MTI外刊阅读精选做四休三，雇主员工都满意.docx

MTI外刊阅读精选做四休三，雇主员工都满意A 4-Day Workweek? A Test Run Shows a Surprising ResultWELLINGTON, New Zealand A New Zealand firm that let its employees work four days a week while being paid for five says the experiment was so successful that it hoped to make the change permanent.新西兰一家公司让自己的员工每周工作四天，但会支付他们五天的薪水。该公司表示，这项试验非常成功，希望能永久保留这一改变。The firm, Perpetual Guardian, which manages trusts, wills and estates, found the change actually boosted productivity among its 240 employees, who said they spent more time with their families, exercising, cooking, and working in their gardens. The firm ran the experiment which reduced the workweek to 32 hours from 40 in March and April this year, and asked two researchers to study the effects on staff.这家公司名为“永久护卫”(Perpetual Guardian)，业务包括帮客户管理信托、遗嘱和产业。在今年三月和四月，公司进行了一项试验，将每周工作时间从 40小时减少至 32小时，结果发现缩短工作时间实际上提升了 240名员工的生产力;员工则表示他们有更多时间陪伴家人、锻炼、下厨，打理花园了。Jarrod Haar, a human resources professor at Auckland University of Technology, said employees reported a 24 percent improvement in work-life balance, and came back to work energized after their days off.奥克兰理工大学(Auckland University of Technology)人力资源教授杰拉德哈尔(Jarrod Haar)表示，员工们报告他们的工作与生活之间的平衡提升了 24%，并且在放假后回来工作感到更加精力充沛。“Supervisors said staff were more creative, their attendance was better, they were on time, and they didnt leave early or take long breaks,” Mr. Haar said. “Their actual job performance didnt change when doing it over four days instead of five.”“主管们表示员工变得更有创意，出勤率变高，上班准时，而且不会早退和长时间休息了，”哈尔表示。“尽管工作四天，而不是五天，但他们实际的工作表现并没有改变。”Similar experiments in other countries have tested the concept of reducing work hours as a way of improving individual productivity. In Sweden, a trial in the city of Gothenburg mandated a six-hour day, and officials found employees completed the same amount of work or even more. But when France mandated a 35-hour workweek in 2000, businesses complained of reduced competitiveness and increased hiring costs.其他国家也有过类似的试验：瑞典哥德堡市的一项尝试要求人们一天工作六小时，结果官员们发现员工完成的工作量一样，甚至还要更多。但法国 2000年的一项规定要求一周工作35小时，公司抱怨竞争力下降、雇佣成本升高。In Perpetual Guardians case, workers said the change motivated them to find ways of increasing their productivity while in the office. Meetings were reduced from two hours to 30 minutes, and employees created signals for their colleagues that they needed time to work without distraction.在“永久护卫”的案例中，员工表示这一变化推动他们寻找在在办公室提升生产力的方式。开会时间从两小时减少到了30分钟，员工们还创造出一种信号，向同事表明他们需要不受打扰地工作。“They worked out where they were wasting time and worked smarter, not harder,” Mr. Haar said.“他们找出了浪费时间的地方，更聪明地工作，而不是更辛苦地工作，”哈尔表示。Andrew Barnes, the companys founder, said he believed his was the first business in the world to pay staff for 40 hours when working 32; other firms have allowed employees to work shorter weeks by compressing the standard 40 hours into fewer days, or allowed people to work part-time for a reduced salary.这家公司的创始人安德鲁巴恩斯(Andrew Barnes)表示，他们应该是世界上第一家向工作 32个小时的员工支付 40个小时薪水的公司。他还指出，从这项政策中获益最多的是职业母亲，因为那些结束产假回归职场的员工常常与雇主协商，缩短工作时间，但她们的工作表现与满时长工作时并无差异。Tammy Barker, a senior client manager with the firm, agreed with Mr. Barness assessment.该国公司高级客户经理塔米巴克(Tammy Barker)对巴恩斯的看法表示同意。Ms. Barker, a mother of two who lives in Auckland, said she spent her day off each week running personal errands, attending appointments and shopping for groceries, which allowed her to spend more time with her family on weekends.巴克是两个孩子的母亲，住在奥克兰。她表示她每周放假的那天会处理个人事务，买日用杂货，这能让她在周末有更多时间陪伴家人。Noting that the company had seen lower electricity bills with 20 percent less staff in the office each day, Mr. Barnes said the change in work hours could have wider implications if more companies adopted such a strategy.由于每天在办公室的员工少了 20%，公司的电费也相应减少，指出这一点的巴恩斯表示如果更多公司采纳这种策略，工作时长的变化可能会产生更广泛的影响。“Youve got 20 percent of cars off the road in rush hour; there are implications for urban design, such as smaller offices,” he said.“高峰期路上的车少了 20%;对例如更小办公室之类的城市设计也存在影响，”他说。Perpetual Guardians board will now consider making the change permanent.“永久护卫”的董事会正在考虑让这一改变成为永久性的。