經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人 | 為什么公司需要員工去休假？
The swimming trunks have been dug out of the chest of drawers. The beach shoes (still caked with last year’s sand) have been retrieved from the shed. Like tens of millions of others, Bartleby is about to go on his annual holiday.
泳褲已經(jīng)從抽屜里翻了出來(lái)。沙灘鞋（鞋上仍沾有去年結(jié)塊的沙子）也已從庫(kù)房里找了出來(lái)。和其他千千萬(wàn)萬(wàn)人一樣，巴特比即將開始他的年休假。
A vacation gives workers a chance to reharge their mental batteries. For Bartleby, this means reading books that do not have titles like “Beyond Performance 2.0” (sadly, a genuine example of a management tome).
假期給了員工一個(gè)重新充電的機(jī)會(huì)。對(duì)于巴特比來(lái)說(shuō)，假期意味著無(wú)需再閱讀那些書名諸如“業(yè)績(jī)突破2.0”（遺憾的是，這真的是一本管理學(xué)巨作）之類的書籍了。
Heading to a new location allows employees to clear their thoughts. After all, there is more to life than spreadsheets and sales forecasts. To misquote Timothy Leary, the 1960s hippie guru, a holiday is time to “turn off and drop out”.
前往一個(gè)全新的地方可以讓員工理清思路。畢竟，生活不僅僅是電子表格和銷售預(yù)測(cè)。錯(cuò)誤地引用20世紀(jì)60年代嬉皮士大師蒂莫西·利里的話來(lái)說(shuō)，假期就是“關(guān)掉手機(jī)，脫離工作”的時(shí)候。
It also means workers get more sleep by escaping the tyranny of the early-morning alarm. In addition, they no longer suffer the agonies of the daily commute: the cramped railway carriages or gridlocked roads.
這也意味著，員工們可以逃脫清晨鬧鐘的煩擾，從而睡個(gè)懶覺。此外，他們也無(wú)需經(jīng)受日常通勤的痛苦了：狹窄的地鐵車廂或擁堵的道路。
And best of all, there are no meetings to endure—no need to sit with a vaguely interested expression on your face while time seems to slow to a crawl. In short, holidays reduce stress. And in the long run, stress makes workers less likely to perform well.
最重要的是，無(wú)需再忍受會(huì)議了——無(wú)需佯裝著興趣十足的樣子度日如年地坐在那里了。簡(jiǎn)而言之，假期可以減輕壓力。從長(zhǎng)遠(yuǎn)來(lái)看，壓力不利于員工發(fā)揮良好的工作表現(xiàn)。
Indeed, just as employees need a break from the workplace, companies sometimes need a break from their employees.
事實(shí)上，正如員工需要離開公司休息一樣，公司有時(shí)也要離開員工休息一下。
After a trading scandal at Société Générale, a French bank, in 2008, Britain’s then regulator, the Financial Services Authority, recommended that all traders take a two-week break at some point in the year. The aim was to ensure that any unusual dealing patterns would be discovered while the miscreant was away from their desk.
2008年，在法國(guó)興業(yè)銀行爆出交易丑聞后，英國(guó)當(dāng)時(shí)的監(jiān)管機(jī)構(gòu)金融服務(wù)管理局建議所有的交易員在一年之中抽個(gè)時(shí)間休息兩周。其目的就是為了確保罪犯離開了他的辦公桌，從而得以發(fā)現(xiàn)異常交易模式的蛛絲馬跡。
Senior managers can also benefit from seeing what happens when their juniors head to the beach. Does office morale improve as soon as a mid-level manager disappears? If so, this suggests that he or she is not running the department well. Does an underling impress when standing in for their boss? In that case, they may be overdue a promotion.
公司的高層管理者也可以在下屬前往海灘度假后從公司的所見所聞中有所收獲。當(dāng)中層管理者離開后，辦公室里的士氣會(huì)有所提高嗎？如果確實(shí)如此，這意味著他（或她）沒能很好地管理這個(gè)部門。當(dāng)下屬暫時(shí)頂替其上司時(shí)給人留下了深刻的印象嗎？如果情況屬實(shí)，他們或許早該升職了。
Some Americans are reluctant to take a long holiday for fear that their employer will find they can easily manage without them. None of that nonsense at The Economist.
一些美國(guó)人之所以不愿意休長(zhǎng)假，是因?yàn)樗麄儞?dān)心雇主會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)公司沒有他們?cè)谝粯幽芎煤眠\(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)。這對(duì)于《經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人》來(lái)說(shuō)則毫無(wú)意義。
Work can be irritating but, as any unemployed person will tell you, it is better than the alternative. It gives purpose to people’s days and, on occasion, can even be fun. But not every day. Some days it is better to be reading a paperback. By a pool, in the sunshine. Enjoy.
工作有時(shí)可能會(huì)令人惱火，但正如每位失業(yè)者會(huì)告訴你的那樣，它總比失業(yè)要好。工作賦予了人們生活的意義，有時(shí)甚至還能帶來(lái)樂趣。但并非每天都如此。有時(shí)，在泳池邊、沐浴在陽(yáng)光下，讀上一本書，盡情享受生活吧。
