VOA慢速英语2018 越来越多的公司希望员工减少工作

More Companies Want Employees to Work Less

In many industrial countries, people work five eight-hour days or 40 hours a week. But some companies now want their employees to work just four days a week and still pay them for five.

在许多工业国家，人们每周工作5天，每天8小时，或者说人们每周工作40个小时。但是现在一些公司希望员工每周只工作4天，但照常拿5天的工资。

Is it too good to be true?

这是不是好得令人难以置信？

Companies that reduced work hours have found that their employees like their jobs more and are more productive at work.

减少工作时长的企业发现，他们的雇员更加喜欢他们的工作，而且工作的效率也提高了。

Jan Schulz-Hofen set up the computer software company Planio in Berlin, Germany. Planio offered a four-day week to its 10-member work force earlier this year. Schulz-Hofen said, “It is much healthier and we do a better job if we’re not working crazy hours.”

简·舒尔茨-霍芬在德国柏林成立了计算机软件公司Planio。今年年初，Planio公司为10名员工提供了每周只上4天班的待遇。舒尔茨-霍芬表示，“如果我们不疯狂地工作，那我们会更健康，工作完成的也更好。”

In New Zealand, a company called Perpetual Guardian¹ tested how its employees reacted to a 32-hour workweek earlier this year. It said the workers reported feeling less pressured and more involved with the business.

今年早些时候，新西兰公司永恒卫士就员工对32小时周工作制的反应进行了测试。该公司表示，员工反馈称压力减小了，工作参与度却得到了提升。

In Japan, the government is urging companies to let their workers have Monday mornings off. Other attempts to reduce working hours, however, have had little effect since many Japanese continue to work extra hours anyway.

日本政府鼓励企业让员工在周一上午休息。但是，其他减少工作时长的尝试收效甚微，因为许多日本人仍继续加班工作。

Britain’s Trades Union Congress (TUC) is pushing for the country to move to a four-day week by the end of the century. The group argues that a shorter workweek is a way for workers to share in the wealth made by new technologies like machine learning and robotics. The union compared that to the time they won the right to have weekends off during the industrial revolution.

英国职工大会（简称TUC）正在推动国家在本世纪末之前实行4天工作制。该组织认为，缩减工作周可以让员工分享机器学习和机器人科学等新技术所带来的福利。英国职工大会认为这一工作制与在工业革命期间所赢得的周末休假权利一样。

TUC’s Kate Bell noted², “It would reduce the stress of juggling³ working and family life and could improve gender⁴ equality. Companies that have already tried it say it’s better for productivity and staff well-being⁵.”

英国职工大会的凯特·贝尔指出，“这将减轻工作和家庭生活的压力，还可以提高性别平等意识。已经尝试过这种工作安排的公司表示，这有助于生产力的提高以及员工福利的保障。”

Overworked?

超负荷工作？

Lucie Greene is with the marketing⁶ communications company J. Walter Thompson. She said, “People are starting to take a step back from the 24-hour digital life we have now and realize the mental health issues from being constantly connected to work.”

露西·格林来自营销传播公司智威汤逊。她表示，“人们已经开始从如今24小时的数字生活中解脱出来，并意识到了连续工作所带来的心理健康问题。”

A study of 3,000 employees found that nearly half thought they could easily finish their work in five hours a day if they did not have to stop and re-start. Many said they already are working more than 40 hours a week anyway. The workers were from eight countries, including the United States, Britain and Germany.

一项对3000名员工进行的调查发现，近半数人认为，如果不间断工作，他们可以在一天五小时内轻松完成任务。许多人表示，不管怎样，他们每周的工作时间已经超过了40小时。受访员工来自8个国家，包括美国、英国和德国。

Dan Schawbel is with Future Workplace, which carried out the survey with Kronos. He observed, “Because you always have the technology, you are always working, so people are getting burned out.

丹·斯查贝尔来自未来职场公司，该公司联合克罗诺思公司共同开展了这项调查。他发现，“因为人们一直在追求技术，一直在工作，所以会感到筋疲力尽。”

Schulz-Hofen of Planio first tested the four-day workweek on himself. He felt the need to slow down after several years of intense work to launch the software company.

Planio公司的舒尔茨-霍芬最先在自已身上测试了4天工作制。在创建Planio软件公司并紧张工作了这么多年之后，他认为有必要放慢自已的步调。

“I didn’t get less work done in four days than in five because in five days, you think you have more time, you take longer,” he said. With a four-day workweek, he added, “I have to be quick, I have to be focused if I want to have my free Friday.”

他说，“相比于每周工作5天的情况，每周工作4天并没有减少我的工作完成量，因为一周工作5天，你会认为你有更多的时间，而你完成工作所需的时间也会更长。”他补充说，而每周工作4天的话，“如果我想在周五休息，我就必须加快速度，必须集中注意力。”

Schulz-Hofen added, “We got an unexpected reaction from customers. Most of our clients did not complain. They were just jealous.”

舒尔茨-霍芬还表示，“客户的反应令我们意想不到。大多数客户没有抱怨。他们只是嫉妒。”

Dan Schawbel expects more companies and countries will permit a four-day workweek, but not in the United States. He said, “I think America will be the last country to give us Monday mornings off because we’re so used to this way of working.”

丹·斯查贝尔预计将有更多公司和国家实行4天工作制，但是美国除外。他说，“我认为美国是最不可能让员工在周一上午休息的国家，因为我们已经习惯了这种工作方式。”

Words in This Story

crazy - adj. foolish, unreasonable⁷

juggle⁸ - v. to do several things at the same time

gender - n. the state of being male or female

digital - adj. using or characterized by computer technology

customer - n. someone who buys goods or services from a business

jealous - adj. showing unhappy or angry desire to have what someone else has

1 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

2 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

3 juggling   

n. 欺骗, 杂耍(=jugglery) adj. 欺骗的, 欺诈的 动词juggle的现在分词

参考例句：

• He was charged with some dishonest juggling with the accounts. 他被指控用欺骗手段窜改账目。
• The accountant went to prison for juggling his firm's accounts. 会计因涂改公司的帐目而入狱。

4 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

5 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

6 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

7 unreasonable   

adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的

参考例句：

• I know that they made the most unreasonable demands on you.我知道他们对你提出了最不合理的要求。
• They spend an unreasonable amount of money on clothes.他们花在衣服上的钱太多了。

8 juggle   

v.变戏法，纂改，欺骗，同时做；n.玩杂耍，纂改，花招

参考例句：

• If you juggle with your accounts,you'll get into trouble.你要是在帐目上做手脚，你可要遇到麻烦了。
• She had to juggle her job and her children.她得同时兼顾工作和孩子。