美国国家公共电台 NPR--America, we have a problem. People aren't feeling engaged with their work

America, we have a problem. People aren't feeling engaged with their work

Transcript¹

A new Gallup report finds employee engagement in the U.S. fell in 2022. Younger workers in particular felt they had fewer opportunities to learn and grow. (Story first aired on ATC on Jan. 25, 2023.)

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

It seems like there's a problem in American workplaces. A growing number of people just don't like their jobs. A new Gallup report reveals fewer than a third of people feel engaged with their work. As NPR's Andrea Hsu reports, that's not just an issue for workers. It could also hurt their companies.

ANDREA HSU, BYLINE²: This drop in employee engagement started in the pandemic, and it's only getting worse. Jim Harter is Gallup's chief workplace scientist.

JIM HARTER: Younger workers, in particular, are less connected to their organization, less satisfied with their organization overall.

HSU: Young millennials and Gen Zers reported feeling less cared for at work, less heard. Fewer of them said they have someone who encourages their development. Fewer have a best friend at work. Harter says that's become an important predictor of whether someone might recommend their company or consider looking for a different job.

HARTER: Having a friend at work matters more now than it did pre-pandemic.

HSU: Gallup found engagement fell most among people who could work remotely but have to work on-site. But the survey found another problem with fully³ remote workers. A growing number of them are now in a middle zone that Jim Harter equates⁵ to quiet quitting.

HARTER: They'll show up, do the minimum required, but not much else, and they'll still look for other opportunities out there.

HSU: These findings don't surprise Tanvi Sinha. She's an audit⁶ manager at the accounting⁷ firm Matthews, Carter & Boyce in Fairfax, Va. She started her career back when everyone was in the office every day - even Saturdays in the busy season.

TANVI SINHA: You develop that relationship with people. You make friends with people. You're spending most time at work. You're going out for lunches. Those are the things that you're missing.

HSU: Now that coming to the office is optional. But it's not just about being social, Sinha says. It can help your career to get a holistic⁸ view of your company.

SINHA: Working remotely, you're working on one project. You don't even know what kind of other projects your firm does or what kind of other people you can be working with. You have very little exposure.

HSU: The Gallup survey backs that up. Across age groups and no matter where people were working, it found that employees were less connected to the broader purpose of their companies, also less clear about what's expected of them. Jim Harter says that's worrisome.

HARTER: You could almost equate⁴ it to employees becoming a little bit more like gig workers.

HSU: Who aren't as loyal to their employers, who aren't in it for the long haul.

STEPHANIE FRIAS: I believe that companies are having a reckoning.

HSU: Stephanie Frias is chief people officer at Lyra Health, which provides mental health services to companies. With all the quiet and real quitting going on, she says companies are now realizing that workers want something different and expect something different.

FRIAS: We're going through a time where what work means is being redefined, and it's being challenged. What worked in the past isn't going to work. And what makes it hard is that no one truly has a playbook.

HSU: Frias says focusing on mental wellness is key to increasing worker engagement and retention⁹. What she's hearing from workers is this.

FRIAS: I still want to engage in the workplace, but I want to do it in a way that is convenient and palatable¹⁰ to my lifestyle.

HSU: The accounting firm where Tanvi Sinha works is trying to find a good balance. People aren't required to be in the office, but managers like Sinha do encourage their teams to come in, and preferably on the same days.

SINHA: Pick a few days. Mingle¹¹ with people. Talk to people.

HSU: Sinha says technology can help. She does set up regular video calls with her team members to check in. But even so, there are pitfalls¹².

SINHA: Some people who were hired in COVID - I mean, I went to work after a long time, and I couldn't even recognize that this was the person. So that's bad on my part.

HSU: Jim Harter at Gallup says good managers are now more important than ever. They're the ones who can make sure employees know what's expected of them and help employees feel cared for.

Andrea Hsu, NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF THE PHARCYDE SONG, "SHE SAID")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

4 equate   

v.同等看待，使相等

参考例句：

• You can't equate passing examination and being intelligent.你不能把考试及格看成是聪明。
• You cannot equate his poems with his plays.你不可以把他的诗歌和他的剧本相提并论。

5 equates   

v.认为某事物（与另一事物）相等或相仿( equate的第三人称单数 )；相当于；等于；把（一事物） 和（另一事物）等同看待

参考例句：

• He equates success with material wealth. 他认为成功等同于物质财富。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This equates to increased and vigor, better sleep and sharper mental acuity. 也就是说可以起到增强活力，改善睡眠，提高心智的作用。 来自互联网

6 audit   

v.审计；查帐；核对；旁听

参考例句：

• Each year they audit our accounts and certify them as being true and fair.他们每年对我们进行账务审核，以确保其真实无误。
• As usual,the yearly audit will take place in December.跟往常一样，年度审计将在十二月份进行。

7 accounting   

n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。

8 holistic   

adj.从整体着眼的，全面的

参考例句：

• There is a fundamental ambiguity in the use of word "whole" in recent holistic literature.在近代的整体主义著作中，“整体”这个词的用法极其含混。
• In so far as historicism is technological,its approach is not piecemeal,but "holistic".仅就历史决定论是一种技术而论，它的方法不是渐进的，而是“整体主义的”。

9 retention   

n.保留，保持，保持力，记忆力

参考例句：

• They advocate the retention of our nuclear power plants.他们主张保留我们的核电厂。
• His retention of energy at this hour is really surprising.人们惊叹他在这个时候还能保持如此旺盛的精力。

10 palatable   

adj.可口的，美味的；惬意的

参考例句：

• The truth is not always very palatable.事实真相并非尽如人意。
• This wine is palatable and not very expensive.这种酒味道不错，价钱也不算贵。

11 mingle   

vt.使混合，使相混；vi.混合起来；相交往

参考例句：

• If we mingle with the crowd,we should not be noticed.如果我们混在人群中，就不会被注意到。
• Oil will not mingle with water.油和水不相融。

12 pitfalls   

（捕猎野兽用的）陷阱( pitfall的名词复数 )； 意想不到的困难，易犯的错误

参考例句：

• the potential pitfalls of buying a house 购买房屋可能遇到的圈套
• Several pitfalls remain in the way of an agreement. 在达成协议的进程中还有几个隐藏的困难。