2020年经济学人 巴托比职场专栏--重新思考如何对待生病的员工(2)

The problem may be that sick-pay rules are too strict for employees, not too generous. Given the need to pay the rent, many low-paid workers may feel they have to work unless they are so sick as to be physically¹ incapable² of leaving the house. But things may be changing. In America the Democrats³ have long proposed statutory sick leave. President Donald Trump⁴ now talks of emergency relief for sick workers.

问题可能是病假工资规定对员工来说太严格了，并不太慷慨。考虑到付房租的需要，许多低收入的工人可能觉得他们必须工作，除非病得很重，出不了屋。但情况可能正在改变。在美国，民主党人早就提议法定病假。唐纳德·特朗普总统现在谈到了对生病工人的紧急救济。

British policy has also shifted. Statutory sick pay will now be payable⁵ on the first day of absence, rather than the fourth. In its budget on March 11th the government removed a minimum income requirement that kept many part-time workers from qualifying for sick pay. It will also allow workers to get a sick note online rather than travel to a clinic and risk infecting other patients. Further change may still be needed. The statutory weekly rate, at ￡94.25 ($123), is less than 20% of average earnings⁶, and may tempt⁷ more workers to turn up when feeling iffy.

英国的政策也发生了变化。法定病假工资将在缺勤的第一天支付，而不是第四天。在3月11日的预算中，政府取消了一项最低收入要求，这项要求使许多兼职工人没有资格获得病假工资。它还将允许员工在网上获得病假条，而不是去诊所，冒着感染其他病人的风险。可能还需要进一步的改变。每周的法定工资为94.25英镑（123美元），不到平均收入的20%，这可能会吸引更多的员工在感到不确定的时候来上班。

At some stage in their careers most people will have turned up to work when they were feeling under the weather, be it because of a looming⁸ deadline or for fear of displeasing⁹ their boss. The health of fellow citizens, whether at work or on public transport, tends to be treated as collateral¹⁰ damage.

在职业生涯的某个阶段，大多数人都是在感觉不舒服的时候去上班的，可能是因为临近的最后期限，也可能是担心会让老板不高兴。同胞们的健康，无论是在工作中还是在公共交通上，往往被视为附带损害。

In a world where global travel is common and easy, and diseases have the scope to spread quickly, social norms may therefore need to change. That means not just washing hands, or indeed forgoing¹¹ the handshake as a greeting. It could also require a shift in attitudes towards workers who turn up while sick and potentially infectious, from plaudits for their diligence to scorn for their lack of consideration.

在一个全球旅行普遍且容易的世界里，疾病有可能迅速传播，因此社会规范可能需要改变。这意味着不仅仅是洗手，或者实际上放弃握手作为一种问候。它还可能需要改变对那些在生病和可能有传染性的时候出现的员工的态度，从对他们勤奋的赞扬到对他们缺乏考虑的轻蔑。

Countering pandemics requires all sorts of public action, from forging new social norms to devising vaccines¹² that authorities have the duty to supply. Ensuring that workers do not have a financial incentive¹³ to spread disease is another example. That requires governments to guarantee a decent level of sick pay, and rules on sick leave that do not punish responsible citizens.

抗击流行病需要各种各样的公共行动，从建立新的社会规范到设计政府有责任提供的疫苗。另一个例子是确保工人没有传播疾病的经济动机。这就要求政府保证合理的病假工资水平，并制定不惩罚负责任的公民的病假规定。

1 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

2 incapable   

adj.无能力的，不能做某事的

参考例句：

• He would be incapable of committing such a cruel deed.他不会做出这么残忍的事。
• Computers are incapable of creative thought.计算机不会创造性地思维。

3 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

5 payable   

adj.可付的，应付的，有利益的

参考例句：

• This check is payable on demand.这是一张见票即付的支票。
• No tax is payable on these earnings.这些收入不须交税。

6 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

7 tempt   

vt.引诱，勾引，吸引，引起…的兴趣

参考例句：

• Nothing could tempt him to such a course of action.什么都不能诱使他去那样做。
• The fact that she had become wealthy did not tempt her to alter her frugal way of life.她有钱了，可这丝毫没能让她改变节俭的生活习惯。

8 looming   

n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看，在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望

9 displeasing   

不愉快的，令人发火的

参考例句：

• Such conduct is displeasing to your parents. 这种行为会使你的父母生气的。
• Omit no harsh line, smooth away no displeasing irregularity. 不能省略任何刺眼的纹路，不能掩饰任何讨厌的丑处。

10 collateral   

adj.平行的；旁系的；n.担保品

参考例句：

• Many people use personal assets as collateral for small business loans.很多人把个人财产用作小额商业贷款的抵押品。
• Most people here cannot borrow from banks because they lack collateral.由于拿不出东西作为抵押，这里大部分人无法从银行贷款。

11 forgoing   

v.没有也行，放弃( forgo的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Everything, in short, is produced at the expense of forgoing something else. 总之，每一种东西的生产，都得以牺牲放弃某些其他东西为代价。 来自互联网
• These aren't the only ones forgoing the morning repast, of course. 当然，他们并不是放弃早餐的唯一几个。 来自互联网

12 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

13 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。