第1592期:The end of the office?

For many white-collar workers around the world, the recent pandemic has meant having to work from home. Their usual office location has been out of bounds. This means different working practices, which have advantages and disadvantages for employees. But the big question is, will they ever see their offices again?

对于世界各地的许多白领来说，最近的大流行意味着不得不在家工作。他们通常的办公地点已经超出了界限。这意味着不同的工作实践，这对员工有利也有弊。但最大的问题是，他们还会再见到他们的办公室吗？

Home working has made people realise what tasks they can perform at home, rather than enduring a commute to the office to do the same thing. It has given them more time with the family; they’ve been sleeping better and have saved money by not travelling or buying lunches on the go. And recent research suggests the majority of people working from home are just as productive.

在家工作使人们意识到他们可以在家中执行哪些任务，而不是忍受通勤到办公室做同样的事情。这让他们有更多的时间与家人在一起；他们睡得更好，并且通过不旅行或在旅途中购买午餐来省钱。最近的研究表明，大多数在家工作的人同样富有成效。

For some people, this could be a permanent arrangement. In the UK, fifty of the biggest employers questioned by the BBC, have said they have no plans to return all staff to the office full-time in the near future. Of course, one main reason is that firms couldn’t see a way of accommodating large numbers of staff while social distancing regulations were still in place. But the BBC also heard from some smaller businesses who are deciding to abandon their offices altogether.

对于某些人来说，这可能是一种永久性的安排。在英国，接受 BBC 调查的 50 家最大雇主都表示，他们没有计划在不久的将来让所有员工全职回到办公室。当然，一个主要原因是，在社会疏离规定仍然存在的情况下，公司看不到一种容纳大量员工的方法。但 BBC 也收到了一些小企业的消息，他们决定完全放弃办公室。

Other bigger companies are also looking at shutting offices to save money as many jobs can be performed remotely. Peter Cheese, head of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, told the BBC: “We’re at a moment of real change in the world of work, driven by big existential crises.”

其他较大的公司也在考虑关闭办公室以节省资金，因为许多工作可以远程执行。英国特许人事与发展研究所所长彼得·奇斯告诉 BBC：“在巨大的生存危机的推动下，我们正处于工作世界真正发生变化的时刻。”

But this isn’t great news for everyone. Some employees can feel isolated at home, and there’s less opportunity to network or learn from other people, especially if they’re a new recruit. Also, city centres may suffer most from a change in working habits. Shops and cafes rely on the footfall of office workers, and without them, they face closure. The future is still uncertain, which is why it may be too early to say where our desks will be permanently located. But the office of the future may be your home.

但这对每个人来说都不是好消息。一些员工在家中可能会感到孤立，并且很少有机会与他人建立联系或向他人学习，特别是如果他们是新员工。此外，城市中心可能因工作习惯的改变而受到最大影响。商店和咖啡馆依赖上班族的客流量，没有他们，他们将面临倒闭。未来仍然不确定，这就是为什么现在说我们的办公桌将永久设在哪里还为时过早。但未来的办公室可能就是你的家。

词汇表

white-collar worker 白领工人，从事脑力劳动的人
work from home 居家办公
out of bounds 禁止入内
working practice 工作惯例
employee 员工
home working 在家工作
task 工作，任务
commute 上下班往返，通勤
productive 有效率的
permanent arrangement 长久之计
employer 雇主
staff 全体员工
full-time 全日制的，全天的
firm 公司
social distancing 社交距离
business 商业机构
remotely 远程地
existential 生存的，存在的
network 建立人脉
new recruit 新员工