弹性工作 - 6分钟英语：英语精读讲义

Six Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com.

来自 bbclearningenglish.com 的六分钟英语。

Hello, this is Six Minute English from BBC Learning English.

大家好，这里是 BBC Learning English 的六分钟英语。

I'm Georgina.

我是 Georgina。

And I'm Neil.

我是 Neil。

In this program, 表達脈絡

在本期节目中，

we're going to be talking about the world of work. 講解

我们将谈论职场的话题。

Ah, yes.

啊，是的。

Traveling to an office 5 days a week, 語法

一周五天通勤去办公室，

sitting at a desk all day,

整天坐在办公桌前，

and then going home.

然后回家。

Neil,

Neil，

it's not always like that.

也不总是这样的。

Office work doesn't have to be such a routine. 講解

办公室工作不必如此按部就班。

The usual fixed way of doing things.

也就是通常固定的工作方式。

It is much more flexible these days. 語法

如今工作方式变得灵活多了。

That's true.

确实如此。

During the pandemic,

在疫情期间，

we've all had to have a more flexible approach to work. 講解

我们都不得不采取更为灵活的工作方式。

Yes, we have.

是的，确实如此。

And it has, perhaps,

而且它也许，

changed our attitude to working flexibly. 短語搭配

改变了我们对待弹性工作的态度。

But even before coronavirus,

但即使在新冠疫情之前，

there was an opportunity to work flexibly, 短語搭配

也有弹性工作的机会，

and we'll be discussing that soon.

我们稍后就会讨论这个话题。

But there's one thing that can't be changed,

但有一件事是不变的，

and that's you setting a quiz question.

那就是你要出测试题。

Ah, yes.

啊，对。

I hadn't forgotten.

我没忘。

So, Neil, I know you work very hard.

所以，Neil，我知道你工作很努力。

But according to data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 講解

但根据经济合作与发展组织的数据，

the OECD,

即 OECD，

workers from which country work the longest hours? 短語搭配

哪个国家的工人工作时间最长？

Is it A, South Korea?

是A，韩国吗？

B, Germany?

B，德国？

Or C, Mexico?

还是C，墨西哥？

Hmm.

嗯。

Well, as I'm not on the list, 語法

既然我不在这个列表上，

let's go for C, Mexico. 短語動詞

那我选C，墨西哥。

Okay, Neil.

好的，Neil。

We'll find out if that's right at the end of the program. 講解

我们会在节目最后看你答得对不对。

But let's talk more about flexible working now. 表達脈絡

但现在我们先多聊聊弹性工作吧。

Different countries have different laws about working flexibly.

不同国家对弹性工作有不同的法律规定。

But here in the UK,

但在英国这里，

for the last 14 years,

过去14年来，

employees, workers,

雇员、工人们，

have had the right to request flexible working. 文化背景

一直都有权要求弹性工作。

But what does it mean to work flexibly? 表達脈絡

但是弹性工作到底是什么意思呢？

Sarah Jackson is a workplace consultant and visiting professor at Cranfield University School of Management. 用詞

Sarah Jackson 是一名职场顾问，也是克兰菲尔德大学管理学院的客座教授。

She spoke to BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour program 文化背景

她在接受 BBC 广播四台的《女性时间》节目采访时，

about what it means exactly.

谈到了它的确切含义。

Because of the pandemic now,

现在因为疫情，

everybody thinks that flexible working means working from home. 表達脈絡

每个人都认为弹性工作就是在家办公。

It doesn't.

其实不然。

It's about common sense. 用詞

它是关乎常识的。

What does the job need in terms of when, 短語搭配

这份工作在时间、

where,

地点、

how, long?

工作方式、时长方面有什么需求？

And what do you need?

而你又有什么需求？

What does your family need?

你的家庭需要什么？

And how do the two match? 用詞

这双方的需求如何契合呢？

So flexibility really means having some choice and control 短語搭配

所以弹性实际上意味着拥有一些选择和控制权，

over when, where, and how long you work, 表達脈絡

可以决定工作的时间、地点和时长，

and agreeing that with your manager. 短語搭配

并与你的经理达成共识。

So flexible working is not just working from home, 表達脈絡

所以弹性工作不只是在家办公，

something we've got used to during the pandemic. 短語搭配

那只是我们在疫情期间已经习惯的事情。

It is about common sense,

它是关乎常识的，

using our judgment to make sensible decisions. 短語搭配

运用我们的判断力做出明智的决定。

So requesting to work for 2 hours a day is not sensible, 語法

所以要求一天只工作两小时是不明智的，

but being able to work from 12 until 8 instead of 9 to 5 might be. 文化背景

但能够把朝九晚五改成从中午12点工作到晚上8点或许可行。

Of course,

当然，

this depends on the needs of the business, 短語搭配

这取决于企业的需求，

and as Sarah said,

正如 Sarah 所说，

you need to match your needs with that of the business. 短語搭配

你需要将自己的需求与企业的需求相契合。

Match here means to work equally on both sides.

这里的契合（Match）意味着双方对等地运作。

Getting the working conditions that suit you 短語搭配

获得适合你的工作条件，

does require some negotiation with your manager. 講解

确实需要与你的经理进行一些协商。

You need agreement from him or her.

你需要得到他或她的同意。

And that can be difficult if your manager is inflexible, 用詞

如果你的经理不够通融，

not willing to change.

不愿意改变，那就会比较困难。

But of course,

但当然，

in the UK at least, 表達脈絡

至少在英国，

an employee has a right to request flexible working,

雇员有权提出弹性工作的要求，

and this must be considered by the employer. 語法

且雇主必须予以考虑。

This law initially was just for parents with a child younger than 6 years old

这项法律最初只适用于有6岁以下儿童的父母，

or a disabled child less than 18.

或是家里有未满18岁残疾儿童的父母。

But since 2014, 文化背景

但自2014年以来，

everyone has the right to request flexible working,

每个人都有权申请弹性工作，

and that includes men.

其中也包括男性。

Which is an important point,

这很重要，

as Sarah Jackson explains.

正如 Sarah Jackson 所解释的那样。

Fewer men seem to have their requests for flexible working accepted. 語法

似乎很少有男性的弹性工作申请获得批准。

Let's find out why.

让我们来看看原因。

Men, when they do ask, 語法

男性在提出申请时，

are more likely to be turned down. 短語動詞

更有可能被拒绝。

So there's a real bias there in the system. 用詞

所以在这个体系中存在真正的偏见。

And so what... the most important thing that needs to happen here, 表達脈絡

所以……我认为现在需要发生的最重要的事情，

I think, is for employers to really actively start saying to their men, 語法

就是雇主真正主动开始对他们的男性员工说，

we know you want to be active fathers, 用詞

我们知道你们想做积极参与育儿的父亲，

because there's a whole generation of young men who do want to be active fathers. 語法

因为有一整代年轻男性确实想成为积极的父亲。

Please, use the right to request flexible working, 語氣意圖

请使用申请弹性工作的权利，

work flexibly if you can,

如果可以的话进行弹性工作，

because until men are enabled to be active fathers, 語法

因为除非男性能够成为积极的父亲，

we won't get equality at home, 表達脈絡

我们才能在家里实现平等，

and we certainly won't get equality in the workplace either.

且我们肯定也无法在职场上获得平等。

Okay,

好的，

so men are more likely to have their request turned down or rejected.

所以男性的请求更有可能被驳回或拒绝。

And Sarah says there is a bias in the system,

Sarah 说在这个体系中存在偏见，

unfairness,

也就是不公平，

treating one group of people more favorably than another. 用詞

对待一群人比对待另一群人更有利。

And this is unfair because it can prevent some men being active fathers, 語法

这是不公平的，因为它会阻止一些男性成为积极的父亲，

actually being involved with childcare.

阻止他们真正参与育儿。

But having more active fathers can lead to equality, 短語搭配

但拥有更多积极的父亲可以带来平等，

or fairness,

或者说公平，

at home and in the workplace.

无论是在家里还是在工作场所。

It sounds like something that needs to be looked at. 短語動詞

听起来这确实是一个需要被正视的问题。

But now, Neil,

但现在，Neil，

let's get the answer to my question.

让我们揭晓我的问题的答案吧。

According to official data,

根据官方数据，

in which country do workers work the longest hours?

哪个国家的工人工作时间最长？

And I said Mexico.

我选了墨西哥。

Which is correct.

回答正确。

Well done.

干得好。

According to the OECD,

根据经合组织的数据，

the average Mexican spends 2,255 hours at work per year, 短語搭配

平均每个墨西哥人每年在工作上花费 2255 小时，

the equivalent of around 43 hours per week. 短語搭配

相当于每周大约 43 小时。

Germans, on the other hand, 表達脈絡

另一方面，德国人，

clock up the fewest hours. 短語動詞

工作时间最少。

Well, my working day is nearly over,

好了，我今天的工作也快结束了，

so let's just recap some of the vocabulary we've discussed, 表達脈絡

让我们来回顾一下我们讨论过的一些词汇，

starting with routine,

首先是 routine（常规/日常工作），

the usual fixed way of doing things.

通常固定的做事方式。

Common sense is our judgment to make sensible decisions.

Common sense（常识）是做出明智决定的判断力。

When you need something to match,

当需要某样东西去 match（契合/匹配）时，

it has to work equally on both sides.

意味着它必须在两边对等地发挥作用。

And when someone is inflexible,

当有人 inflexible（不灵活/死板）时，

they are unwilling to change.

说明他们不愿意改变。

Sometimes we say they won't budge. 習語

有时我们会说他们“不肯让步”。

Bias is unfairness,

Bias（偏见）是指不公平，

treating one group of people more favorably than another.

对待一个群体比对待另一个群体更好。

And being active with something means being involved with it.

对某事保持 active（积极参与），意味着投入其中。

Well, there's no flexibility in our 6 minutes,

好吧，我们的六分钟可是没有弹性可言的，

so we're out of time. 短語搭配

所以我们时间到了。

We have plenty more 6 Minute English programs to enjoy on our website at bbclearningenglish.com.

大家可以在我们的网站 bbclearningenglish.com 上找到更多《六分钟英语》节目。

And check us out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 短語動詞

也可以在 Facebook、Twitter 和 Instagram 上关注我们。

Don't forget that we have an app too,

别忘了我们还有一款手机应用，

which you can download for free from the app stores. 短語搭配

你可以从应用商店免费下载。

We help you learn English on the move. 習語

我们帮助你在移动中学习英语。

Grammar, vocabulary, and interesting topics,

语法、词汇、以及有趣的话题，

we have them all.

我们应有尽有。

Bye for now.

暂且说到这里啦。

Goodbye.

再见。

Six Minute English from the BBC.

BBC 六分钟英语。