beneficial, as it overloads the workers’ inboxes, making it hard for them to sift through important and irrelevant, work-related and private matters.
🟦 Gabarito: (B)
Vamos no padrão 🏛️ B3GE™: comentário claro, direto, com por que cada alternativa está certa ou errada + pegadinha típica de banca (UNESP/FGV/CESPE).
Pergunta: The main purpose of the article is to…
discuss the increasing use of texting at work, highlighting its efficiency in communication but also its potential to blur the boundaries between personal and professional life.
(discutir o uso crescente de mensagens de texto no trabalho, destacando sua eficiência na comunicação, mas também seu potencial para confundir os limites entre a vida pessoal e profissional.)
✔️ Esta alternativa resume com precisão o objetivo central do texto. O artigo: reconhece a eficiência e popularidade do uso de mensagens no trabalho; mas enfatiza, sobretudo, o problema do apagamento dos limites entre vida pessoal e profissional.
📌 Não é um texto apenas crítico nem apenas elogioso — é analítico e equilibrado, exatamente como a alternativa (B).
🏛️ B3GE™ — precisão semântica é aprovação.
❌ Alternativa (A) — ERRADA
report on the prevalence of highly technological methods of communication in the corporate environment, which are clearly inadequate when compared with dedicated tools, such as Slack and email.
(relatar a prevalência de métodos altamente tecnológicos de comunicação no ambiente corporativo, que são claramente inadequados quando comparados a ferramentas dedicadas, como Slack e e-mail.)
🚫 Pegadinha clássica: exagero avaliativo.
O texto não afirma que e-mail, Slack ou texto sejam claramente inadequados.
Ele discute efeitos colaterais, não invalidação dos meios.
📌 A banca pune quem confunde
problematização com
condenação.
❌ Alternativa (C) — ERRADA
criticize the use of traditional communication channels in the workplace, since it requires that workers direct their attention to multiple tools and resources simultaneously.
(criticar o uso de canais de comunicação tradicionais no local de trabalho, uma vez que exige que os trabalhadores direcionem sua atenção para várias ferramentas e recursos simultaneamente.
🚫 O texto não critica canais tradicionais. Pelo contrário: mostra que texto se soma ao e-mail, Slack, Teams; e que o problema é o acúmulo e a invasão, não o canal em si.
📌 Pegadinha: trocar o foco do texto (
mensagens de texto) por outro tema (
meios tradicionais).
❌ Alternativa (D) — ERRADA
demonstrate how exclusive tools designed for corporate communication have a superior performance if concepts like reliability and usability are taken into consideration.
(demonstrar como ferramentas exclusivas projetadas para comunicação corporativa têm um desempenho superior se conceitos como confiabilidade e usabilidade forem levados em consideração.)
🚫 O artigo não defende a superioridade de ferramentas corporativas. Ele inclusive mostra que: nenhuma ferramenta resolveu o problema da invasão do trabalho; o texto pode repetir esse mesmo efeito.
📌 Pegadinha de vocabulário técnico (reliability, usability) — bonito, mas fora do eixo textual.
❌ Alternativa (E) —
ERRADA(E) refute the idea that texting for work might be beneficial, as it overloads the workers’ inboxes, making it hard for them to sift through important and irrelevant, work-related and private matters.
(refutar a ideia de que mensagens de texto para o trabalho podem ser benéficas, pois sobrecarregam as caixas de entrada dos trabalhadores, dificultando a triagem de assuntos importantes e irrelevantes, relacionados ao trabalho e privados.)
🚫 Absoluta e, portanto, errada. O texto: não refuta os benefícios; admite claramente que o texto é eficiente, imediato e popular.
📌 Pegadinha clássica: verbo forte demais (refute).
🏛️ Padrão UNESP/FGV: cuidado com alternativas 100% negativas quando o texto é equilibrado.
📌 Conclusão 🏛️ B3GE™
Padrão clássico de banca:
🎯 Identificar a tese global, não frases soltas.
🎯 Evitar alternativas absolutas, técnicas demais ou desviadas do eixo central.
✅ A alternativa
(B) vence porque
dialoga com todo o texto, sem exagerar nem reduzir seu alcance.
02 – By asking his colleagues “not to overdo it on the work texts” (paragraph 1), Mr. Dunlap means his coworkers should
(A) send no text messages at all, while working.
(B) use audio messaging instead of texts to communicate at work.
(C) confine their messaging to work-specific channels, like email.
(D) write long, wordy text messages when communicating at work.
(E) refrain from sending too many work text messages.
🟦 GABARITO (E)
✅ Alternativa correta: (E) refrain from sending too many work text messages
👉 “Not to overdo it” é uma expressão idiomática clássica que significa não exagerar, não passar do limite.
No contexto, Mr. Dunlap não proíbe mensagens, apenas pede moderação para que os textos de trabalho não invadam o espaço pessoal.
🏛️ B3GE™ — precisão lexical + leitura contextual = acerto.
❌ Análise das alternativas incorretas
(A) send no text messages at all, while working.
✘ Errada. O texto deixa claro que ele reconhece a eficácia dos textos (“they get his attention quickly”). Ele pede controle, não eliminação.
Pegadinha: levar “not to overdo it” como “não usar nunca”.
(B) use audio messaging instead of texts to communicate at work.
✘ Errada. Não há qualquer menção a mensagens de áudio no texto.
Pegadinha: alternativa completamente externa ao texto (clássica “invenção da banca”).
(C) confine their messaging to work-specific channels, like email.
✘ Errada. Essa ideia aparece mais adiante no texto, associada a outros personagens, não a Mr. Dunlap.
Pegadinha: confundir opiniões de personagens diferentes dentro do mesmo artigo.
(D) write long, wordy text messages when communicating at work.
✘ Errada. É o oposto do que “not to overdo it” sugere.
Pegadinha: interpretar overdo como “fazer bem” ou “caprichar”, quando na verdade significa exagerar.
🎯 Pegadinha central da questão
👉 Expressão idiomática em contexto.
A banca testa se o candidato entende overdo como exagerar, e não como intensidade positiva.
📌 Padrão clássico UNESP / FGV / VUNESP:
➡️ sinônimo funcional + leitura pragmática, não literal.
🏛️ B3GE™ — leitura fina, sem exagero… exatamente como o texto pede.
03 – The statement that the arrival of work text has been polarizing (paragraph 2) means that
(A) it has caused opposite reactions, since some people view it as positive, others, as negative.
(B) younger workers have been forced to adopt old-fashioned communication channels.
(C) it has been the source of controversial debate on digital literacy in the workplace.
(D) people have learned to use different methods for personal and work communication.
(E) new technology has challenged all workers to be more effective in their use of emails.
• Gabarito A
A afirmação de que a chegada do texto de trabalho tem sido polarizadora (parágrafo 2) significa que
causou reações opostas, já que algumas pessoas o veem como positivo, outras, como negativo.
trabalhadores mais jovens foram forçados a adotar canais de comunicação antiquados.
tem sido a fonte de debate controverso sobre alfabetização digital no local de trabalho.
as pessoas aprenderam a usar métodos diferentes para comunicação pessoal e profissional.
a nova tecnologia desafiou todos os trabalhadores a serem mais eficazes no uso de e-mails.
04 – In paragraph 4, Dr. Bloom’s statement about his reaction to text messages implies that
(A) meetings tend to be interrupted more often because people text all the time.
(B) a text message is more likely to be immediately read than an email.
(C) workers have a hard time checking their emails at work.
(D) most people would interrupt whatever they are doing when they get an email.
(E) older people generally prefer to communicate via email.
• Gabarito B
In paragraph 4, Dr. Bloom’s statement about his reaction to text messages implies that
No parágrafo 4, a declaração do Dr. Bloom sobre sua reação a mensagens de texto implica que
(A) meetings tend to be interrupted more often because people text all the time.
reuniões tendem a ser interrompidas com mais frequência porque as pessoas enviam mensagens de texto o tempo todo.
uma mensagem de texto tem mais probabilidade de ser lida imediatamente do que um e-mail.
(C) workers have a hard time checking their emails at work.
trabalhadores têm dificuldade em verificar seus e-mails no trabalho.
(D) most people would interrupt whatever they are doing when they get an email.
a maioria das pessoas interromperia o que quer que estivessem fazendo quando recebessem um e-mail.
(E) older people generally prefer to communicate via email.
pessoas mais velhas geralmente preferem se comunicar por e-mail.
05 – In paragraph 3, the expression “the pandemic may be to thank” means that the use of text for work purposes
(A) may have affected the social interaction before the pandemic.
(B) has no noticeable relation with the pandemic.(C) was harshly discouraged during the pandemic.(D) may be due to a situation that was originated in the pandemic.
(E) could not be stopped by the pandemic.
• Gabarito D
In paragraph 3, the expression “the pandemic may be to thank” means that the use of text for work purposes
No parágrafo 3, a expressão “a pandemia pode ser para agradecer” significa que a utilização do texto para fins de trabalho
pode ter afetado a interação social antes da pandemia.
não tem relação perceptível com a pandemia.
foi duramente desencorajado durante a pandemia.
pode ser devido a uma situação que foi originada na pandemia.
não pôde ser interrompido pela pandemia.
06 – The word in boldface conveys the idea of contrast in
(A) “In 2010 it overtook the phone call as the preferred method of communication between teenagers and their friends” (paragraph 4).
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