大学英语综合教程学生用书 Working Hard or Hardly Working?
[00:00.00] Working Hard or Hardly Working?
[00:05.49]According to a recent survery,employees in many companies today
[00:12.54]work linger hours than employees did in 1979.
[00:20.19]They also take shorter vacations.
[00:25.05]It seems that Americans are working harder today than ever before.
[00:32.21]Or are they?A management consultant,Bill Meyer,decided to find out.
[00:41.25]For three days,he observed an investment banker hand at work.
[00:48.30]Meyer wrote down everything the banker did during hsi long workday
[00:56.35]-the banker owrked 80 hours a week.
[01:01.20]At the end of the three-day period,
[01:05.75]Meyer reviewed the banker's activities with him.
[01:11.21]What did they find out?
[01:15.86]They discovered that the man spent 80 percent fo his time doing busy work.
[01:24.22]For example,he attended unnecessary meetings,
[01:30.78]made redundant telephone calls,
[01:35.43]and spent time packing and unpacking his two big briefcases.
[01:42.48]Apparently,many people believe that the more time a person spends at work,
[01:49.92]the more she or he accomplishes.
[01:55.17]However,the connection between time and productivity is not always positive.
[02:03.64]anyone's productivity and creativity begin to decrease.
[02:15.18]Furthermore,it is not always easy for individuals
[02:21.64]to realize that their performance is falling off.
[02:27.98]Part of the problem is understandable.
[02:33.13]When employers evaluate employees,
[02:38.59]they often consider the amount of time
[02:43.13]on the job in addition to job performance.
[02:48.59]Employees know this.
[02:53.14]Consequently,they work longer hours
[02:58.49]and take less vacation time than they did nine years age.
[03:04.95]Although many working people can do their job effectively
[03:11.90]during a regular 40-hour work week.
[03:16.96]they feel they have to spend more time on the job
[03:23.00]after normal working hours so that the people who promote them see them.
[03:30.55]A group of head-hunters
[03:35.30](people who search out executive personnel for companies)
[03:41.05]were asked their opinion about a situation.
[03:46.40]They had a choice fo two candidates
[03:51.44]for an executive positioon with an important company.
[03:57.19]The candidates had comparable qualifications for the job.
[04:04.24]For example,they were both reliable.
[04:09.50]One could do the job well in a 40-hour work week.
[04:15.56]The other would do the same job in an 80-hour week just as well.
[04:23.21]According to a head-hunting expert,
[04:28.56]the 80-hour-a-week candidate would get the job.
[04:34.52]The time this candidate spends on the job
[04:40.16]may encourage other employees to spends to spend more time at work,too.
[04:47.22]Employers believe that if the employees stay at work later,
[04:54.06]they may actually do more work.
[04:58.81]5 people do not work long hours only for more money.
[05:05.58]In such fields as advertising,show business,and journalism,
[05:13.42]the glamour and publicity are worth more than any monetary benefit.
[05:20.89]On the other hand,many employees are not willing to spend so much extra,
[05:28.54]unproductive time at the office.
[05:33.27]Once they finish their work satisfactorily,
[05:38.21]they want to relax and enjoy themselves.
[05:43.56]For these people,the solution is to find a company
[05:49.52]that encourages people to do both.
