第6課課文及課文翻譯

1、Thank God Its MondayBy Jyoti thottam(1) As researchers in psychology, economics and organizational behavior havebeen gradually discovering, the experience of being happy at work looks very similaracrossprofessions. 從事心理學(xué)、經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)和組織行為學(xué)研究的人已逐漸發(fā)現(xiàn) , 各行各業(yè)的人們?cè)诠ぷ髦懈惺艿娇鞓返捏w驗(yàn)看起來(lái)十分相似。People who love their jobs feel

2、 challenged by their work but in control of it.熱愛本職工作的人會(huì)感到他們的工作有挑戰(zhàn)性 , 但自己能駕馭它；They have bosses who make them feel appreciated and co-workers they like.他們既得到老板的賞識(shí) , 又有和自己投緣的同事；They can find meaning in whatever they do.無(wú)論干什么他們都能發(fā)現(xiàn)其中的意義。And they aren t just lucky. 他們可不是僅僅憑著運(yùn)氣好。It takes real effort to r

3、each that sublime state.要達(dá)到那種完美的境界需要切實(shí)下工夫才行。(2) An even bigger obstacle, though, may be our low expectations on the job.Love, family, 不過(guò) , 一個(gè)更大的障礙也許是我們對(duì)工作的期望值太低。community those are supposed to be the true sources of happiness, while work simply gives us the means to enjoy them.愛、家庭和社區(qū)往往被看做快樂的真正來(lái)源, 而

4、工作只是為我們提供了享受那一切的手段。Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who coined the term flow, which adherents of positivepsychology would use to describe the job-induced highs, says that distinction is a false one.米哈里奇凱岑特米哈伊認(rèn)為這種區(qū)分是錯(cuò)誤的。他發(fā)明了 “強(qiáng)感受” (flow) 這個(gè)說(shuō)法信奉正面心理學(xué)的人常用此詞來(lái)描述由工作而引發(fā)的興奮狀態(tài)。“ Anythingcan be enjoyable if the eleme

5、nts of flow are present, ” he writes in hisbook Good Business.在稱心如意的工作 一書中他寫道: “ 只要存在強(qiáng)感受因素, 任何事情都能給我們帶來(lái)愉悅。“ Within that framework, doing a seemingly boring job can be a source of greaterfulfillment than one ever thought possible.”根據(jù)這一觀點(diǎn) , 從事一份表面看上去枯燥的工作卻會(huì)給人們帶來(lái)想象不到的更大的成就感?！?3) Csikszentmihalyi encour

6、ages us to reach a state in which work is an extensionof whatwe naturally want to do.奇凱岑特米哈伊鼓勵(lì)我們達(dá)到這樣一種境界在此境界中 , 工作是我們本就想做的事情的一種延伸。Immersed in the pleasure of work, we don t worry about its ultimate reward.沉浸在工作的快樂中 , 我們就不會(huì)為最終的報(bào)酬去操心。If that sounds out of reach, take heart.即便聽起來(lái)很難達(dá)到這種境界, 我們也要樹立信心。You

7、may soon get some encouragement from the head office.也許你很快會(huì)從上司那兒得到某種鼓勵(lì)。A growing body of research is demonstrating that happy workers not only are happier in life but are also crucial to the health of a company.越來(lái)越多的研究證明 , 如果員工工作時(shí)心情愉快, 不僅其自身生活會(huì)更幸福 , 而且對(duì)公司的健康發(fā)展也有著舉足輕重的作用。(4) Thirty-five years ago, th

8、e Gallup Organization started researching why people incertain work groups, even within the same company, were so much more effectivethanothers.35 年前， 蓋洛普民意調(diào)查機(jī)構(gòu)開始研究為什么某些工作團(tuán)隊(duì)( 甚至在同一公司內(nèi) ) 的工作效率比別的團(tuán)隊(duì)高得多。Donald Clifton, the Gallup researcher who pioneered that work, conducted a series of extensive inter

9、views with highly productive teams of workers.蓋洛普此項(xiàng)調(diào)查的發(fā)起者唐納德克利夫頓對(duì)許多高效的員工團(tuán)隊(duì)進(jìn)行了一系列范圍廣泛的采訪 ,From those interviews, Gallup developed a set of 12 statements designed to measure employeesoverall level of happiness with their work, which Gallup calls “J. "“engagement ” .從中總結(jié)出了一套旨在衡量員工工作快樂感受蓋洛普稱之為“工作投入

10、” 總體水 平的 12 條提法。Some of the criteria reflect the obvious requirements of any worker (Do you havewhat you need to do your job? Do you know what s expected of you at work?), whileothers reveal more subtle variables (Do you have a best friend at work? Does yoursupervisor or someone else at work care ab

11、out you as a person?). Gallup started the survey in 1998, and it now includes 5.4 million employees at 474 organizations;Gallup also does periodic random polls of workers in different countries.蓋洛普的調(diào)查是從1998 年開始的 , 現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)覆蓋474 家機(jī)構(gòu)里的 540 萬(wàn)員工；它還對(duì)不同國(guó)家的企業(yè)員工定期進(jìn)行隨機(jī)民意調(diào)查。(5) The polls paint a picture of a rath

12、er disaffected U.S. work force.對(duì)美國(guó)的調(diào)查反映出美國(guó)公司員工工作時(shí)情緒不佳。In the most recent poll, from September 2004, only 29 of workers said they wereengaged with their work.根據(jù) 2004 年 9 月開始的最新調(diào)查, 只有 29% 的員工說(shuō)他們對(duì)工作很投入,More than half, 55 , were not engaged, and 16 were actively disengaged.而一半以上(55%) 的員工說(shuō)他們對(duì)工作不投入 , 16%

13、的員工根本就是消極怠工。Still, those numbers are better than in many other countries.盡管如此 , 這些數(shù)字比許多其他國(guó)家還要好些。The percentage of engaged workers in the U.S. is more than twice as large as Germany s and three times as great as Singapore s.美國(guó)對(duì)工作投入的員工的百分比是德國(guó)的兩倍多 , 是新加坡的 3 倍。But neither the late 1990s boom nor the sub

14、sequent bust had much impact in either direction,indicatingthat the state of worker happiness goes much deeper than theswings of the economy.但是20 世紀(jì) 90 年代后期的經(jīng)濟(jì)繁榮和隨之而來(lái)的經(jīng)濟(jì)蕭條都沒有對(duì)員工的兩種工作態(tài)度產(chǎn)生多大影啊, 這表明工人在工作中是否能獲得快樂感受有比經(jīng)濟(jì)形勢(shì)更深層的原因。(6) James Harter, a psychologist directing that research at Gallup, says many

15、 companiesare simply misreading what makes people happy at work.蓋洛普指導(dǎo)這項(xiàng)調(diào)查的心理學(xué)家詹姆斯哈特說(shuō)，很多公司完全誤解了工作快樂感受產(chǎn)生的原因。Beyond a certain minimum level, it isn t pay or benefits ； it s strong relationships with coworkers and a supportive boss.高于某種最低水平之后 , 工作中的快樂感受與收入或獎(jiǎng)金的關(guān)系就不大了 , 關(guān)鍵在于是否有融洽的同事關(guān)系和支持自己工作的老板。“ These ar

16、e basic human needs in the workplace, but they re not the ones thoughtby managers to be very important.” Harter says.哈特說(shuō) : “ 這是人們?cè)诠ぷ鲌?chǎng)所的一些基本需求 , 但往往得不到上司的重視。”Gallup has found that a strong positive response to the statement“ I have a bestfriend at work ” , for example, is a powerful predictor for eng

17、agement at work and is correlated with profitability and connection with customers.蓋洛普的調(diào)查已發(fā)現(xiàn), 例如 , 如果有人對(duì)“同事中有我最好的朋友” 這個(gè)提法反應(yīng)強(qiáng)烈的話 , 這就有力預(yù)示著他能積極投入工作, 而且這與企業(yè)的收益率以及企業(yè)和客戶之間的聯(lián)系都互有關(guān)聯(lián)。“ It indicates a high level of belonging,” Hatter says.哈特說(shuō) : “ 這顯示了一種高度的歸屬感?！?7) Without it, a job that looks good on paper c

18、an make a worker miserable.如果沒有歸屬感, 一項(xiàng)表面上看起來(lái)不錯(cuò)的工作也會(huì)使人感到痛苦。Martina Radix, 41, traded a high-pressure job as an executive assistant at a company where she liked her colleagues for a less taxing position as a clerical worker in a law firm six years ago.41歲的馬丁娜雷迪克斯原是一家公司的經(jīng)理助理,雖然工作壓力大,但她和同事相處都很好； 6 年前她換了

19、工作 , 到一家律師事務(wù)所成了一名職位相對(duì)清閑的辦事員。She has more time and flexibility but feels stifled by her co-workers and unappreciated by her boss.如今她時(shí)間多了 , 自由度也大了 , 但她感覺和這里的同事共事太壓抑 , 也得不到老板的賞識(shí)。“ I am a misfit in that department, ” she says. 她說(shuō) : “ 我不適應(yīng)這個(gè)部門?！?No matter how good your personal life is, if you go in to a

20、 bad atmosphere at work,it takes away from it.”不管你個(gè)人生活多愜意, 如果工作單位氛圍不好, 個(gè)人生活就會(huì)大受影響?！?8) In fact, engagement at work is less a function of your personality than is happinessin general.事實(shí)上 , 對(duì)工作的投入與其說(shuō)是人的個(gè)性使然, 不如說(shuō)是源于人們?cè)诠ぷ髦锌傮w上感到的快樂。Harter estimates that individual disposition accounts for only about 30 o

21、f thedifference between employees who are highly engaged and those who are not.哈特認(rèn)為 , 對(duì)工作高度投入與并不投入的員工之間之所以存在差異, 員工的個(gè)性只起30%的作用 ,The rest of it is shaped by the hundreds of interactions that employees haveevery day with co-workers, supervisors and customers.其他的取決于員工每天與同事、主管以及客戶的頻繁交往。(9) The most direc

22、t fix, then, is to seek out a supportive workplace.所以 , 最直接的解決辦法就是選擇一個(gè)稱心的工作單位。 Findinga job that fits a life calling unlocks the door to happiness. 找到一 份適合自己終生從事的工作便打開了快樂之門。Lissette Mendez, 33, says her job coordinating the annual book fair at MiamiDade College is the one she was born to do.33歲的莉塞特門

23、德斯在邁阿密達(dá)德學(xué)院每年的書展中搞協(xié)調(diào)工作，她稱自己天生就是做這份工作的料。“ Books are an inextricable part of my life,” she says.她說(shuō)“ : 我和書有一種不解之緣?！?10) Even if your passion does not easily translate into a profession, you can still find happiness on the job.即使你的愛好無(wú)法輕易地轉(zhuǎn)化為一項(xiàng)職業(yè), 你仍可在自己的工作中找到樂趣。Numerous studies have shown correlations be

24、tween meaningful work and happiness, job satisfaction and even physical health.大量研究已經(jīng)表明 , 有意義的工作與心情愉快、工作滿意度甚至健康狀況都相關(guān)。That sense of meaning, however, can take many different forms.然而 , 這里所說(shuō)的工作意義可能包括多種形式。Somepeople find it in the work itself; others take pride in their company s mission rather than in

25、 their specific job. 有人感到工作本身有意義; 有人則以公司的使命而非自己的具體工作而自豪。People can find meaning in anything. 人們可以在任何事情當(dāng)中發(fā)現(xiàn)意義。(11) The desire for meaning is so strong that sometimes people simply create it, especially to make sense of difficult or unpleasant work., 尤其對(duì)那些困難或煩心their surgicalresidency,dissatisfiedinthe

26、 first人們對(duì)工作意義的渴望是如此強(qiáng)烈 , 以至于有時(shí)干脆造出個(gè)意義的工作而言更是如此。In a recently completed six-year study of physicians during for example, it was found that the surgeons were extremely year, when the menial work they were assigned, like filling out endless copies ofpatient records, seemed pointless.例如 , 最近完成了一項(xiàng)為期一年里外科醫(yī)

27、生都牢騷滿腹本 ) 似乎都毫無(wú)意義。6年的對(duì)外科住院醫(yī)生實(shí)習(xí)期間表現(xiàn)的研究。, 因?yàn)榉峙浣o他們的那些乏味的活兒該項(xiàng)研究發(fā)現(xiàn), 頭( 如沒完沒了地填寫病歷Once they started to thinkof the training as part of thelarger process of joiningan elite group of doctors, their attitude changed.可是一旦開始想到這項(xiàng)訓(xùn)練是他們加入醫(yī)生這一精英群體所要經(jīng)歷的更重大過(guò)程的一部分時(shí) , 他們的態(tài)度就改變了。They re able to reconstruct and make sen

28、se of their work and what they do.他們會(huì)調(diào)整心態(tài), 給自己的工作和所做的事情賦予意義。By the end of year one, they ve started to create some meanings.到第一年結(jié)束時(shí), 他們已經(jīng)開始創(chuàng)造出工作的某些意義了。(12) While positive psychology has mostly focused on the individual pursuit ofhappiness, a new field positive organizational scholarship has begun to

29、 examine the connection between happy employees and happy businesses.盡管正面心理學(xué)的重點(diǎn)大多關(guān)注個(gè)人對(duì)快樂的追求, 但是一個(gè)新的領(lǐng)域一門研究成功組織的學(xué)問已開始著手研究員工心情愉快和公司生意興隆之間的關(guān)系。Instead of focusing on profitability and competition to explain success,researchers in this field are studying meaningfulness, authentic leadershipand emotional c

30、ompetence.這一領(lǐng)域的研究者們不專注于用利潤(rùn)率和競(jìng)爭(zhēng)來(lái)解釋成功 , 而是對(duì)工作意義、 可信賴的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)層和情感能力這些因素進(jìn)行深入研究。Not the typical B-school buzzwords, but they may soon become part of the language spoken by every M.B.A.這些都不是商學(xué)院典型的時(shí)髦用語(yǔ), 但不久就可能成為每個(gè)MBA 學(xué)生的口頭禪。(13) Until recently, businesspeople would dismiss employee well-being as “ outside their

31、domain and kind of fringe-ish ” , says Thomas Wright, a professor of organizational behavior at the University of Nevada, Reno.內(nèi)華達(dá)大學(xué)里諾分校的組織行為學(xué)教授托馬斯賴特說(shuō),直到不久前,企業(yè)家們還不愿考慮員工是否工作心情舒暢的問題, 認(rèn)為這“不屬于他們關(guān)心的范圍 , 和他們的職責(zé)范圍相去甚遠(yuǎn)”。Early hints of the importance of worker happiness were slow to be accepted.很早就有人提出工作時(shí)雇員是

32、否心情愉快很重要, 但人們接受這個(gè)觀念卻用了很長(zhǎng)時(shí)間。A 1920s study on the topic at the Hawthorne Plant of the Western Electric Co. inCicero, Ill. looked at whether increased lighting, shorter workdays andother worker-friendly fixes would improve productivity.早在 20 世紀(jì) 20 年代 , 在伊利諾伊州西塞羅市的西部電力公司霍索恩發(fā)電廠就進(jìn)行了有關(guān)這一命題的研究 , 對(duì)增加照明、縮短工作日

33、以及其他有利于員工的措施能否提高生產(chǎn)率的問題進(jìn)行了調(diào)查。While the workplace changes boosted performance, the experimenters eventuallydiscovered that the differences workers were responding to were not in the physical environmentbut in the social one.盡管工作場(chǎng)所的變化改善了員工的工作表現(xiàn), 但調(diào)查者最終發(fā)現(xiàn)對(duì)員工產(chǎn)生影響的不在于物質(zhì)環(huán)境的變化 , 而在于人際環(huán)境的變化。In other words, t

34、he attention they were getting was what made them happier and more effective.換句話說(shuō) , 讓員工們心情更愉快、工作勁頭更高的是他們所受的關(guān)注。This phenomenon came to be known as the Hawthorne effect.這種現(xiàn)象后來(lái)被稱為霍索恩效應(yīng)?！?The researchers came to realize that it was people s happiness that made the difference, ” Wright says.賴特說(shuō) : “ 研究人員逐

35、漸意識(shí)到 , 起關(guān)鍵作用的是人們的快樂感受?！?Butlater studies that looked at job-satisfaction ratings were inconsistent. 但后來(lái)對(duì)工作滿意度的許多研究結(jié)果卻前后矛盾。Broader measures of happiness, it turns現(xiàn)在看來(lái) , 用更廣泛的衡量標(biāo)準(zhǔn)來(lái)評(píng)估快樂感受out, are better predictors , 能更有效地預(yù)測(cè)生產(chǎn)率。of productivity.(14) Making any of those changes depends on the boss,althoug

36、h not necessarily, theCEO.任何這類改變都取決于公司的領(lǐng)導(dǎo) , 盡管不一定非取決于首席執(zhí)行官。So a handful of business schools are trying to create a new kind of frontline manager, based on the idea of“ authentic leadership ” .因此 , 一些商學(xué)院根據(jù)“可信賴的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)層” 的思想正努力塑造一類新型的第一線管理者。Instead of imposing faddish management techniques on each supervisor, authentic leadership begins