第1797期:Britain's new working week

For many, the idea of commuting daily to a place of work might sound outdated. In the UK, at least, the shape of the working week is changing, and a new hybrid approach is becoming commonplace. This new look seems inevitable: new technology means tasks traditionally done in the office can be done at home. And there's the demand for a better work-life balance, too. All of this has been accelerated by the necessary changes brought on by the Covid pandemic.

对于许多人来说，每天上下班的想法可能听起来已经过时了。至少在英国，工作周的形式正在发生变化，一种新的混合方式正变得司空见惯。这种新面貌似乎是不可避免的：新技术意味着传统上在办公室完成的任务可以在家里完成。还需要更好地平衡工作与生活。 Covid 大流行带来的必要变化加速了所有这一切。

One obvious change in the UK is that Friday has become the most popular day to work from home. One survey found it's when just 13% of workers go into the office. It means employees can save on commuting costs and the price of lunches. And Claire McCartney from The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development told the BBC that generally employers thought the shift to hybrid working and home working had "increased productivity rather than decreased it".

英国的一个明显变化是，周五已成为最受欢迎的在家工作日。一项调查发现，只有 13% 的员工在这个时间进入办公室。这意味着员工可以节省通勤费用和午餐费用。英国特许人事与发展研究所的克莱尔·麦卡特尼 (Claire McCartney) 告诉 BBC，雇主普遍认为向混合工作和家庭工作的转变“提高了而不是降低了生产率”。

Monday is also becoming a 'work from home' day: a recent study of mobile phone activity in the UK suggested a typical week in the office now runs from Tuesday to Thursday. This means companies have to think differently about the workspace they provide. Mark Allan, chief executive of property firm LandSec, told the BBC: "We certainly believe there are going to be fewer people in offices for the longer term, and we are planning accordingly." A shorter office week isn't great news for the city-centre shops, which depend on trade from workers. But suburban and small-town high streets are reporting an increase in footfall as people work and shop locally.

星期一也变成了“在家工作”的一天：最近一项针对英国手机活动的研究表明，现在办公室里典型的一周是从星期二到星期四。这意味着公司必须以不同的方式思考他们提供的工作空间。房地产公司 LandSec 的首席执行官马克·艾伦 (Mark Allan) 告诉 BBC：“我们当然相信，从长远来看，办公室里的人会越来越少，我们正在制定相应的计划。”对于依赖工人贸易的市中心商店来说，缩短办公周并不是什么好消息。但郊区和小镇的主要街道报告称，随着人们在当地工作和购物，客流量有所增加。

There's also an emerging trend for a shorter working week. Some companies are experimenting with a four-day working week – but with the same full-time pay. They have tried to make work time more efficient by cutting out unnecessary meetings and having shorter breaks, for example. They claim this has made workers more productive. All this makes you wonder if the act of going to work and doing the nine-to-five will become a thing of the past.

缩短工作周也成为一种新兴趋势。一些公司正在试验每周工作四天——但全职工资相同。例如，他们试图通过减少不必要的会议和缩短休息时间来提高工作效率。他们声称这提高了工人的工作效率。所有这一切让你想知道上班和朝九晚五的行为是否会成为过去。

词汇表

commute 上下班，通勤
hybrid （办公地点）混合的
task 任务，工作
work-life balance 工作与生活之间的平衡
worker 工作者，员工
employee 雇员，员工
employer 雇主
productivity 生产率，工作效率
work from home 居家办公
company 公司
workspace 工作空间，办公场所
suburban 城郊的
footfall 客流量
pay 工资
efficient 高效的，有效率的
productive 高产的，成效高的
the nine-to-five 朝九晚五的工作