你是在家還是在辦公室工作？不論你在何處辦公，同事之間的友誼仍然很重要。聽節目，了解辦公室友情的重要之處。

詞匯：work 工作

Many among us spend a considerable part of our lives working – with many of us, these days, working from home. While there are many benefits offered by not going to the office – not commuting, avoiding the rat race, and not having to panic about getting a seat if you hot-desk – there are also what some would call sacrifices. No more coffees with colleagues, chit-chats by the water cooler or going out for team-bonding meals. So, seeing as we rarely meet these people, why is it still important to be friends with those we work with?

Well, some reasons are obvious – working with like-minded people who you get on with can make those hours at work more fruitful and positive. Various situations are commonplace in the job you do, so having people to talk to about the intricacies of tasks could make your life easier. It’s also nice knowing that you can have banter or a chinwag with people at work – and some of your colleagues may become friends in your life outside of the 9-5. But it’s not just to the benefit of the person; it’s also good for the company you work for. According to Dr Emma Seppala, people who said they had friends at work were more productive, had higher levels of retention and were more satisfied with their jobs than those who didn’t.

And what can happen if you don’t connect – if you don’t stimulate your relationships with those who do the same job as you? While it can be easy to avoid them physically, Dr Adam Hickman says that feelings of social isolation and loneliness may creep in. It makes sense – according to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, a psychological theory which tries to explain human behaviour and motivation based on necessities, a feeling of belonging is one of the strongest psychological needs. No one wants to be where they feel unwanted, which is why many companies try to stimulate workplace interaction – be it ping pong tables in the office, or online parties.

And finally, even though we’re working more from home now, we may one day see our colleagues once again. Having a good relationship with them would make that meeting much more pleasant. So, if you’ve burned your bridges, it might be time to start mending them.

詞匯表

commute 上下班往返，通勤
the rat race （為工作、掙錢等而進行的）瘋狂競爭
hot-desk 采用無固定辦公桌的工作方式
colleague 同事
chit-chat 閑聊，聊天
water cooler 飲水機（同事閑聊寒暄的地方）
team-bonding 建立團隊情誼的
like-minded 志同道合的
intricacies 繁瑣復雜的細節
banter 善意的談笑、打趣
chinwag （熟人之間的）閑談
the 9-5 朝九晚五的工作
retention 記性，記憶力
social isolation 與外界社會的隔絕
hierarchy 等級制度，層次體系
interaction 人際互動
burn one’s bridges 自斷后路，把關系搞僵

測驗與練習

1.  閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. What do some people feel are the benefits of working from home?

2. What are some of the potential sacrifices of working from home?

3. What positive effects of working with like-minded people are there?

4. According to Dr Emma Seppala, what did people who have friends at work report?

5. What do some companies do to stimulate social interaction at work?

2.  選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。

1. I _______ to work three days a week, but I don’t mind as the journey is really short.

commute                      chinwag                         team-bonding            banter

2. My work colleague and I have some funny _______. We’re always laughing.

the rat race                   banter                           retention                   commute

3. I used to hate _______, so I decided to move to the countryside.

the water cooler            the rat race                   a chinwag                 retention

4. To encourage the interaction of the team, we went on a _______ activity.

banter                            commute                      chinwag                    team-bonding

5. I’m really thirsty. I’ll get a drink from the _______.

banter                            water cooler                 commute                   retention

答案

1.  閱讀課文并回答問題。  

1. What do some people feel are the benefits of working from home?
Not commuting, avoiding the rat race, and not having to panic about getting a seat if you hot-desk.

2. What are some of the potential sacrifices of working from home?
No more coffees with colleagues, chit-chats by the water cooler or going out for team-bonding meals.

3. What positive effects of working with like-minded people are there?
It can make those hours at work more fruitful and positive.

4. According to Dr Emma Seppala, what did people who have friends at work report?
People who said they have friends at work were more productive, had higher levels of retention and were more satisfied with their jobs than those who didn’t.

5. What do some companies do to stimulate social interaction at work?
Some companies buy ping pong tables in the office, or hold online parties.

2.  選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。

1. My journey in the morning to work is really quick – it’s a great commute.

2. My work colleague and I have some funny banter. We’re always laughing.

3. I used to hate the rat race, so I decided to move to the countryside.

4. To encourage the interaction of the team, we went on a team-bonding activity.

5. I’m really thirsty. I’ll get a drink from the water cooler.