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Back on the Chain Gang
有關商業的問題的Business版塊
主標題：Back on the chain gang 復工之際
副標題：Employees and employers both face trade-offs as offices reopen. 線下辦公重啟，僱主員工面臨「心」權衡。
明白了，後疫情時代辦公重啟，人們（員工和老闆）觀念的變化和擔憂。
chain gang，原意指被鏈子拴在一起服勞役的囚犯，這樣的心情當然不舒服，這裡用來比喻某種形式的辦公室生活。
這種巧妙的比喻，已經為全文定下了一種相對灰暗不清的調調，面對疫情之後的重啟，人們的內心是複雜的。
這是一篇相對複雜的文章。
疫情洗禮，每個人的生活和觀念都被改變和重塑。
從居家辦公回到重回辦公室，經歷轉折，人們所思所想是什麼？
這是一篇很有代表性的文章。
Remember the 7am alarm? The rushed goodbye with spouse and children as you dash out of the house? The nervous patting of pockets to check for keys, season ticket, security pass and phone? And the clogged traffic or crowded train carriage?Most office workers have escaped those familiar rituals for the past four months. But offices are slowly reopening again. And governments are keen to lure workers into the cities, where they can spend their money and help to revive battered economies.前兩段簡單了解即可。
Remember the 7am alarm?還記得早上的鬧鐘嗎？The rushed goodbye with spouse and children記得與配偶和孩子匆匆告別嗎？
以下內容，也都為勾勒出日常匆忙出勤上班的情形。
過去一段時間，多數上班族都暫別了這套熟悉的流程familiar rituals。但隨著辦公室逐漸重開，slowly reopening。
政府也熱衷於are keen to 將人們吸引回城市，這樣就可以在城市消費並幫助重振重創的經濟，revive battered economies.
單詞battered,相對生僻，但可以推測出來，基本含義是受到重創的、垮掉的意思。
重點：一是政府熱衷；二是重振經濟；
三是吸引回城目的，是為消費。
A group of academics led by Ethan Bernstein of Harvard Business School has been surveying American workers during the crisis. It found that many felt they could be just as productive at home as they had been at the office. In terms of job satisfaction, a small wobble in the first few weeks of lockdown eased as workers adjusted to new routines. But once that adjustment was made, satisfaction increased. Stress levels have fallen by more than 10%. That despite the fact that workers toil for longer: an analysis of one technology company showed that working hours have increased by 10-20% during the pandemic.本段考點較多。
哈佛商學院調查發現，許多人覺得自己在家辦公和在辦公室同樣高效，as productive at home as they had been at the office.
效率不受影響。
工作滿意度方面，封鎖lockdown的前幾周有所波動，但隨著適應新常規，adjusted to new routines，滿意度增加satisfaction increased.
滿意度增加。
儘管工作時長相對增加了10-20%，但工作壓力下降10% 以上。
重點：居家辦公同樣高效；對這種形式從不滿意到滿意；工作時長增加，但壓力減少。
That contrasts with less positive results of previous case studies of home-working. Mr Bernstein and his colleagues suggest that the main difference this time is that all employees have been forced into the same situation. In the past, those who worked at home were in the minority, often felt excluded from the group, and so were less likely to identify with the company.過去無疫情期間，居家辦公感受是不積極的、負面的，less positive.
這次的主要區別在於所有員工都被迫forced進入居家辦公狀態。
這次是全員行為，之前是少數個體minority行為，容易感到被團隊排擠，excluded，公司認同感差。
If they were right, then this problem may reassert itself when office work resumes. At the moment, those who have returned to the office are in a minority, comprising those who find it most difficult to work at home. But the balance may shift as time goes on, perhaps because people become more relaxed about the virus, or because people will miss the fellowship of their colleagues. At that point those who remain at home may start to feel isolated.◆無疫情時，人們對居家辦公的感受是負面的
The emotion that is most likely to lure workers back to the office is paranoia. The pandemic may have caused managers to realise who is indispensable and who isn’t. Bartleby realises he is entirely dispensable: an amuse bouche between the meaty stuff of structural reform and vaccines. Fail to amuse enough bouches and he will be shuffled into retirement. Millions may reason the same way. When the number of those back at work reaches a critical mass, the rest may be obliged to follow suit.最有可能誘使員工回到辦公室lure workers back to the office的原因是疑心病paranoia。
擔心自己會被裁掉。
道理顯而易見。
疫情讓管理者意識到誰不可或缺，誰又是可有可無的，who is indispensable and who isn’t。
當返崗人數到達工作所需的最低人數時，剩餘人員也不得不到單位上班。
可理解為，怕被認為自己不重要，摸魚、濫竽充數，所以抓緊跟風上班。
◆擔心自己會被裁掉
The trade-off for employers is rather different. Most companies will be thinking about whether they need all that expensive office space. If they do want to lure back their employees, they may have to spend a lot on contactless, socially distant office design to keep their workers safe, such as doors that open automatically.老闆、僱主考慮權衡的點截然不同，rather different。
一方面，多數公司會考慮是否需要高價租賃辦公場所，expensive office space。
另一方面，返崗後需要在保障員工安全方面有較大投入spend a lot，比如進行保持社交距離的辦公場所設計，採用零接觸的自動門等。
重點：可合理得出，今後會考慮放棄或減少租賃較高租金的辦公場所。以及需要在保持社交距離、保障員工健康方面，有較大投入。
結合上一段，也可以推測出，某些公司會重新布置工作環境，會考慮優化或裁撤部分崗位。
◆重新布置辦公環境的公司
Some firms may be worried about security. On July 27th a British standard-setting board issued guidance for financial firms about the security risks of fixed-income and currency traders working at home. Other companies may worry about the long-term impact of home working on productivity. One missing element may be the casual interaction that occurs between employees outside formal meetings—those chats by the fridge may spark ideas or suggest new ways of co-operating. Indeed, employees may find it more difficult to build relationships throughout the company without meeting colleagues in person.主要有四方面：
一是安全問題， security。有些行業辦公條件有保密要求，舉了金融公司的例子。
二是效率問題，productivity。有的公司擔心居家辦公對效率的長期影響。
三是缺少了工作外的休閒互動casual interaction。正式會議formal meetings之外的休閒互動，能激發新想法或提出新合作方式。
四是難以建立良好的同事關係。員工發現沒有了面對面的接觸，meeting colleagues in person，建立同事關係 build relationships就愈困難。
這些影響都是負面的，可以看出作者的傾向和擔憂。
儘管居家辦公有一定的滿意度，但作者實質上並非表態支持這種形式。
◆面對面集體辦公，很有必要
This will be particularly difficult for new employees. It is not always easy even for those who have been doing their job for a while to perform the same tasks at home. And newcomers must adjust to a firm’s culture, which usually happens by picking up subtle cues from the people around them. Companies may bombard them with training modules and video chats—「onboarding」, in the jargon of human-resources departments. But that may be no more useful than reading a manual as your only preparation for trying to ride the winning horse in the Kentucky Derby.這段用了相對複雜的英美文化比喻。但其實主題很單一。
只要掌握居家辦公對新員工而言，更加困難就可以了。
表現在，沒法兒更好的學習和適應公司文化、培訓等。畢竟處在公司氛圍，可以對新員工進行相關的狂轟亂炸bombard；
而有些工作技能，只有從身邊人微妙的暗示subtle cues中得到。
Given the state of the global economy it will take time before most companies hire a lot more employees or lower employee interaction weighs on corporate performance. With many employees happy to work from home, that may mean no great rush to repopulate the office. You may not have to resume your morning routine until 2021.一是鑑於全球經濟現狀，大多數公司將不急於招聘更多員工，同時將會降低員工互動在公司業績corporate performance中的分量。
二是目前員工都樂於在家辦公，公司也不急於重新布置辦公室。
但可以能看出來的是，這些都是相對被迫的選擇，不是主動的選擇。
作者結論：2021 年之前，可能都不會返回辦公室了。
即，作者認為近期不會返回辦公室，但並非作者不希望重返辦公室。
需要指出的是，文章實際上是有兩個觀點。
一個是哈佛商學院調查的觀點，這個是積極和正面的，是當前客觀情況的真實反映。
另一個是作者考慮到工作的實際需要，傾向性的觀點，作者實際上認為返崗辦公是很必要的。
兩種事實上是不矛盾的，調查講的是當前的現實的，作者考慮的是長遠的實際的。
閱讀中，我們要根據提問情況，分辨具體觀點。
◆復工是必要的，但目前是不現實的
新冠疫情對社會和人們觀念帶來的影響，是一個全新的話題。
人們終有戰勝疫情的一天，但疫情給人們帶來的思考，以及對心理和觀念的重塑，卻會永恆的存在。
疫情終會過去，世界卻再也回不到疫情之前。
文章雖然著眼於復工返崗，但話題的深意卻不限於復工。試想一下，如果換成是學生複課呢？
網絡授課的優劣，我們也都有體會。
人們平時習慣於對工作學習的抱怨，但當一場疫情真正的把我們與工作學習隔離開後，人們從心靈深處真切的意識到：
不是工作需要我們，而是我們需要工作；
不是學習需要我們，而是我們需要學習！
因為，人是一種追求價值實現的動物。
②居家辦公同樣高效；人們對這種形式從不滿意到滿意；工作時長增加，但壓力減少。③這和無疫情期間居家辦公感受不一樣的主要原因是，這次是集體行為。④疫情讓公司認識到不同員工的重要程度，員工會懷疑自己是否會被裁掉。⑤僱主會考慮放棄或減少租賃較高租金的辦公場所，同時在操持社交距離、保障員工健康方面，進行投入。⑥居家辦公有安全、效率、互動、同事關係幾方面問題。Back on the Chain Gang 復工之際
- 專業決定生活的下限◆英語標定人生的上限 -
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