英国多家企业试行一周四天工作制 缩短工时或将成真

上四天班休息三天，这是每个上班族都梦寐以求的。如今，这个梦想已不再遥远。英国多家企业开始试行一周四天工作制且薪水不变，而苏格兰执政党将在下个月对四天工作周进行讨论。来看看率先享受到长周末的英国上班族有什么感受吧。

A string of small British firms have switched their workers over to a four-day week, the Guardian can reveal, amid mounting political interest in the idea that working less could deliver higher productivity and better balance between life and work.

据《卫报》报道，数家英国小企业已经将工作制改为上四休三，与此同时，政界对于减少工作时间能够提高工作效率并能更好地平衡生活和工作的观点也越来越感兴趣。

A lingerie manufacturer, a lighting design firm and a landscape architect are among a wave of employers experimenting with giving staff three days off per week, for no less pay. The Wellcome Trust, the largest employer in Britain to so far consider a four-day week, is thinking about doing a trial for its 800 staff.

试行上四休三且不降薪水的这波企业包括一家内衣制造商、一家照明设计公司和一家景观建筑公司。拥有800名员工的维尔康基金会是迄今为止考虑试行一周四天工作制的规模最大的英国企业。

Growing calls for a shorter working week are being opposed by the Confederation of British Industry on the basis that more flexibility, not less, is needed.

民众对于缩短每周工作时间的呼吁遭到了英国工业联合会的反对，他们的理由是工人需要的是更多的灵活工作时间，而不是更少（工作时间）。

But the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, has commissioned a study into its value from the economist Robert Skidelsky, and the Scottish National party is due to debate a motion next month calling for a review which could lead to the introduction of the four-day week in Scotland.

不过，影子财相约翰·麦克唐纳已经委托经济学家罗伯特·斯基德尔斯基对缩短工作时间的意义展开调查；苏格兰民族党则将于下个月讨论一项动议，如果草案通过审查，苏格兰可能将会实行四天工作周。

In the last six months, companies switching to a four-day week include Synergy Vision, a 45-employee medical communications agency, Elektra Lighting, a lighting design company, Lara Intimates, which makes underwear, and the Intrepid Camera company, which makes and exports photographic equipment.

在过去半年内改为一周四天工作制的公司包括拥有45名员工的医疗通信机构Synergy Vision，照明设计公司Elektra Lighting，内衣制造商Lara Intimates和摄影器材制造和出口公司Intrepid Camera。

"It has been a beautiful six weeks of having a long weekend,” said Neil Knowles, a design consultant at Elektra, which switched its 10 staff to a shorter week in January.

Elektra Lighting公司的设计顾问内尔·诺尔斯说：“过去的六周真是太美好了，能拥有超长周末。”今年一月份这家拥有10名员工的公司将工作制改成了上四休三。

"Two days out of seven is just enough to recover from a stressful week. Three is enough to recover and have extra time to do something else. It almost feels as if work is interrupting the weekend rather than the other way round.”

“每周休两天只能勉强从一周的压力中恢复过来。三天的周末不但能恢复过来，还有多余的时间做些别的事情。工作似乎成了周末之间的插曲。”

Maxim Grew, at Intrepid in Brighton, said the switch has ended “Friday afternoon fatigue” and increased morale and energy levels among staff with a feeling that every hour counts, leading to productivity boosts. He said people have quickly adjusted to using the extra time off.

位于布莱顿的Intrepid公司的马克西姆·格鲁说，这一改变终结了“周五下午的疲倦”，提高了员工的士气和精力，让员工感觉到每个小时都很重要，从而提高了工作效率。他说，人们很快就适应了多出来的休息时间并加以利用。

morale[mə'ræl]: n. 士气，斗志

"I am learning French, Rocco has joined a theatre group, Hugo is spending more time doing carpentry and Sam is building a robot,” he said.

他说：“我正在学法语，洛克加入了一个戏剧团，雨果花更多时间做木工活儿，山姆正在造一个机器人。”

Vanessa Ross, the owner of Arc Landscape in Surrey, said her team had used the time to volunteer, look after dependent family members and teach.

位于萨里郡的Arc Landscape公司的老板瓦内莎·罗斯说，她的团队用多出来的周末时间做志愿者、照看家人和教学。

The idea of a four-day week has shot to prominence in recent months, for economic, social, health and technological reasons.

近几个月来，四天工作周的理念备受关注，原因有经济、社会、健康和技术等多个方面。

Overwork results in thousands succumbing to stress or depression each year, according to the Health and Safety Executive; long working hours make parenting and family care ever trickier to juggle; technology, meanwhile, threatens to transform the demand for labor over coming decades.

根据健康与安全执行局的报告，工作过度每年导致数千人遭受压力或抑郁的困扰。长时间的工作让育儿和照顾家庭更难以兼顾。未来几十年，技术的发展还可能使得劳动力需求减少。

Despite this, Britons work more hours a week on average than they did in 2011 – and research shows two-thirds would like to reduce the amount of time they spend in the office.

尽管如此，英国人平均每周工作时间相比2011年增加了。调查显示，三分之二的人希望减少上班时间。

One of the biggest experiments so far into the effect of the four-day week was carried out at Perpetual Guardian, a finance company in New Zealand. It claims productivity has increased.

迄今为止规模最大的四天工作周试验是在新西兰的一家名为Perpetual Guardian的金融公司开展的。试验表明，员工的工作效率提高了。

Its chief executive, Andrew Barnes, said: “This is an idea whose time has come. We need to get more companies to give it a go. They will be surprised at the improvement in their company, their staff and in their wider community.”

该公司的总监安德鲁·巴恩斯说：“这个理念的时机已经成熟。我们需要让更多公司尝试这一工作制。他们会惊讶地发现，公司、员工和周边的情况有了改善。”

He said it helps level the playing field between women and men, partly by making it easier for mothers returning to work because they don’t need to commit to five days and by making men more available for domestic duties.

他说，这有助于为男性和女性创造公平的竞争环境，一方面能够让妈妈们更容易回归职场，因为她们无需再一周工作五天，另一方面也能让男性分担更多家事。

Billy Jenkins, a middle manager at Synergy Vision, said: “It has caused a little tension in the household, as my partner works five days a week and seems to come up with a wishlist of errands or chores that need doing on my day off. It’s also hard to shake off the feeling that I should be working, and it has taken time to feel more comfortable using the time as my own.”

Synergy Vision公司的中层经理比利·詹金斯说：“这让我的家庭关系有点小紧张，因为我爱人每周工作五天，她似乎有很多杂事想让我在多出的一天里去做。而且，我总觉得在那一天不工作有负罪感，慢慢地我才能心安理得地把它当成属于我的时间。”