彈性工時 - 6分鐘英語：英語精讀講義

Six Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com.

來自 bbclearningenglish.com 的六分鐘英語。

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

大家好，這裡是 BBC Learning English 的六分鐘英語。

I'm Georgina.

我是 Georgina。

And I'm Neil.

我是 Neil。

In this program, 表達脈絡

在本期節目中，

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

我們將談論職場的話題。

Ah, yes.

啊，是的。

Traveling to an office 5 days a week, 文法

一週五天通勤去辦公室，

sitting at a desk all day,

整天坐在辦公桌前，

and then going home.

然後回家。

Neil,

Neil，

it's not always like that.

也不總是這樣的。

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

辦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. 文法

如今工作方式變得靈活多了。

That's true.

確實如此。

During the pandemic,

在疫情期間，

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

我們都不得不採取更為靈活的工作方式。

Yes, we have.

是的，確實如此。

And it has, perhaps,

而且它也許，

changed our attitude to working flexibly. 片語搭配

改變了我們對待彈性工作的態度。

But even before coronavirus,

但即使在新冠疫情之前，

there was an opportunity to work flexibly, 片語搭配

也有彈性工作的機會，

and we'll be discussing that soon.

我們稍後就會討論這個話題。

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

但有一件事是不變的，

and that's you setting a quiz question.

那就是你要出測試題。

Ah, yes.

啊，對。

I hadn't forgotten.

我沒忘。

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

但根據經濟合作暨發展組織的數據，

the OECD,

即 OECD，

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

哪個國家的工人工作時間最長？

Is it A, South Korea?

是A，韓國嗎？

B, Germany?

B，德國？

Or C, Mexico?

還是C，墨西哥？

Hmm.

嗯。

Well, as I'm not on the list, 文法

既然我不在這個列表上，

let's go for C, Mexico. 片語動詞

那我選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

我們會在節目最後看你答得對不對。

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

但現在我們先多聊聊彈性工作吧。

Different countries have different laws about working flexibly.

不同國家對彈性工作有不同的法律規定。

But here in the UK,

但在英國這裡，

for the last 14 years,

過去14年來，

employees, workers,

僱員、工人們，

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

一直都有權要求彈性工作。

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

但是彈性工作到底是什麼意思呢？

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

Sarah Jackson 是一名職場顧問，也是克蘭菲爾德大學管理學院的客座教授。

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

她在接受 BBC 廣播四台的《女性時間》節目採訪時，

about what it means exactly.

談到了它的確切含義。

Because of the pandemic now,

現在因為疫情，

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

每個人都認為彈性工作就是在家辦公。

It doesn't.

其實不然。

It's about common sense. 用詞

它是關乎常識的。

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

這份工作在時間、

where,

地點、

how, long?

工作方式、時長方面有什麼需求？

And what do you need?

而你又有什麼需求？

What does your family need?

你的家庭需要什麼？

And how do the two match? 用詞

這雙方的需求如何契合呢？

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

所以彈性實際上意味著擁有一些選擇和控制權，

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

可以決定工作的時間、地點和時長，

and agreeing that with your manager. 片語搭配

並與你的經理達成共識。

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

所以彈性工作不只是在家辦公，

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

那只是我們在疫情期間已經習慣的事情。

It is about common sense,

它是關乎常識的，

using our judgment to make sensible decisions. 片語搭配

運用我們的判斷力做出明智的決定。

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

所以要求一天只工作兩小時是不明智的，

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

但能夠把朝九晚五改成從中午12點工作到晚上8點或許可行。

Of course,

當然，

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

這取決於企業的需求，

and as Sarah said,

正如 Sarah 所說，

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

你需要將自己的需求與企業的需求相契合。

Match here means to work equally on both sides.

這裡的契合（Match）意味著雙方對等地運作。

Getting the working conditions that suit you 片語搭配

獲得適合你的工作條件，

does require some negotiation with your manager. 講解

確實需要與你的經理進行一些協商。

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

如果你的經理不夠通融，

not willing to change.

不願意改變，那就會比較困難。

But of course,

但當然，

in the UK at least, 表達脈絡

至少在英國，

an employee has a right to request flexible working,

僱員有權提出彈性工作的要求，

and this must be considered by the employer. 文法

且僱主必須予以考慮。

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

這項法律最初只適用於有6歲以下兒童的父母，

or a disabled child less than 18.

或是家裡有未滿18歲身心障礙兒童的父母。

But since 2014, 文化背景

但自2014年以來，

everyone has the right to request flexible working,

每個人都有權申請彈性工作，

and that includes men.

其中也包括男性。

Which is an important point,

這很重要，

as Sarah Jackson explains.

正如 Sarah Jackson 所解釋的那樣。

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

似乎很少有男性的彈性工作申請獲得批准。

Let's find out why.

讓我們來看看原因。

Men, when they do ask, 文法

男性在提出申請時，

are more likely to be turned down. 片語動詞

更有可能被拒絕。

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

所以在這個體系中存在真正的偏見。

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

所以……我認為現在需要發生的最重要的事情，

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

就是僱主真正主動開始對他們的男性員工說，

we know you want to be active fathers, 用詞

我們知道你們想做積極參與育兒的父親，

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

因為有一整代年輕男性確實想成為積極的父親。

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

請使用申請彈性工作的權利，

work flexibly if you can,

如果可以的話進行彈性工作，

because until men are enabled to be active fathers, 文法

因為除非男性也能成為積極的父親，

we won't get equality at home, 表達脈絡

我們才能在家裡實現平等，

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

且我們肯定也無法在職場上獲得平等。

Okay,

好的，

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

所以男性的請求更有可能被駁回或拒絕。

And Sarah says there is a bias in the system,

Sarah 說在這個體系中存在偏見，

unfairness,

也就是不公平，

treating one group of people more favorably than another. 用詞

對待一群人比對待另一群人更有利。

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

這是不公平的，因為它會阻止一些男性成為積極的父親，

actually being involved with childcare.

阻止他們真正參與育兒。

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

但擁有更多積極的父親可以帶來平等，

or fairness,

或者說公平，

at home and in the workplace.

無論是在家裡還是在工作場所。

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

聽起來這確實是一個需要被正視的問題。

But now, Neil,

但現在，Neil，

let's get the answer to my question.

讓我們揭曉我的問題的答案吧。

According to official data,

根據官方數據，

in which country do workers work the longest hours?

哪個國家的工人工作時間最長？

And I said Mexico.

我選了墨西哥。

Which is correct.

回答正確。

Well done.

幹得好。

According to the OECD,

根據經合組織的數據，

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

平均每個墨西哥人每年在工作上花費 2255 小時，

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

相當於每週大約 43 小時。

Germans, on the other hand, 表達脈絡

另一方面，德國人，

clock up the fewest hours. 片語動詞

工作時間最少。

Well, my working day is nearly over,

好了，我今天的工作也快結束了，

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

讓我們來回顧一下我們討論過的一些詞彙，

starting with routine,

首先是 routine（常規/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（常識）是做出明智決定的判斷力。

When you need something to match,

當需要某樣東西去 match（契合/匹配）時，

it has to work equally on both sides.

意味著它必須在兩邊對等地發揮作用。

And when someone is inflexible,

當有人 inflexible（不靈活/死板）時，

they are unwilling to change.

說明他們不願意改變。

Sometimes we say they won't budge. 慣用語

有時我們會說他們「不肯讓步」。

Bias is unfairness,

Bias（偏見）是指不公平，

treating one group of people more favorably than another.

對待一個群體比對待另一個群體更好。

And being active with something means being involved with it.

對某事保持 active（積極參與），意味著投入其中。

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

好吧，我們的六分鐘可是沒有彈性可言的，

so we're out of time. 片語搭配

所以我們時間到了。

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

大家可以在我們的網站 bbclearningenglish.com 上找到更多《六分鐘英語》節目。

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

也可以在 Facebook、Twitter 和 Instagram 上關注我們。

Don't forget that we have an app too,

別忘了我們還有一款手機應用程式，

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

你可以從應用商店免費下載。

We help you learn English on the move. 慣用語

我們幫助你在移動中學習英語。

Grammar, vocabulary, and interesting topics,

文法、詞彙、以及有趣的話題，

we have them all.

我們應有盡有。

Bye for now.

暫且說到這裡啦。

Goodbye.

再見。

Six Minute English from the BBC.

BBC 六分鐘英語。