2021年经济学人 未来的办公室将是什么样？

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Bartleby -- The office of the future

巴托比专栏——未来的办公室

Cubicles¹ are out. Bars, neighbourhoods and sensors² are in.

不再是格子间。吧台、社区和传感器统统加入。

The office used to be a place people went because they had to.

办公室曾经是人们必须去的地方。

Meetings happened in conference rooms and in person.

会议在会议室面对面进行。

Desks took up the bulk of the space.

桌子占据大部分空间。

The kingdom of Dilbert and of David Brent is now under threat.

呆伯特和大卫·布伦特的王国现在正面临威胁。

The pandemic has exposed the office to competition from remote working, and brought up a host of questions about how it should be designed in the future.

疫情使办公室面临来自远程工作的竞争，并引发了一系列关于未来办公室该如何设计的问题。

Start with what the office is for.

先从办公室的用途说起。

In the past it was a place for employees to get their work done, whatever form that took.

过去，它是员工完成工作的地方，不管是什么形式。

Now other conceptions of its role jostle for attention.

如今，关于其作用的其他构想也在引起人们的关注。

Some think of the office as the new offsite.

有些人认为办公室是新的“团建地”。

Its purpose is to get people together in person so they can do the things that remote working makes harder: forging deeper relationships or collaborating³ in real time on specific projects.

它的作用是让人们面对面地聚在一起，这样他们就可以完成远程办公时较难完成的事情：建立更深层次的关系，或者实时协作完成特定项目。

Others talk of the office as a destination, a place that has to make the idea of getting out of bed earlier, in order to mingle⁴ with people who may have COVID-19, seem attractive.

还一些人把办公室当成一个让早起的想法变得值得的目的地或地方，这样他们就能混入人群中，虽然可能有人携带着新冠病毒。

In other words, a layout that is largely devoted⁵ to people working at serried⁶ desks alongside the same colleagues each day all feels very 2019.

换句话说，这种设计很大程度上是为了让人们每天坐在密集的办公桌前和同样的同事一起工作，这一切都给人一种2019年的感觉。

With fewer people coming in and more emphasis on collaboration⁷, fewer desks will be assigned to individuals.

随着来办公室的人越来越少，对协作的重视程度越来越高，分配给个人的办公桌也会越来越少。

Instead, there will be more shared areas, or “neighbourhoods”, where people in a team can work together flexibly.

取而代之的是更多的共享区域，或“社区”，团队中的人们可以在这里灵活地合作办公。

(More hot-desking will also necessitate⁸ storage space for personal possessions: lockers⁹ may soon be back in your life.)

（更多的“轮用办公桌”也会占用个人物品的存储空间：储物柜可能很快就会回到你的生活中。）

To bridge gaps between teams, one tactic¹⁰ is to set aside more of the office to showcase the work of each department, so that people who never encounter each other on Zoom¹¹ can see examples of what their colleagues do.

为了在团队之间实现同步，一种策略是在办公室留出更多的空间来展示各部门的工作成果，这样那些从未在Zoom上见过面的人就可以看到他们同事所做的工作是怎样的。

Another option is to ply¹² everyone with drink.

另一个选择是不停地给大家送酒。

Expect more space to be set aside for socialising and events.

预计会有更多的空间留给社交和活动。

Bars in offices are apparently¹³ going to be a thing.

在办公室设吧台显然将成为一种趋势。

Robin¹⁴ Klehr Avia of Gensler, an architecture firm, says she is seeing lots of requests for places, like large auditoriums¹⁵, where a company’s clients can have “experiences”.

建筑公司Gensler的Robin Klehr Avia说，她看到很多人要求提供大型礼堂那样的场所，这样公司的客户就可以在那里“体验”一番。

Designs for the post-covid office must also allow for hybrid¹⁶ work.

疫情后办公室的设计也必须考虑到混合工作。

Meetings have to work for virtual participants as well as for in-person contributors: cameras, screens and microphones will proliferate¹⁷.

会议既要服务于虚拟参会者，也要服务于现场参会者：摄像机、屏幕和麦克风的数量将会激增。

Gensler’s New York offices feature mini-meeting rooms that have a monitor and a half-table jutting¹⁸ out from the wall below it, with seating for four or five people arranged to face the screen, not each other.

Gensler在纽约的办公室设有迷你会议室，里面有一台显示器，一个从下方的墙面伸出来的半桌，还设有四五个座位，这些座位是面向屏幕的，而不是彼此相对。

Variety will be another theme.

多样性将会是另一个主题。

People may plan to work in groups in the morning, but need to concentrate on something in the afternoon.

大家可能计划在早上进行小组协作，但在下午需要自己专注做一些事情。

Ryan Anderson of Herman Miller¹⁹, a furniture firm, likens the difference between the pre- and post-pandemic office to that between a hotel and a home.

家具公司Herman Miller的Ryan Anderson把疫情前和疫情后办公室的区别比作酒店和家的区别。

Hotels are largely given over to rooms for individuals.

酒店基本上是为个人提供房间。

“Home is thought of as a place for a family over years, hosting lots of different activities.”

而“家多年来都被认为是一家人居住的地方，举办许多不同的活动。”

All of which implies the need for flexibility²⁰.

所有这些都意味着需要灵活性。

Laptop docking stations are simple additions, but other bits of office furniture are harder to overhaul²¹.

笔记本电脑扩展坞是比较简单的附件，但要对其他办公家具进行改造会更加困难。

Desks themselves tend to be tethered to the floor through knotted bundles of cables and plugs.

办公桌本身往往被一捆捆打结的电缆和插头拴在地板上。

The office of the future may well feature desks with wheels, which ought to go well with all that extra alcohol.

未来的办公室里很可能会有带轮子的办公桌，这应该会和加上的那些酒很搭。

Meeting rooms are likely to be more flexible, too, with walls that lift and slide.

会议室也可能变得更加灵活，配有可以升降和滑动的墙壁。

If socialising and flexibility are two of the themes of the post-pandemic office, a third is data.

如果说社交和灵活性是疫情后办公室的两个主题，那么第三个主题就是数据。

Property and HR managers alike will want more data in order to understand how facilities are being used, and on which days and times people are bunching in the office.

公司资产管理者和人力资源经理都想获得更多的数据，以便了解人们是如何使用设备的，以及人们在哪些日子和时间聚集在办公室。

Workers will demand more data on health risks: the quality of ventilation within meeting rooms, say, or proper contact-tracing if a colleague tests positive for the latest COVID-19 variant²².

员工们将要求提供更多有关健康风险的数据：比如会议室内的通风质量，或者说，如果同事感染了最新的新冠病毒变种，就能提供的正规的接触者追踪信息。

And data will flow more copiously²³ in response: from sensors in desks and lighting²⁴ but also from desk-booking tools and visitor-management apps.

相应地，数据将更加丰富：来自办公桌和照明设备的传感器，也来自办公桌预订工具和访客管理应用程序。

The question of who owns data on office occupants and what consent mechanisms²⁵ are needed to gather this information is about to become more pressing.

谁拥有办公室使用者的数据，以及需要什么样的同意机制来收集这些信息，这个问题即将变得更加紧迫。

Put this all together and what do you get?

把所有这些放在一起，你会得到一个怎样的办公室？

If you are an optimist²⁶, the office of the future will be a spacious²⁷, collaborative environment that makes the commute²⁸ worth it.

如果你是一个乐观主义者，那么未来的办公室将是一个宽敞、协作的环境，让通勤变得值得。

If you are a pessimist²⁹, it will be a building full of heavily surveilled drunkards.

如果你是悲观主义者，那它将是一座充满受严密监视的酒鬼的大楼。

In reality, pragmatic considerations—how much time is left on the lease, the physical constraints³⁰ of a building’s layout, uncertainty³¹ about the path of the pandemic—will determine the pace of change.

在现实中，务实的考虑因素——租约还剩多长时间，建筑布局的物理限制，流行病传播路径的不确定性——将决定改变发生的速度。

Whatever happens, the office won't be what it was.

无论发生什么，办公室都不会再是以前的样子了。

1 cubicles   

n.小卧室，斗室( cubicle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Security guards, operating inside bullet-proof glass cubicles, and speaking through microphones, scrutinized every arrival and departure. 警卫们在装有防弹玻璃的小室里值勤，通过麦克风细致盘问每一个进出的人。 来自辞典例句
• I guess they thought me content to stay in cubicles. 我猜他们认为我愿意呆在小房间里。 来自互联网

2 sensors   

n.传感器，灵敏元件( sensor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were more than 2000 sensors here. 这里装有两千多个灵敏元件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Significant changes have been noted where sensors were exposed to trichloride. 当传感器暴露在三氯化物中时，有很大变化。 来自辞典例句

3 collaborating   

合作( collaborate的现在分词 )； 勾结叛国

参考例句：

• Joe is collaborating on the work with a friend. 乔正与一位朋友合作做那件工作。
• He was not only learning from but also collaborating with Joseph Thomson. 他不仅是在跟约瑟福？汤姆逊学习，而且也是在和他合作。

4 mingle   

vt.使混合，使相混；vi.混合起来；相交往

参考例句：

• If we mingle with the crowd,we should not be noticed.如果我们混在人群中，就不会被注意到。
• Oil will not mingle with water.油和水不相融。

5 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

6 serried   

adj.拥挤的；密集的

参考例句：

• The fields were mostly patches laid on the serried landscape.between crevices and small streams.农田大部分是地缝和小溪之间的条状小块。
• On the shelf are serried rows of law books and law reports.书橱上是排得密密匝匝的几排法律书籍和判例汇编。

7 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

8 necessitate   

v.使成为必要，需要

参考例句：

• Your proposal would necessitate changing our plans.你的提议可能使我们的计划必须变更。
• The conversion will necessitate the complete rebuilding of the interior.转变就必需完善内部重建。

9 lockers   

n.寄物柜( locker的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I care about more lockers for the teachers. 我关心教师要有更多的储物柜。 来自辞典例句
• Passengers are requested to stow their hand-baggage in the lockers above the seats. 旅客须将随身携带的行李放入座位上方的贮藏柜里。 来自辞典例句

10 tactic   

n.战略，策略；adj.战术的，有策略的

参考例句：

• Reducing prices is a common sales tactic.降价是常用的销售策略。
• She had often used the tactic of threatening to resign.她惯用以辞职相威胁的手法。

11 zoom   

n.急速上升；v.突然扩大，急速上升

参考例句：

• The airplane's zoom carried it above the clouds.飞机的陡直上升使它飞到云层之上。
• I live near an airport and the zoom of passing planes can be heard night and day.我住在一个飞机场附近，昼夜都能听到飞机飞过的嗡嗡声。

12 ply   

v.(搬运工等)等候顾客，弯曲

参考例句：

• Taxis licensed to ply for hire at the railway station.许可计程车在火车站候客。
• Ferryboats ply across the English Channel.渡船定期往返于英吉利海峡。

13 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

14 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

15 auditoriums   

n.观众席( auditorium的名词复数 )；听众席；礼堂；会堂

参考例句：

• The walls and ceilings of contemporary auditoriums usually conceal light, sound, and air-conditioning equipment. 当代观众厅的墙壁和天花板常设灯光、音响以及空调设备。 来自互联网
• The interior follows an exceedingly compact plan of different types and sizes of rooms and auditoriums. 在室内装饰方面，不同类型不同尺寸的空间以及观众席都追寻一种极端简洁的装饰风格。 来自互联网

16 hybrid   

n.(动，植）杂种，混合物

参考例句：

• That is a hybrid perpetual rose.那是一株杂交的四季开花的蔷薇。
• The hybrid was tall,handsome,and intelligent.那混血儿高大、英俊、又聪明。

17 proliferate   

vi.激增，(迅速)繁殖，增生

参考例句：

• We must not proliferate nuclear arms.我们决不能扩散核武器。
• Rabbits proliferate when they have plenty of food.兔子有充足的食物就会繁衍得很快。

18 jutting   

v.（使）突出( jut的现在分词 )；伸出；（从…）突出；高出

参考例句：

• The climbers rested on a sheltered ledge jutting out from the cliff. 登山者在悬崖的岩棚上休息。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The soldier saw a gun jutting out of some bushes. 那士兵看见丛林中有一枝枪伸出来。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

19 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

20 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

21 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

22 variant   

adj.不同的，变异的；n.变体，异体

参考例句：

• We give professional suggestions according to variant tanning stages for each customer.我们针对每位顾客不同的日晒阶段，提供强度适合的晒黑建议。
• In a variant of this approach,the tests are data- driven.这个方法的一个变种，是数据驱动的测试。

23 copiously   

adv.丰富地，充裕地

参考例句：

• She leant forward and vomited copiously on the floor. 她向前一俯，哇的一声吐了一地。 来自英汉文学
• This well-organized, unified course copiously illustrated, amply cross-referenced, and fully indexed. 这条组织完善，统一的课程丰富地被说明，丰富地被相互参照和充分地被标注。 来自互联网

24 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

25 mechanisms   

n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 )；机械装置；[生物学] 机制；机械作用

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

26 optimist   

n.乐观的人，乐观主义者

参考例句：

• We are optimist and realist.我们是乐观主义者，又是现实主义者。
• Peter,ever the optimist,said things were bound to improve.一向乐观的皮特说，事情必定是会好转的。

27 spacious   

adj.广阔的，宽敞的

参考例句：

• Our yard is spacious enough for a swimming pool.我们的院子很宽敞，足够建一座游泳池。
• The room is bright and spacious.这房间很豁亮。

28 commute   

vi.乘车上下班；vt.减(刑)；折合；n.上下班交通

参考例句：

• I spend much less time on my commute to work now.我现在工作的往返时间要节省好多。
• Most office workers commute from the suburbs.很多公司的职员都是从郊外来上班的。

29 pessimist   

n.悲观者；悲观主义者；厌世

参考例句：

• An optimist laughs to forget.A pessimist forgets to laugh.乐观者笑着忘却，悲观者忘记怎样笑。
• The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity.The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.悲观者在每个机会中都看到困难，乐观者在每个困难中都看到机会。

30 constraints   

强制( constraint的名词复数 )； 限制； 约束

参考例句：

• Data and constraints can easily be changed to test theories. 信息库中的数据和限制条件可以轻易地改变以检验假设。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史
• What are the constraints that each of these imply for any design? 这每种产品的要求和约束对于设计意味着什么？ 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

31 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。