经济学人348:公司校友 离开但不会被忘记

　　Business
商业报道
Corporate¹ alumni
公司校友
Gone but not forgotten
离开但不会被忘记
More firms are seeking to stay in touch with former staff
更多的公司正在积极尝试和以前的员工保持联系
COMPANIES do not like to be abandoned any more than lovers do.
公司可不喜欢被职工像背叛情人那样背叛它们。
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Workers who quit are sometimes escorted out by security guards, their smartphones confiscated² and their e-mail accounts deactivated³.
有时候离职的员工是由保安陪同离开公司的，他们的手机会被没收，电子邮件账户也会被注销。
But in the professional services, former employees are increasingly treated as assets, not turncoats.
但是在一些专业的服务领域，先前的职员被越来越多的公司视为资产，而不是背叛者。
Borrowing the concept of alumni relations from universities, such firms are trying to stay in touch with departed workers, hoping to turn them into brand ambassadors, recruiters and salespeople⁴.
这些公司正是借鉴了大学的校友关系这一概念，试图和离职的职员保持联系，希望他们能够成为自己品牌的宣传大使、招聘者和销售员。
The notion was pioneered by McKinsey, a management consultant⁵.
这一概念最先被一家管理咨询公司麦肯锡所采用。
Its up-or-out promotion⁶ system generates a steady stream of staff leaving on relatively⁷ friendly terms, many of whom go to work for potential clients rather than rival consulting firms.
麦肯锡不升职就离职的晋升体系使得公司定期都会以相对温和的态势流失一批人才，其中的大部分人都选择了去为麦肯锡的潜在客户工作，而不是效力于麦肯锡的竞争对手也就是其他的咨询公司。
McKinsey has an online database of 27,000 former consultants⁸.
麦肯锡拥有一个由两万七千名前麦肯锡咨询师组成的线上数据库，
They are given access to a website which posts alluring⁹ job vacancies¹⁰ and regular presentations on business trends from the firm's analysts¹¹.
麦肯锡给予这些前雇员一些权限，让他们能够在网站上看到一些吸引人的空缺职位信息和由麦肯锡分析师所做出的定期商业趋势预测的报告。
McKinsey's closest competitors have embraced this model.
麦肯锡最大的对手也采取了这一策略。
The Boston Consulting Group, for example, refers to its leavers as graduates.
例如，波士顿咨询，把这些离职者视为毕业生。
It helps them to find new jobs, and even to negotiate a good contract with their new bosses.
它能够帮助离职者找到新的工作，甚至能够和他们的新老板们建立一个良好的合作关系。
Once they have left, they continue getting free strategic advice from the firm's partners.
虽然他们离职了，但是还是能得到原来公司伙伴的免费战略建议。
In return BCG asks alumni to help it recruit new graduates, and to brief them on the state of the industries they are now working in.
作为回报，波士顿咨询希望离职者能够帮助他们招募新的毕业生，并向他们简要介绍各自工作的行业的现状。
And of course, it hopes they may send a bit of work in its direction.
当然，波士顿咨询也希望离职者能够给他们一些生意。
An obvious risk is that this makes businesses reluctant to hire ex-consultants, fearing that they will be double agents whose loyalty¹² lies with the old firm.
建立公司校友网络的一个显要风险就是，因为害怕这些离开老东家但仍旧对旧主有很高忠诚度的员工会变成为双方服务的双重间谍，很多公司不愿意雇佣跳槽过来的咨询师。
The consulting firms argue that there is little danger of this:
但咨询公司却认为这样做并不存在什么风险：
few businesses hire, or buy advice, from just one firm, so it would be hard for one firm's alumni to get away with unjustifiably favouring their old employers.
很少公司会仅仅从一家咨询公司购买战略建议，所以能让这些公司校友侥幸助老东家一臂之力的机会是非常有限的。
I wouldn't say I'm blindly loyal, says Jim Whitehurst, a former BCG partner who runs Red Hat, a big software company.
前波士顿咨询合伙人、现红帽子软件公司老板吉姆·怀特赫斯特说：我不会说自己是盲目地忠诚，
But I do use BCG more than any other firm.
但是比起其他咨询公司，我的确更偏向波士顿咨询。
Among the biggest accounting¹³ firms, Deloitte helps departing employees update their curricula vitae in the hope this will encourage them to stay in touch and PwC has launched a recruitment campaign for former staff who want to come back and work part-time or do one-off projects.
在规模最大的几家会计事务所中，德勤帮助离职的员工更新他们的简历，希望能以此鼓励他们和德勤保持联系；
Linklaters, part of Britain's Magic Circle of prestigious¹⁴ solicitors¹⁵, maintains relations with ex-staff by giving them a card that provides discounts on, or preferential access to, tickets for cultural events.
普华永道专门为想要回来工作或兼职或做一次性项目的员工发起了一项招聘会；年利达律师事务所是英国的神奇圈中的知名律师事务所，他们保持与前员工关系的方法是给他们一张卡，这张卡能够提供折扣优惠，或能够给他们优先访问的权利、或是能凭此参与文化活动；
Among the banks, Citigroup has held more than 150 alumni gatherings¹⁶ since its programme started in 2011, including golf tournaments and wine tastings. Goldman Sachs has long touted¹⁷ its alumni's public service as a branding tool—its five most recent ex-bosses include two treasury¹⁸ secretaries and a senator.
在众多银行中，自项目2011年启动以来，花旗已经举办了超过150场公司校友聚会，包括高尔夫锦标赛和红酒品酒会。长久以来高盛一直把它的校友公共服务看作是一项品牌竞争力—最近的五位前任老板包括两位财政部长和一位参议员。
Such close ties can be a double-edged sword. Goldman's brand as Wall Street's leading financial wizard suffered following the collapse¹⁹ of MF Global, a broker²⁰ led by Jon Corzine, one of its illustrious ex-bosses;
这样紧密的联系可谓是一把双刃剑。高盛作为华尔街金融圈的领头羊，在全球曼式金融控股公司破产之后，自己也遭受了很大损失，而促成这桩合作的正是高盛一位出色的前任老板乔恩·科尔津；
McKinsey's reputation for integrity was sullied when Rajat Gupta, a former managing director of the firm, was convicted of insider trading.
麦肯锡因为处事正派在业内享有盛名，但这一名声却被前任董事瑞杰·笈多给玷污了，因为他被人爆出进行内幕交易。
The main drawback of running an alumni network used to be its cost.
运营成本是维持这样一个公司校友网络的主要缺陷。
But thanks to online social media, companies now need just one programme manager for roughly every 3,500 ex-employees.
但是多亏了线上社交媒体，公司现在仅仅需要一个项目经理就可以负责大约三千五百名前职员。
As a result, the trend is continuing to spread. Alumni at Procter & Gamble and Microsoft have set up their own networks, which they administer and fund themselves.
所以，建立公司职员关系网络的趋势正逐渐扩散。宝洁和微软的校友们已经成功建立了他们的关系网络，他们自己出资管理运营这一网络。
The founder²¹ of the Microsoft site, Tony Audino, has started a business, Conenza, that runs other firms' alumni websites.
微软网站的创始者托尼·奥迪诺正是借此创立他名为科内扎的业务，用以运营其他公司的校友网络。
It is hard to quantify the return that alumni networks earn on their costs, but businesses of all kinds are now being urged to set them up—not least by management consultants.
事实上我们很难去量化建设公司校友网络的投资回报率，但现在各行各业都被要求快速地将这一网络建立起来—尤其是受到了管理咨询者的鼓舞。
Paul Meehan, an executive at Bain & Company, says he advises clients that haven't done so that they should regard their former staff as an untapped, hidden asset that isn't fully²² exploited.
作为贝恩咨询公司的管理层，保罗·米汉盖尔建议那些还没有这么做的客户应该把先前的员工视为一项未开发的、还没被完全利用的隐性资产。
1.seek to 设法；企图，试图
Yet some expect him to seek to remove term limits.
可是，部分人士期望他设法废除任期限制。
And they seek to benefit from tiny operational changes.
他们也自生产流程的细微变更中寻求收益。
2.stay in touch with 保持联系
She vowed²³ to stay in touch with friends by phone and email.
她郑重承诺会与朋友们保持电话和电子邮件联系。
Use discount promotional offers to stay in touch with past visitors to your site.
通过提供打折的促销活动与网站曾经的访问者保持联系。
3.turn into 变成,成为
Could all of this really turn into a full-fledged crisis?
所有这一切真的会变成一场完全的危机？
Could 2010 turn into 1994 or 2004 for the markets?
2010年的市场会变成1994或2004年的市场吗？
4.refer to 涉及；指的是
Symbols are signs that refer to the object by a convention.
标志是一种人们习惯性指代某种事物的符号。
Slowschools and slow education can refer to different aspects of education.
慢速学校和慢速教育可以指教育的不同方面。

1 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

2 confiscated   

没收，充公( confiscate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Their land was confiscated after the war. 他们的土地在战后被没收。
• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。

3 deactivated   

v.解除动员( deactivate的过去式和过去分词 )；使无效；复员；使不活动

参考例句：

• \"The brain can be deactivated. It can be yours to command.\" “大脑计算机可以被停止。如果你下达命令的话。” 来自互联网
• He successfully deactivated a nuclear reactor in a laboratory before meltdown. 他成功停用一个核反应堆在实验室之前崩溃。 来自互联网

4 salespeople   

n.售货员，店员；售货员( salesperson的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The shop usually employs additional salespeople for the Christmas toy trade. 这家商店通常雇一些临时售货员来做圣诞节玩具生意。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Under our new system, salespeople sit down with each of our dealers. 根据新的制度，销售人员应逐个地同承销商洽商。 来自辞典例句

5 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。

6 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

7 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

8 consultants   

顾问( consultant的名词复数 )； 高级顾问医生，会诊医生

参考例句：

• a firm of management consultants 管理咨询公司
• There're many consultants in hospital. 医院里有很多会诊医生。

9 alluring   

adj.吸引人的，迷人的

参考例句：

• The life in a big city is alluring for the young people. 大都市的生活对年轻人颇具诱惑力。
• Lisette's large red mouth broke into a most alluring smile. 莉莎特的鲜红的大嘴露出了一副极为诱人的微笑。

10 vacancies   

n.空房间( vacancy的名词复数 )；空虚；空白；空缺

参考例句：

• job vacancies 职位空缺
• The sign outside the motel said \"No Vacancies\". 汽车旅馆外的招牌显示“客满”。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

12 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

13 accounting   

n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。

14 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

15 solicitors   

初级律师( solicitor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Most solicitors in England and Wales are in private practice . 英格兰和威尔士的大多数律师都是私人执业者。
• The family has instructed solicitors to sue Thomson for compensation. 那家人已经指示律师起诉汤姆森，要求赔偿。

16 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

17 touted   

v.兜售( tout的过去式和过去分词 )；招揽；侦查；探听赛马情报

参考例句：

• She's being touted as the next leader of the party. 她被吹捧为该党的下一任领导人。
• People said that he touted for his mother and sister. 据说，他给母亲和姐姐拉生意。 来自辞典例句

18 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

19 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

20 broker   

n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排

参考例句：

• He baited the broker by promises of higher commissions.他答应给更高的佣金来引诱那位经纪人。
• I'm a real estate broker.我是不动产经纪人。

21 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

22 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

23 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。