第1542期:Working from home

If you go to work, you’re probably familiar with the routine of travelling to the office, hunting for an available desk, completing your tasks and then enduring your commute home. In many ways, it seems like an outdated working practice. And maybe that’s why more and more of us are now choosing to work from home.

如果你去上班，你可能很熟悉去办公室旅行、寻找可用办公桌、完成任务然后通勤回家的例行公事。在许多方面，这似乎是一种过时的工作方式。也许这就是我们越来越多的人现在选择在家工作的原因。

There are, of course, many reasons for remote working, as it is also called. The demands of modern life and a desire for a better work-life balance has driven the trend, along with improved technology, which makes doing most tasks at home a doddle.

当然，远程工作也有很多原因。现代生活的需求和对更好的工作与生活平衡的渴望推动了这一趋势，随着技术的进步，这使得在家中完成大多数任务变得轻而易举。

In the UK, figures from the Office for National Statistics show more than one and a half million people work from home for their main job. But, although logging on from the comfort of your sofa may appeal, especially if it’s part of a flexible working approach, some people are forced to work from home and find it hard going. Marketing consultant Mark Black told the BBC he struggled to switch off from work when he was based solely at home. He says: "I hated home working. You get up in the morning and stare at the same four walls, do your work, and try and clock off, but you can't." It’s true that being at home means you can’t physically leave your office behind, and as Emma Mamo from mental health charity Mind says: "Home workers don't always have the same opportunities to connect with people as their office-based colleagues.”

在英国，国家统计局的数据显示，超过 150 万人在家工作以从事主要工作。但是，尽管从舒适的沙发上登录可能会很有吸引力，特别是如果它是灵活工作方式的一部分，但有些人被迫在家工作并且觉得很难。营销顾问马克布莱克告诉英国广播公司，当他只在家里工作时，他很难下班。他说：“我讨厌在家工作。你早上起床，盯着同样的四堵墙，做你的工作，试着下班，但你不能。”确实，在家中意味着你不能离开办公室，正如心理健康慈善机构 Mind 的 Emma Mamo 所说：“在家工作的人并不总是有与办公室同事一样的机会与人交流。”

But remote working doesn’t always mean being at home. Cafes and workplace spaces offer a chance for workers, particularly self-employed people, to come together and interact with each other. There are also employees who have no choice but to work remotely because their companies have decided to do away with offices altogether to have a more agile workforce - it's certainly very cost effective and attractive for start-ups. But for those employed by businesses with a physical base, working at home provides a convenient alternative to the 9 to 5. And without the distraction of their colleagues, it can be the most productive place to work!

但远程工作并不总是意味着待在家里。咖啡馆和工作场所为工人，尤其是个体经营者提供了聚集在一起并相互交流的机会。还有一些员工别无选择，只能远程工作，因为他们的公司已决定完全取消办公室以拥有更灵活的员工队伍——这对于初创企业来说无疑是非常具有成本效益和吸引力的。但是对于那些受雇于有实体基础的企业的人来说，在家工作是朝九晚五的便捷替代方案。而且没有同事的分心，它可能是最有效率的工作场所！

词汇表

routine 常规，惯例
task 任务，工作
commute 通勤
remote working 远程工作
work-life balance 工作和生活的平衡
doddle 轻而易举的事情
log on 登录
flexible working 弹性工作时间
hard going 很难做的……
switch off 停止，不理睬
clock off 下班
colleagues 同事
self-employed 自雇的，个体经营的
interact with 交流，互动
agile 灵活的
cost effective 合算的，物有所值的
start-up 创业公司
distraction 干扰，影响
productive 有效率的