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工作中的友情(下)
- Authors
经理们干涉交友是错误的，这不仅仅是因为他们完全没有抓住重点。友谊的决定性特征是交友要凭自愿。
双语精读
It is a mistake for managers to wade into the business of friend-making, and not just because it royally misses the point. The defining characteristic of friendship is that it is voluntary.
经理们干涉交友是错误的，这不仅仅是因为他们完全没有抓住重点。友谊的决定性特征是交友要凭自愿。
Employees are adults; they don't need their managers to arrange play-dates. And the workplace throws people together, often under testing conditions: friendships will naturally follow.
员工都是成年人，他们不需要经理来安排玩耍聚会。而职场往往在考验人的条件下将人们聚集在一起：友谊自然会随之而来。
The bigger problem is that workplace friendships are more double-edged than their advocates allow. They can quickly become messy when power dynamics change.
更大的问题是，职场友谊比其倡导者所认为的更具双刃性。当权力动态发生变化时，职场友情可能很快就会变得一团糟。
The transition from friend to boss, or from friend to underling, is an inherently awkward one ("This is your final warning. Fancy a pint?"). And friendships have the potential to look a lot like cronyism.
从朋友变成老板，或者从朋友变成下属，这在本质上就很尴尬(“最后警告你一次。想去喝一杯吗？”)。而且友谊有可能看起来很像任人唯亲。
A clever study by Zoe Cullen of Harvard Business School and Ricardo Perez-Truglia of University of California, Berkeley, found that employees' social interactions with their managers could give their career prospects a boost relative to others.
哈佛商学院的佐伊·卡伦和加州大学伯克利分校的里卡多·佩雷斯-特鲁利亚进行了一项巧妙的研究，并发现相比与其他人，员工与经理进行社交互动，可能会给他们的职业前景带来助力。
The researchers looked at promotions of smokers and non-smokers who worked for a large bank in South-East Asia, hypothesising that sharing smoking breaks with managers who also indulged might give workers a leg-up.
研究人员研究了在东南亚一家大型银行工作的吸烟者和不吸烟者的晋升情况，假设是与同样吸烟的经理在休息时间一起吸烟可能会给员工带来晋升机会。
And so it did. Smokers who moved from a non-smoking boss to a puffer were promoted more quickly than those who moved to another non-smoker.
事实的确如此。一些吸烟者的老板从不吸烟的人换成吸烟的人，另一些吸烟者换了一个不吸烟的老板，结果前者比后者晋升得更快。
The authors found that social interactions did not just help smokers; socialising between male managers and male employees played a large role in perpetuating gender pay gaps.
作者发现，社交互动不仅帮助了吸烟者，而且男性经理和男性员工之间的社交活动也在固化性别薪酬差距方面起到了很大作用。
If firms are going to make friendship their business, they should worry about its downsides, too.
如果公司打算把职场友谊也当作自己该管的事，他们也应该考虑这些不利之处。
Companies should facilitate interactions between employees, particularly in a world of hybrid and remote working. Social gatherings and buddy systems are reasonable ways to encourage colleagues to meet each other and to foster a culture.
公司应该促进员工之间的互动，尤其现在有了混合办公和远程办公。社交聚会和伙伴制度是鼓励同事见面并培养企业文化的合理方式。
But a high-quality work relationship does not require friendship. It requires respect for each other's competence, a level of trust and a desire to reach the same goal; it doesn't need birthday cards and a shared interest in quiltmaking.
但高质量的工作关系并不需要友谊。它需要尊重彼此的能力、一定程度的信任，以及实现相同目标的愿望。它不需要生日贺卡，也不需要有缝被罩的共同爱好。
Firms should do what they can to encourage these kinds of relationships. If individuals want to take it further, it's entirely up to them.
公司应该尽其所能地鼓励这种关系。如果员工个人想让关系更进一步，这应该完全由他们决定。
词汇预习
particularly [高考]
美[pərˈtɪkjələrli] | 英[pəˈtɪkjələli]
adv. 特别；尤其；详细地
entirely [高考]
美[ɪnˈtaɪərli] | 英[ɪnˈtaɪəli]
adv. 完全地；全部地
transition [高考]
美[trænˈzɪʃn] | 英[trænˈzɪʃn]
n. 转变；过渡
boost [高考]
美[buːst] | 英[buːst]
v. 提高；增加；鼓励；举起；为...做宣传 n. 增加；推进；鼓励
desire [高考]
美[dɪˈzaɪər] | 英[dɪˈzaɪə(r)]
n. 渴望；愿望；欲望 v. 渴望；向往；要求
potential [高考]
美[pəˈtenʃl] | 英[pəˈtenʃl]
adj. 潜在的；可能的 n. 潜力；潜能 n. 电位；电势
arrange [高考]
美[əˈreɪndʒ] | 英[əˈreɪndʒ]
vt. 整理；安排；计划；改编(乐曲) vi. 协商；计划
male [高考]
美[meɪl] | 英[meɪl]
adj. 男性的；雄性的 n. 男子；雄性动物
characteristic [高考]
美[ˌkærəktəˈrɪstɪk] | 英[ˌkærəktəˈrɪstɪk]
n. 特点；特性；特色 adj. 典型的；特有的
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
foster [高考]
美[ˈfɑːstər] | 英[ˈfɒstə(r)]
vt. 领养；培养；促进；鼓励；抱有（希望等） adj. 收养的
awkward [高考]
美[ˈɔːkwərd] | 英[ˈɔːkwəd]
adj. 尴尬的；笨拙的；（设计）别扭的
competence [高考]
美[ˈkɑːmpɪtəns] | 英[ˈkɒmpɪtəns]
n. 能力；胜任；管辖权
pint [高考]
美[paɪnt] | 英[paɪnt]
n. 品脱（容量单位，主要在英国、美国及爱尔兰使用）
respect for [高考]
美[rɪˈspɛkt fɔr] | 英[risˈpekt fɔ:]
钦佩； 尊敬
further [高考]
美[ˈfɜːrðər] | 英[ˈfɜːðə(r)]
adv. 更远地，再往前地；进一步；此外，而且 adj. 更多的，进一步的；（距离上）更远的，较远的 v. 促进，推进
warning [高考]
美[ˈwɔːrnɪŋ] | 英[ˈwɔːnɪŋ]
n. 警告；警报；预兆 adj. 警告的；告诫的
gender [高考]
美[ˈdʒendər] | 英[ˈdʒendə(r)]
n. 性别；性（阳性、阴性和中性）
facilitate [高考]
美[fəˈsɪlɪteɪt] | 英[fəˈsɪlɪteɪt]
vt. 促进；帮助；使 ... 容易
hybrid [高考]
美[ˈhaɪbrɪd] | 英[ˈhaɪbrɪd]
n. 混合物；杂种；混血儿 adj. 杂种的；混合的
workplace [高考]
美[ˈwɜːrkpleɪs] | 英[ˈwɜːkpleɪs]
n. 工作场所
messy [高考]
美[ˈmesi] | 英[ˈmesi]
adj. 散乱的；污秽的；麻烦的
high-quality [四级]
美['haɪkw'ɒlɪtɪ] | 英['haɪkw'ɒlɪtɪ]
adj. 高质量的；高级的
inherently [四级]
美[ɪnˈhɪrəntli] | 英[ɪnˈhɪərəntli]
adv. 天性地；固有地
up to [四级]
美[ʌp tu] | 英[ʌp tu]
胜任；直到；多达；该由 ... 决定
characteristic of [四级]
美 | 英
特有的； 表示 ... 特性的
relative to [四级]
美[ˈrɛlətɪv tu] | 英[ˈrelətiv tu:]
关于； 相对于
mistake for [四级]
美[mɪˈstek fɔr] | 英[misˈteik fɔ:]
错认, 误认为
wade [六级]
美[weɪd] | 英[weɪd]
v. 跋涉；涉水 n. 跋涉
non [考研]
美[nɒn] | 英[nɒn]
adv. [拉]非；不是
don [托福]
美[dɑn] | 英[dɒn]
n. 先生（西班牙用语）；(牛津、剑桥大学的)指导教师 v. 穿上
buddy [托福]
美[ˈbʌdi] | 英[ˈbʌdi]
n. 伙伴；兄弟；好朋友 vi. 结交
underling [雅思]
美[ˈʌndərlɪŋ] | 英[ˈʌndəlɪŋ]
n. 部下；下属
重点讲解
It is a mistake for managers to wade into the business of friend-making, and not just because it royally misses the point. The defining characteristic of friendship is that it is voluntary.
经理们干涉交友是错误的，这不仅仅是因为他们完全没有抓住重点。友谊的决定性特征是交友要凭自愿。
wade into 强行介入；插手
【例】Even when she knows nothing about it, she wades into the discussion with her opinion.
虽然她什么都不懂，但她还是强行加入了讨论，发表了自己的意见。
【辨析】venture into 冒险做；涉足未知且有风险的领域
【例】This is the first time the company has ventured into movie production.
这是这家公司首次涉足电影制作业务。
Employees are adults; they don’t need their managers to arrange play-dates. And the workplace throws people together, often under testing conditions: friendships will naturally follow.
员工都是成年人，他们不需要经理来安排玩耍聚会。而职场往往在考验人的条件下将人们聚集在一起：友谊自然会随之而来。
wade into 强行介入；插手
【例】Even when she knows nothing about it, she wades into the discussion with her opinion.
虽然她什么都不懂，但她还是强行加入了讨论，发表了自己的意见。
【辨析】venture into 冒险做；涉足未知且有风险的领域
【例】This is the first time the company has ventured into movie production.
这是这家公司首次涉足电影制作业务。
The bigger problem is that workplace friendships are more double-edged than their advocates allow. They can quickly become messy when power dynamics change.
更大的问题是，职场友谊比其倡导者所认为的更具双刃性。当权力动态发生变化时，职场友情可能很快就会变得一团糟。
dynamics n. 动态变化；相互作用
【例】the dynamics of social relations/population dynamics/group dynamics
社会关系的动态变化/人口的动态发展/小组成员的互动
【拓展】dynamic adj. 动态的；充满活力的
【例】a dynamic market/a dynamic leader
动态变化的市场/一位精力充沛的领导
underling n. 下属；走卒；手下
【例】She surrounded herself with underlings who were too afraid of her to answer back.
她招了一批小喽啰在身边，这些人都很怕她，从来不敢顶嘴。
【近义词】minion/subordinate n. 喽啰/下属
【反义词】boss/senior n. 老板；上司
The transition from friend to boss, or from friend to underling, is an inherently awkward one (“This is your final warning. Fancy a pint?”). And friendships have the potential to look a lot like cronyism.
从朋友变成老板，或者从朋友变成下属，这在本质上就很尴尬(“最后警告你一次。想去喝一杯吗？”)。而且友谊有可能看起来很像任人唯亲。
dynamics n. 动态变化；相互作用
【例】the dynamics of social relations/population dynamics/group dynamics
社会关系的动态变化/人口的动态发展/小组成员的互动
【拓展】dynamic adj. 动态的；充满活力的
【例】a dynamic market/a dynamic leader
动态变化的市场/一位精力充沛的领导
underling n. 下属；走卒；手下
【例】She surrounded herself with underlings who were too afraid of her to answer back.
她招了一批小喽啰在身边，这些人都很怕她，从来不敢顶嘴。
【近义词】minion/subordinate n. 喽啰/下属
【反义词】boss/senior n. 老板；上司
A clever study by Zoe Cullen of Harvard Business School and Ricardo Perez-Truglia of University of California, Berkeley, found that employees’ social interactions with their managers could give their career prospects a boost relative to others.
哈佛商学院的佐伊·卡伦和加州大学伯克利分校的里卡多·佩雷斯-特鲁利亚进行了一项巧妙的研究，并发现相比与其他人，员工与经理进行社交互动，可能会给他们的职业前景带来助力。
boost v. & n.
1. 作动词：增长；增强
【例】to boost the economy
刺激经济发展
【近义词】bolster v. 增强
2. 作名词：激励；增长
【例】give a boost to the economy/a boost in sales
给经济带来推动力/销售额的增长
The researchers looked at promotions of smokers and non-smokers who worked for a large bank in South-East Asia, hypothesising that sharing smoking breaks with managers who also indulged might give workers a leg-up.
研究人员研究了在东南亚一家大型银行工作的吸烟者和不吸烟者的晋升情况，假设是与同样吸烟的经理在休息时间一起吸烟可能会给员工带来晋升机会。
give sb a leg-up 帮助改善某人的处境
【例】Google’s dominance in search gives it a leg-up in the AI race.
谷歌在搜索引擎方面的主导地位能在人工智能竞赛中助其一臂之力。
And so it did. Smokers who moved from a non-smoking boss to a puffer were promoted more quickly than those who moved to another non-smoker.
事实的确如此。一些吸烟者的老板从不吸烟的人换成吸烟的人，另一些吸烟者换了一个不吸烟的老板，结果前者比后者晋升得更快。
give sb a leg-up 帮助改善某人的处境
【例】Google’s dominance in search gives it a leg-up in the AI race.
谷歌在搜索引擎方面的主导地位能在人工智能竞赛中助其一臂之力。
The authors found that social interactions did not just help smokers; socialising between male managers and male employees played a large role in perpetuating gender pay gaps.
作者发现，社交互动不仅帮助了吸烟者，而且男性经理和男性员工之间的社交活动也在固化性别薪酬差距方面起到了很大作用。
perpetuate v. 使永久化；使持续
【例】This system perpetuated itself for several centuries.
这一制度维持了几个世纪。
【拓展】perpetual adj. 不间断的；持续的；无休止的
【例】a perpetual stream of visitors 川流不息的游客
If firms are going to make friendship their business, they should worry about its downsides, too.
如果公司打算把职场友谊也当作自己该管的事，他们也应该考虑这些不利之处。
perpetuate v. 使永久化；使持续
【例】This system perpetuated itself for several centuries.
这一制度维持了几个世纪。
【拓展】perpetual adj. 不间断的；持续的；无休止的
【例】a perpetual stream of visitors 川流不息的游客
Companies should facilitate interactions between employees, particularly in a world of hybrid and remote working. Social gatherings and buddy systems are reasonable ways to encourage colleagues to meet each other and to foster a culture.
公司应该促进员工之间的互动，尤其现在有了混合办公和远程办公。社交聚会和伙伴制度是鼓励同事见面并培养企业文化的合理方式。
facilitate v. 使变得更容易；促进
【例】The new ramp will facilitate the entry of wheelchairs.
新修的坡道会方便轮椅进出。
To facilitate learning, each class is no larger than 30 students.
为了促进学习，每个班级的学生人数不多于30人。
【拓展】facility n. （方便做某事的）设施；设备；场所
But a high-quality work relationship does not require friendship. It requires respect for each other’s competence, a level of trust and a desire to reach the same goal; it doesn’t need birthday cards and a shared interest in quiltmaking.
但高质量的工作关系并不需要友谊。它需要尊重彼此的能力、一定程度的信任，以及实现相同目标的愿望。它不需要生日贺卡，也不需要有缝被罩的共同爱好。
competence n. 胜任某项任务的能力
【例】Her competence as a teacher is unquestionable.
她的教学能力是毋庸置疑的。
【拓展】competent adj. 胜任的；有能力的
【反义词】incompetence n. 不胜任；无能
take sth further 采取进一步措施
【例】Before we take the project further, we should make sure that there’s enough money to fund it.
在进一步开展这个项目之前，我们应该确保项目有足够的资金。
Firms should do what they can to encourage these kinds of relationships. If individuals want to take it further, it’s entirely up to them.
公司应该尽其所能地鼓励这种关系。如果员工个人想让关系更进一步，这应该完全由他们决定。
competence n. 胜任某项任务的能力
【例】Her competence as a teacher is unquestionable.
她的教学能力是毋庸置疑的。
【拓展】competent adj. 胜任的；有能力的
【反义词】incompetence n. 不胜任；无能
take sth further 采取进一步措施
【例】Before we take the project further, we should make sure that there’s enough money to fund it.
在进一步开展这个项目之前，我们应该确保项目有足够的资金。
课后练习
One of the characteristics of workplace friendships is that ____.
A. they are based on workers’ personal interests
B. they occur naturally in the process of working
C. they are part of the corporate culture
D. they often undergo various tests
Workplace friendships may become messy when ____.
A. people have a higher status than their friends
B. people cause trouble for their friends’ work
C. people and their friends work in the same department
D. people are interrupted by their friends during working hours
The research on smokers and non-smokers found that ____.
A. informal interactions facilitated the communication between workers
B. managers expected workers to share common habits with them
C. social interactions in workplace might foster unfairness
D. interpersonal relationship was an important aspect of competence
According to the author, managers should ____.
A. invent innovative ways to encourage workers to socialize
B. shift their emphasis from friendships to work relationships
C. allow workers to choose their teammates freely
D. trust workers’ ability to build workplace friendships