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混合办公成功的秘诀(下)

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如果要求明确,就更容易做到这一点。工作管理平台Asana的安妮·雷蒙德表示,该公司要求员工们周一、周二和周四来上班,并将周三设为“无会议”日。

混合办公成功的秘诀(下)

双语精读

It is easier to do that if expectations are clear.

如果要求明确,就更容易做到这一点。

Anne Raimondi of Asana, a work-management platform, says the firm expects people to come in on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, and has a "no meetings" day on Wednesday.

工作管理平台Asana的安妮·雷蒙德表示,该公司要求员工们周一、周二和周四来上班,并将周三设为“无会议”日。

If a manager wants to have a meeting that day, they have to "recontract" with their team and explain why it is needed. By the same token, being explicit when a reply is needed on an email saves everyone scurrying around in a desperate bid to answer the boss first.

如果管理者想要在那天开会,他们就必须与自己的团队“重新约定”,并解释为什么需要这么做。同样的道理,如果一封电子邮件需要回复,那就表达明确一些,这样就省得大家都急着第一个回复老板了。

Defining what kinds of work can be done asynchronously and what requires everyone to get together is a recipe for fewer, better meetings. Encouraging a set of do-not-disturb protocols makes it less likely that employees will be bothered unnecessarily.

规定哪些工作可以异步完成,哪些工作需要大家聚在一起完成,这是减少会议数量、提高会议质量的秘诀。引导制定一套“免打扰”协议可以降低员工遭到不必要的打扰的可能性。

Clear protocols also make hybrid meetings go better.

明确的协议还能让混合会议更好地进行。

Harry's, a shaving firm that has published its guidelines for hybrid working, expects each attendee to have their own screen and promises not to keep discussing the matter at hand once remote colleagues have left the meeting (though commenting on who is wearing the same clothes as they did yesterday is presumably fine).

剃须公司Harry's已经发布了有关混合办公的准则,该公司要求每位与会者(在参与线上会议时)都有自己的屏幕,并承诺在远程办公的同事离开会议后,不再继续讨论手头的问题(不过聊聊谁穿着和昨天一样的衣服想必也无伤大雅)。

Some of this will be deeply alarming to managers who worry about slippery slopes. First you give people space to focus at home, and soon enough you cannot contact anyone because they have changed their settings on Slack and are binge-watching "Bridgerton".

其中一些情况将会令那些担心“滑坡效应”的管理者们深感担忧。一开始你给人们在家集中注意力办公的空间,但很快你就会联系不上任何人,因为他们修改了自己Slack的状态,一集接一集地刷着《布里奇顿》。

There are three answers to such worries. First, expectations are firmly in the gift of managers. Asana's no-meetings day does not extend to meetings with customers, for example.

针对这种担忧有三个解决办法。首先,要求牢牢地掌握在管理者手中。例如,Asana公司的“无会议日”并不包括与客户的会议。

Second, burnout is as much of a risk as slacking. New research from Microsoft finds evidence for what it calls a "triple-peak day".

其次,倦怠与懈怠存在同样高的风险。微软的一项新研究找到了它所说的“三峰日”的根据。

As well as the usual large crests in activity in the early morning and after lunch, around 30% of employees at the tech giant also experience a smaller, third bump in work in the late evening.

除了通常的出现在清晨和午餐后的工作高峰外,这家科技巨头中大约30%的员工还会在深夜经历第三次较小的工作高峰。

That may be a sign of people getting work done when it suits them -- or of the workday extending relentlessly into every waking hour. Setting expectations, over things like how quickly notifications need to get a response, can help determine which one it is.

这可能表明,人们在适合自己的时间完成了工作,或者表明,工作日会无情地延长到醒着的每一个小时。设定要求,比如需要以多快的速度响应通知,可以帮助确定是哪一种情况。

Last, good performance is not defined by employees' locations at specific times of the day but by what they achieve -- what Mr Bloom calls "managing outputs, not inputs".

最后,良好的工作表现不是由员工在一天中的特定时间所处的位置来界定的,而是由他们的成果来界定的。这就是布鲁姆所说的“管理产出,而不是投入”。

If bosses can articulate what counts as productive activity, and evaluate it regularly, it matters less whether employees are at headquarters or stinking out the spare bedroom. Managers may have concerns about hybrid working, but it is pretty clear what will make it successful.

如果老板能清楚地说明什么才是生产性活动,并定期对其进行评估,那么员工是在总部还是待在卧室里发霉就没那么重要了。管理者们可能会对混合办公感到担忧,但混合办公的成功之道已经十分明朗。

词汇预习

  • response [高考]

    美[rɪˈspɑːns] | 英[rɪˈspɒns]

    n. 反应;回答;响应;答复

  • giant [高考]

    美[ˈdʒaɪənt] | 英[ˈdʒaɪənt]

    n. 巨人;巨物;大公司 adj. 巨大的

  • extend [高考]

    美[ɪkˈstend] | 英[ɪkˈstend]

    v. 延伸;延长;伸展;扩展;提供;使竭尽全力

  • peak [高考]

    美[piːk] | 英[piːk]

    n. 山顶;顶峰;山峰;尖端;帽檐;极值 v. 达到高峰;达到最高值 adj. 最高的;高峰期的;最大值的 【名】(Peak)(英)皮克(人名)

  • productive [高考]

    美[prəˈdʌktɪv] | 英[prəˈdʌktɪv]

    adj. 富有成效的;多产的;生产性的;具有创造性的

  • firmly [高考]

    美[ˈfɜːrmli] | 英[ˈfɜːmli]

    adv. 牢牢地;坚定地

  • attendee [高考]

    美[əˌtɛnˈdi, ˌætɛn-] | 英[ˌætenˈdi:]

    n. 出席者;在场者

  • slippery [高考]

    美[ˈslɪpəri] | 英[ˈslɪpəri]

    adj. 滑的;狡猾的;不可靠的

  • bump [高考]

    美[bʌmp] | 英[bʌmp]

    v. 碰撞;颠簸而行;提高 n. 肿块;撞击;表面隆起 adv. 突然的;猛烈的

  • determine [高考]

    美[dɪˈtɜːrmɪn] | 英[dɪˈtɜːmɪn]

    v. 决定;决心;确定;测定

  • evidence [高考]

    美[ˈevɪdəns] | 英[ˈevɪdəns]

    n. 证据;证词;根据;迹象 v. 证明;证实

  • evaluate [高考]

    美[ɪˈvæljueɪt] | 英[ɪˈvæljueɪt]

    vt. 评价;评估

  • remote [高考]

    美[rɪˈmoʊt] | 英[rɪˈməʊt]

    adj. 遥远的;偏僻的;远程的;(感情等)距离很大 n. 远程操作

  • platform [高考]

    美[ˈplætfɔːrm] | 英[ˈplætfɔːm]

    n. 平台,站台,月台,讲台,(政党的)政纲 v. 把…放在台上;起草政纲;站在讲台上演说

  • desperate [高考]

    美[ˈdespərət] | 英[ˈdespərət]

    adj. 绝望的;不顾一切的;极其想要的

  • explicit [高考]

    美[ɪkˈsplɪsɪt] | 英[ɪkˈsplɪsɪt]

    adj. 明确的;清晰的;清楚的;露骨的

  • bid [高考]

    美[bɪd] | 英[bɪd]

    v. (买方)出价;投标;吩咐;叫牌 n. 出价;努力;叫牌

  • at hand [高考]

    美[æt hænd] | 英[æt hænd]

    adv. 在手边(在附近;即将到来)

  • hybrid [高考]

    美[ˈhaɪbrɪd] | 英[ˈhaɪbrɪd]

    n. 混合物;杂种;混血儿 adj. 杂种的;混合的

  • token [高考]

    美[ˈtoʊkən] | 英[ˈtəʊkən]

    n. 象征;标志;纪念品;代币;代价券;[语言学]语言符号 adj. 象征性的;装样子的

  • headquarters [四级]

    美[ˈhedkwɔːrtərz] | 英[ˌhedˈkwɔːtəz]

    n. 总部;司令部;指挥部

  • email [四级]

    美['imeɪl] | 英['i:meɪl]

    vt. 发电子邮件;给……发电子邮件 n. 电子邮件,电子信函

  • tech [四级]

    美[tek] | 英[tek]

    n. 技术学校;技术;技术人员

  • presumably [四级]

    美[prɪˈzuːməbli] | 英[prɪˈzjuːməbli]

    adv. 大概;据推测;可能

  • unnecessarily [四级]

    美[ʌnˈnɛsəˌsɛrɪlɪ] | 英[ˌʌn'nesəsərəlɪ]

    adv. 不必要地;徒然

  • workday [四级]

    美[ˈwɜːrkdeɪ] | 英[ˈwɜːkdeɪ]

    n. 工作日;工作时间

  • make it [四级]

    美[mek ɪt] | 英[meik it]

    成功 达到预定目标,性交易,幸存

  • triple [四级]

    美[ˈtrɪpl] | 英[ˈtrɪpl]

    adj. 三部分的;三人的;三组的;三倍的 v. 成为三倍;使增至三倍 n. 三倍的数[量];三个一组;【棒】三垒打

  • articulate [六级]

    美[ɑːrˈtɪkjuleɪt , ɑːrˈtɪkjələt] | 英[ɑːˈtɪkjuleɪt , ɑːˈtɪkjələt]

    adj. 发音清晰的;善于表达的;有关节的 v. 清楚地讲话;发音;以关节连接

  • extend to [六级]

    美 | 英

    延伸到,扩大至

  • binge [专八]

    美[bɪndʒ] | 英[bɪndʒ]

    n. 狂欢作乐;放纵 vi. 狂欢作乐

  • bedroom [考研]

    美[ˈbedruːm] | 英[ˈbedruːm]

    n. 卧室 adj. 两性关系的;性感的;市郊住宅区的

重点讲解

It**** is**** easier**** to**** do**** that**** if**** expectations**** are clear.****

如果要求明确,就更容易做到这一点。

Anne**** Raimondi**** of**** Asana,**** a work****-management**** platform****,**** says**** the firm**** expects people**** to**** come**** in**** on**** Mondays,**** Tuesdays**** and Thursdays,**** and has a "no meetings****"**** day on**** Wednesday.****

工作管理平台Asana的安妮·雷蒙德表示,该公司要求员工们周一、周二和周四来上班,并将周三设为“无会议”日。

If a manager wants to have a meeting that day, they have to "recontract" with their team and explain why it is needed. By the same token, being explicit when a reply is needed on an email saves everyone scurrying around in a desperate bid to answer the boss first.

如果管理者想要在那天开会,他们就必须与自己的团队“重新约定”,并解释为什么需要这么做。同样的道理,如果一封电子邮件需要回复,那就表达明确一些,这样就省得大家都急着第一个回复老板了。

by the same token   类似地,同样的道理

(英文释义:for the same reasons – used when you want to say that something else is also true, especially something very different or surprising)

【例】I realise that he hasn’t come up with any new ideas, but by the same token we haven’t needed any.

我意识到他没有提出任何新的想法,但同样地,我们也还没有任何想法。

【拓展】token   n. & adj.

1. 作名词

1)(用以启动某些机器或用作支付方式的)代币,专用辅币;代价券

【例】a parking token 停车专用辅币

a £20 book token 价值20英镑的书券

2)(感觉、事实、事件等的)象征,标志,表示,信物

【搭配】as a token of   作为...的标志

【例】Please accept this small gift as a token of our gratitude.

请接受这个小礼物,以表我们的感激之情。

2. 作形容词,装样子的;象征性的

【例】The government has only made a token gesture towards helping the unemployed. 

政府只不过是做做样子表示了一下对失业者的帮助。

scurry   v. (尤指因受惊而) 急促跑

【例】She said goodbye and scurried back to work.

她说声再见,然后扭头跑回去干活了。

in a bid to   为了...

【例】In a bid to wrestle with the serious problem of school bullying, schools should impose strict punishments upon those offenders.

为了解决严重的学校霸凌问题,学校应对那些犯事者施以严厉的惩罚。

Defining what kinds of work can be done asynchronously and what requires everyone to get together is a recipe for fewer, better meetings. Encouraging a set of do-not-disturb protocols makes it less likely that employees will be bothered unnecessarily.

规定哪些工作可以异步完成,哪些工作需要大家聚在一起完成,这是减少会议数量、提高会议质量的秘诀。引导制定一套“免打扰”协议可以降低员工遭到不必要的打扰的可能性。

a recipe for   ...的食谱;...的秘诀;会导致...

(英文释义:to be likely to cause a particular result, often a bad one)

【例】Large-scale inflation is a recipe for disaster.

大规模的通货膨胀有可能导致灾难。

Clear protocols also make hybrid meetings go better.

明确的协议还能让混合会议更好地进行。

at hand   在手边,即将到来,等待处理的

(英文释义:likely to happen soon;close to you and available to be used;needing to be dealt with now)

【例】Peter turned his attention to the task at hand.

彼得将注意力转向手头的工作。

presumably   adv. 很可能;大概;想必是

【例】The spear is presumably the murder weapon.

这矛很可能就是凶器。

Harry's, a shaving firm that has published its guidelines for hybrid working, expects each attendee to have their own screen and promises not to keep discussing the matter at hand once remote colleagues have left the meeting (though commenting on who is wearing the same clothes as they did yesterday is presumably fine).

剃须公司Harry's已经发布了有关混合办公的准则,该公司要求每位与会者(在参与线上会议时)都有自己的屏幕,并承诺在远程办公的同事离开会议后,不再继续讨论手头的问题(不过聊聊谁穿着和昨天一样的衣服想必也无伤大雅)。

at hand   在手边,即将到来,等待处理的

(英文释义:likely to happen soon;close to you and available to be used;needing to be dealt with now)

【例】Peter turned his attention to the task at hand.

彼得将注意力转向手头的工作。

presumably   adv. 很可能;大概;想必是

【例】The spear is presumably the murder weapon.

这矛很可能就是凶器。

Some of this will be deeply alarming to managers who worry about slippery slopes. First you give people space to focus at home, and soon enough you cannot contact anyone because they have changed their settings on Slack and are binge-watching "Bridgerton".

其中一些情况将会令那些担心“滑坡效应”的管理者们深感担忧。一开始你给人们在家集中注意力办公的空间,但很快你就会联系不上任何人,因为他们修改了自己Slack的状态,一集接一集地刷着《布里奇顿》。

binge   n. & v.

1.作名词,(短时间的)狂热行动,大吃大喝

【例】to go on a binge 饮酒作乐

2. 作动词,大吃大喝,狂欢作乐

【例】When she's depressed she binges on chocolate.

她心情不好的时候就大嚼巧克力。

There are three answers to such worries. First, expectations are firmly in the gift of managers. Asana's no-meetings day does not extend to meetings with customers, for example.

针对这种担忧有三个解决办法。首先,要求牢牢地掌握在管理者手中。例如,Asana公司的“无会议日”并不包括与客户的会议。

in the gift of   由...决定

(英文释义:If something is in someone's gift, that person can d1508ecide who to give it to.)

【例】Appointments to these posts were in the gift of the monarch.

这些职位的任命是由君主决定的。

Second, burnout is as much of a risk as slacking. New research from Microsoft finds evidence for what it calls a "triple-peak day".

其次,倦怠与懈怠存在同样高的风险。微软的一项新研究找到了它所说的“三峰日”的根据。

in the gift of   由...决定

(英文释义:If something is in someone's gift, that person can d1508ecide who to give it to.)

【例】Appointments to these posts were in the gift of the monarch.

这些职位的任命是由君主决定的。

As well as the usual large crests in activity in the early morning and after lunch, around 30% of employees at the tech giant also experience a smaller, third bump in work in the late evening.

除了通常的出现在清晨和午餐后的工作高峰外,这家科技巨头中大约30%的员工还会在深夜经历第三次较小的工作高峰。

crest   n. & v.  顶峰;到顶峰

【例】The band is riding on the crest of a wave with the worldwide success of their number-one-selling single.

这个乐队目前正处于巅峰,他们的单曲全球销量第一。

That may be a sign of people getting work done when it suits them -- or of the workday extending relentlessly into every waking hour. Setting expectations, over things like how quickly notifications need to get a response, can help determine which one it is.

这可能表明,人们在适合自己的时间完成了工作,或者表明,工作日会无情地延长到醒着的每一个小时。设定要求,比如需要以多快的速度响应通知,可以帮助确定是哪一种情况。

relentlessly   adv. 残酷地,无情地

【例】The sun is beating down relentlessly.

太阳正无情地照射下来。

Last, good performance is not defined by employees' locations at specific times of the day but by what they achieve -- what Mr Bloom calls "managing outputs, not inputs".

最后,良好的工作表现不是由员工在一天中的特定时间所处的位置来界定的,而是由他们的成果来界定的。这就是布鲁姆所说的“管理产出,而不是投入”。

relentlessly   adv. 残酷地,无情地

【例】The sun is beating down relentlessly.

太阳正无情地照射下来。

If bosses can articulate what counts as productive activity, and evaluate it regularly, it matters less whether employees are at headquarters or stinking out the spare bedroom. Managers may have concerns about hybrid working, but it is pretty clear what will make it successful.

如果老板能清楚地说明什么才是生产性活动,并定期对其进行评估,那么员工是在总部还是待在卧室里发霉就没那么重要了。管理者们可能会对混合办公感到担忧,但混合办公的成功之道已经十分明朗。

articulate   v. & adj.

1. 作动词,清楚地表达,清楚地说出

【例】She struggled to articulate her thoughts.

她竭力表明她的想法。

2. 作形容词,善于表达的,发音清晰的

【例】All we could hear were loud sobs, but no articulate words.

我们听到的只是大声啜泣,没有清楚的话语。 

stink out   使充满难闻的味道;把...熏出...

【例】The smell of their cooking is enough to stink us all out. 

他们烹调时的难闻气味足以把我们全都赶跑。

课后练习

  • Which of the following statement is true about Asana?

    A. It regards having meetings as a waste of time.

    B. It emphasizes respect among team members.

    C. It recommends efficient online communication.

    D. It requires managers to give explicit messages.

  • The guidelines of Harry’s ____.

    A. seek to ensure the smooth running of hybrid meetings

    B. intend to increase attendances at meetings

    C. aim to encourage lively discussions about work

    D. attempt to promote work-life balance in the company

  • What is one of managers’ worries?

    A. Their relationship with employees may get worse.

    B. Employees may do things unrelated to work at home.

    C. Employees may find it difficult to collaborate with colleagues.

    D. Employees may refuse to respond to customers’ demands.

  • What can be done to deal with managers’ worries?

    A. Managers can try to live up to customers’ expectations.

    B. Employees can learn to make good use of every hour.

    C. Bosses can keep track of employees’ locations in workdays.

    D. Evaluation of performance can be based on productivity.