职场英语：如何在开放式办公区里高效工作

It’s very likely that if you’ve worked in an office at all, you’ve worked in an open-plan office. As a reaction against hierarchical workplace structures and a means to move employees away from working in boxes, they’ve become commonplace.
你工作过的办公室很可能都是开放式的，它们作为一种打破工作场所层级结构、把员工从小隔间里解放出来的方式，已经被广为使用。
They’re a double-edged sword, however. On the one hand, open-plan offices can inspire a more collaborative, innovative and social environment where ideas transfer easily between members of different departments and teams. On the other, open-plan workspaces are being recognized as a wildly distracting environment to to work in, where, according to one study by The Sound Agency, workers are 66% less productive.
然而这种办公室有利也有弊。一方面，开放式办公室能营造一个更易于合作、创新和社交的环境，不同部门和团队之间可以更容易地交换观点。另一方面，开放式办公室也被认为是个会严重分散员工注意力的环境，根据声音研究所的一项研究，该环境下的员工生产力会暴跌66%。
Is it possible to foster productive collaboration in an open floor plan day in and day out? If so, the following tactics will help you stay sane and efficient.
每天在开放环境下办公，怎样才能促进合作、提高效率呢？以下策略或许能助你保持清醒、高效。
Create a “virtual wall”
筑一道“虚拟的墙”
When it comes to open-plan offices, hell can be other people. The human brain only has the capacity for 1.6 conversations, according to Julian Treasure, TED speaker and author of Sound Business, and if your mind wanders to a nearby discussion, you don’t have much brain power left to work with.
在开放式办公环境里，他人的存在就是梦魇。TED演讲者、《声音与商业》一书的作者朱利安-特雷热说，人脑只能同时处理1.6场对话，如果你的意识游荡到了附近的讨论中去，就不剩多少脑力来工作了。
If you are having trouble concentrating because of the voices and antics of your colleagues, you can create a “virtual wall” between yourself and the rest of your office. How to achieve this? It’s easier than you think. Headphones.
如果同事的声音和动作让你难以集中精力，你可以尝试在自己和办公室里的其他人之间筑一道“虚拟的墙”。怎样做呢？比你想象的要简单。一副耳机就够了。
Even when we do retreat to our own worlds, it’s usually with music that neither helps concentration nor productivity. If you’re trying to stay productive, don’t play music with vocals, such as radio, podcasts or even lyric-filled songs, since they’ll only further use up your brain space.
即便是退回到个人世界的我们，往往也听着既不利于专注也不利于高产的音乐。但是想保持高产，就不要播放有人声的音乐，比如收音机、播客，乃至带歌词的歌曲，它们只会进一步占据你大脑里的空间。
The best sounds for concentration are natural and unpredictable. Ambient electronic music tends to work well at blocking out noise yet it doesn’t create a distraction. Try binaural beats in stereo headphones. Neurophysiologists believe these sounds can induce the brain into a deep state of concentration, creativity and relaxation.
最利于专注的声音是那种自然且不可预知的声音。电子环境音乐阻隔噪音的效果就不错，也不会让人分心。也可以试试用立体声耳机聆听双耳节拍。神经生理学家认为这些声音能引导大脑进入深度专注、有创造力且放松的状态。
Have a “Collaboration Table” delegated
分出一张“团队讨论桌”
The key to keeping employees happy and productive is having a mix of spaces for different activities. According to a new study by design firm Gensler, it was found that workers spend more than half their time at work in deep focus and about one-fourth in collaboration, with the rest split between learning, socializing and other tasks.
让员工既开心又高产的关键在于有不同的空间来做不同的事。建筑设计公司根斯勒的一项新研究发现，员工工作时有超过一半的时间处在深度专注状态，大约四分之一的时间在合作，剩下的时间则分配给学习、社交和其他工作。
Of course, people who work in an office still spend most of the day at their desks, but when it’s time to do some hard-core collaborating or learning, moving to a different environment can help shift gears. Delegate a larger central “community” table where conversation and ideas can flow freely. And encourage an environment of mindful chatter amongst neighboring desks.
当然，在办公室里工作的人还是大部分时间都坐在自己桌前，但到了需要深度合作或学习的时候，换个环境就能帮大脑换个档。在办公室安置一张较大的“团队讨论桌”，让谈话和想法在这张桌上流转自如，并鼓励邻座之间有意识地闲聊。
Try rooms with high tables where everyone has to stand and the walls are floor to ceiling whiteboard. This arrangement will prompt presence and participation. Or conversely, have isolation rooms where people can go to be alone and silent. Try putting a chalkboard on the outside of the door where people can write what they’re working on inside. This way the rest of the team knows why they’re heads down and can leave them in peace to accomplish what they need.
在用来开会的房间里可以尝试放置一个很高的桌子，高到每个人都得站着，而且墙壁要用落地大白板，这样的安排能促使人们积极参与讨论。相反，也可以设置一些独立的房间，让人能安静独处。可以尝试在门外放一块黑板，写上自己在屋里做什么。这样，团队的其他人就知道他们埋着头的原因了，也会让他们安静地完成工作。

Adopt a “do not disturb” attitude
拿出“请勿打扰”的态度来
In a study published in Applied Psychology, people seeking help performed better at work, but people providing help actually performed worse. Scientists determined that alternating between helping others and doing your own work imposes a heavy “cognitive load” because you have to reacquaint yourself with the details of your project each time you return to it. Not to mention –multitasking is a fallacy.
《应用心理学》杂志发布了一项研究：寻求帮助的人在工作中做得更好，但提供帮助的人实际上做得更糟。科学家判断，在帮助他人和做本职工作之间的转换会带来沉重的“认知负荷”，因为每次你回头继续工作，都得让自己重新熟悉一遍工作细节。更不要提什么“多线程工作”的概念，那根本就是个谬论。
To counteract this, set aside a block of several hours every day when you’re not to be disturbed so you can concentrate on your work without distraction. Insist to your co-workers that it is important you not be disturbed during this block of time, unless of course there is an emergency. You can collaborate with and help colleagues during a later part of the day once you have given adequate focus to your top priorities.
要想解决这个问题，可以每天分出一个时间段，在这几个小时内不被打扰，专注于自己的工作不分心。一定要告诉同事你在这段时间里真的不想被打扰，当然紧急情况除外。要把足够的注意力分给最重要的工作，而你可以在这一天的后半段时间里与同事合作或帮助他人。
While open-offices don’t work for everyone, they can have great impact on culture, innovation and collaboration. But like all good things, must be kept in balance.
虽然开放式办公室不一定适合所有人，但它能给文化、创新和合作带来巨大影响。不过，和所有的好东西一样，开放式办公室的应用也必须保持平衡。