常规任务对决首要任务 不可忽视工作中的"小事"

 　　Most people can identify their top priority at work. Generally, it will be the part of the job that is most productive for their employer: for a merger¹ and acquisitions banker, it could be landing a big deal for a client; for a lorry driver, the punctual delivery of an important consignment²; for a hospital doctor or nurse, giving vital treatment to a patient.

　　绝大多数人能够认知自己工作中的首要任务。通常，这也是他们工作中最能给雇主带来成效的部分：对并购银行家来说，首要任务是为客户敲定一桩大交易；对货车司机来说，首要任务是将重要的货物准时送达；对医生或者护士来说，首要任务是给予病人至关重要的治疗。

　　But every job is ringed with secondary tasks – the routine but critical stuff covered by codes and guidelines. If such chores are neglected, the consequences may undermine overall success. New research suggests tired workers in demanding jobs start giving up doing those small, but vital, tasks remarkably³ quickly.

　　但是每一项工作都涉及次要任务，这些常规而又至关重要的环节包含在准则和指引中。如果忽视了它们，可能会破坏整体上的成功。一项新的研究似乎表明，从事高强度工作的疲惫员工会很快放弃那些细小但却十分重要的任务。

　　常规任务对决首要任务

　　Technology can, of course, take over some basic chores altogether. It is no longer necessary to engage an additional auditor⁴ to cross-check the balance sheet, or to insist airline pilots handle every tiny aspect of monitoring and flying their aircraft.

　　当然，技术能完全接手一些基础的日常事务。我们不再需要一位额外的审计员来核对资产负债表，或者坚持让飞行员处理飞机监控和飞行中的每一个细小的方面。

　　Automated⁵ solutions are not as reassuring⁶ as they seem, however. Peter Thiel, the entrepreneur, wrote in the FT last week that computers “excel at efficient data processing but struggle to make basic judgments”. In other words, humans are not redundant⁷. But the flesh-and-blood workers who remain now have greater responsibility for more important tasks. If companies pile more work on to them, these weary employees could inadvertently plunge⁸ them into disaster.

　　然而，自动化解决方案并不像它们看上去那样令人放心。企业家彼得?蒂尔(Peter Thiel)最近在英国《金融时报》撰文表示，计算机“善于进行高效率的数据处理，但很难做出基本的判断”。换句话说，人类并不多余。但是，剩下的有血有肉的员工如今为更重要的任务承担了更大的责任。如果公司将更多工作分配给他们，疲惫的员工可能在不经意间使公司陷入灾难。

　　It is a truism that a tired worker is less productive than a fresh one. But researchers at Wharton and Kenan-Flagler business schools have shown that compliance⁹ with routine tasks can fall away within one heavy shift.

　　疲劳的员工的生产率没有精力充沛的员工高，这是不言而喻的道理。但沃顿商学院(Wharton School)和凯南-弗拉格勒商学院(Kenan-Flagler Business School)的研究者向我们展示，即使在一个繁重的轮班期间，人们完成常规性任务的程度也可能逐渐下降。

　　Their study’s focus was hand hygiene¹⁰, healthcare’s mundane¹¹ but powerful weapon against cross-infection. Such is the importance of sanitisation – when done thoroughly¹², it can reduce infection by the MRSA “superbug” by 95 per cent – that hospitals have started to monitor compliance, using electronic tags in sanitisers and workers’ badges. Each time a member of staff skips the sanitiser, the omission¹³ is logged.

　　他们的研究重点是手卫生，这是一种平淡无奇的卫生保健手段，却能有效地对抗交叉感染。消毒如此重要，以至于如果彻底洗手，就能将有“超级病菌”之称的耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌(MRSA)的感染几率减少95%。医院开始在洗手液分配器和员工胸牌上安装电子跟踪器，以监控医护人员是否遵守这项程序。每当一个员工跳过了洗手程序，就会被记录下来。

　　The extraordinarily¹⁴ rich anonymised information from such a system is a treasure trove¹⁵ for big data researchers such as Wharton’s Katherine Milkman. Analysing 13.8m “unique hand hygiene opportunities” for more than 4,000 staff at 35 hospitals, she and her co-authors found that over a 12-hour shift compliance by an average staff member fell by 8.5 percentage points. Lax handwashing, they suggest, could be costing $25bn annually¹⁶ in treatment of unnecessary infection in the US – and leading to 70,000 needless deaths.

　　对沃顿商学院的凯瑟琳?米尔克曼(Katherine Milkman)这样的大数据研究者来说，这个系统提供的格外丰富的匿名信息是一个宝库。在分析了35家医院逾4000名员工总共1380万次“独一无二的手卫生机会”后，她和她的合著者发现在12小时的轮班期间，员工对手卫生程序的平均遵守度下降了8.5个百分点。他们估测，在美国，疏于洗手引起的不必要的感染每年会造成250亿美元的治疗费用，并导致7万个不必要的死亡病例。

　　As Prof Milkman explained to me last week, the fact that intense work makes it harder to do less important tasks could have profound implications in other walks of life. The study points out that “these deviations¹⁷ pose a threat to the wellbeing of organisations, employees and clients?.?.?.?because such violations¹⁸ can reduce the quality of products produced and services provided as well as creating an unsafe work environment”.

　　就如米尔克曼教授上周向我解释的那样，高强度工作会使人更难去做不那么重要的工作，这个事实在其他行业也会造成深远的影响。该项研究指出，“这些违反规定的行为对组织、员工和客户的福祉构成威胁……因为这种违规行为降低了产品和服务的质量，并使工作环境变得不安全”。

　　Suddenly, it is a little clearer why the exhausted¹⁹ M&A banker skips parts of the ethical²⁰ code her bank insists on, or why the tired lorry driver jumps the lights to make it to the depot²¹ on time. The work could offer clues about how to make sure the steeplejack always checks his harness, even on the final ascent²² of the skyscraper²³, and the weary journalist reads through her story for possible errors on deadline.

　　突然间，某些行为背后的原因变得清楚了一些，比如精疲力尽的并购银行家略过一部分其所在银行坚持的道德准则，或者疲惫的货车司机闯交通灯以按时到达仓库。这项研究工作会提供线索，告诉我们如何确保高空作业工人总是检查身上的保护带，即使在最后一次登上摩天大楼时；或者确保记者在截稿前通读自己的报道以发现可能的差错。

　　The good news is that while the ability to carry out these simple tasks deteriorates²⁴ swiftly, employers can restore it rapidly by, say, giving workers longer breaks between shifts. Another positive conclusion is that in this case technology seems to help. Monitoring compliance electronically, for all its Orwellian implications, does improve the overall frequency of handwashing.

　　好消息是，尽管人们完成这些简单事务的能力会快速下降，但雇主也可以通过加长轮班之间的休息时间等手段迅速恢复这种能力。另一个积极的结论是，在这种情况下，技术似乎能提供帮助。电子监控员工是否完成这些日常事务，尽管带有一种奥威尔式的意味，却的确能从整体上提高洗手的频次。

　　Hand hygiene is, however, one of those secondary tasks that will by definition always be manual. In other areas, the assumption is that machines have cleared the way for professionals to concentrate on their primary productive job. But there is evidence, highlighted in a recent New Yorker article about pilots’ reliance on their autopilot, that some skills may atrophy²⁵ as workers become complacent²⁶ about technological²⁷ back-up.

　　不过，手卫生是一种必须手工完成的次要任务。在其他领域，人们假设机器已经为专业人才清除了道路，让他们能专注于自己的首要生产性工作。但证据似乎表明，员工对技术“后盾”过于自满导致一些技能会慢慢退化，《纽约客》(The New Yorker)最近一篇关于飞行员依赖自动驾驶仪的文章凸显了这一证据。

　　I think the new research adds a further twist: if technology makes some vital tasks that used to be central seem routine, workers may also start to neglect them as the day drags on – with potentially dire²⁸ consequences.

　　我想这个新研究还增添了另一项曲折：如果技术使一些曾处于中心地位的关键任务变成常规事务，员工在忙碌的上班过程中可能逐渐开始忽视这些任务，进而可能造成严重后果。

1 merger   

n.企业合并，并吞

参考例句：

• Acceptance of the offer is the first step to a merger.对这项提议的赞同是合并的第一步。
• Shareholders will be voting on the merger of the companies.股东们将投票表决公司合并问题。

2 consignment   

n.寄售；发货；委托；交运货物

参考例句：

• This last consignment of hosiery is quite up to standard.这批新到的针织品完全符合规格。
• We have to ask you to dispatch the consignment immediately.我们得要求你立即发送该批货物。

3 remarkably   

ad.不同寻常地，相当地

参考例句：

• I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
• He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。

4 auditor   

n.审计员，旁听着

参考例句：

• The auditor was required to produce his working papers.那个审计员被要求提供其工作底稿。
• The auditor examines the accounts of all county officers and departments.审计员查对所有县官员及各部门的帐目。

5 automated   

a.自动化的

参考例句：

• The entire manufacturing process has been automated. 整个生产过程已自动化。
• Automated Highway System (AHS) is recently regarded as one subsystem of Intelligent Transport System (ITS). 近年来自动公路系统(Automated Highway System,AHS)，作为智能运输系统的子系统之一越来越受到重视。

6 reassuring   

a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的

参考例句：

• He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. 他轻拍了一下她的肩膀让她放心。
• With a reassuring pat on her arm, he left. 他鼓励地拍了拍她的手臂就离开了。

7 redundant   

adj.多余的，过剩的；(食物)丰富的；被解雇的

参考例句：

• There are too many redundant words in this book.这本书里多余的词太多。
• Nearly all the redundant worker have been absorbed into other departments.几乎所有冗员，都已调往其他部门任职。

8 plunge   

v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲

参考例句：

• Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
• That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。

9 compliance   

n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从

参考例句：

• I was surprised by his compliance with these terms.我对他竟然依从了这些条件而感到吃惊。
• She gave up the idea in compliance with his desire.她顺从他的愿望而放弃自己的主意。

10 hygiene   

n.健康法，卫生学 （a.hygienic）

参考例句：

• Their course of study includes elementary hygiene and medical theory.他们的课程包括基础卫生学和医疗知识。
• He's going to give us a lecture on public hygiene.他要给我们作关于公共卫生方面的报告。

11 mundane   

adj.平凡的；尘世的；宇宙的

参考例句：

• I hope I can get an interesting job and not something mundane.我希望我可以得到的是一份有趣的工作，而不是一份平凡无奇的。
• I find it humorous sometimes that even the most mundane occurrences can have an impact on our awareness.我发现生活有时挺诙谐的，即使是最平凡的事情也能影响我们的感知。

12 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

13 omission   

n.省略，删节；遗漏或省略的事物，冗长

参考例句：

• The omission of the girls was unfair.把女孩排除在外是不公平的。
• The omission of this chapter from the third edition was a gross oversight.第三版漏印这一章是个大疏忽。

14 extraordinarily   

adv.格外地；极端地

参考例句：

• She is an extraordinarily beautiful girl.她是个美丽非凡的姑娘。
• The sea was extraordinarily calm that morning.那天清晨，大海出奇地宁静。

15 trove   

n.被发现的东西，收藏的东西

参考例句：

• He assembled a rich trove of Chinese porcelain.他收集了一批中国瓷器。
• The gallery is a treasure trove of medieval art.这个画廊是中世纪艺术的宝库。

16 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

17 deviations   

背离，偏离( deviation的名词复数 )； 离经叛道的行为

参考例句：

• Local deviations depend strongly on the local geometry of the solid matrix. 局部偏离严格地依赖于固体矩阵的局部几何形状。
• They were a series of tactical day-to-day deviations from White House policy. 它们是一系列策略上一天天摆脱白宫政策的偏向。

18 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

19 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

20 ethical   

adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。

21 depot   

n.仓库，储藏处；公共汽车站；火车站

参考例句：

• The depot is only a few blocks from here.公共汽车站离这儿只有几个街区。
• They leased the building as a depot.他们租用这栋大楼作仓库。

22 ascent   

n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高

参考例句：

• His rapid ascent in the social scale was surprising.他的社会地位提高之迅速令人吃惊。
• Burke pushed the button and the elevator began its slow ascent.伯克按动电钮，电梯开始缓慢上升。

23 skyscraper   

n.摩天大楼

参考例句：

• The skyscraper towers into the clouds.那幢摩天大楼高耸入云。
• The skyscraper was wrapped in fog.摩天楼为雾所笼罩。

24 deteriorates   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• After a few years' planting, the quality of the potato crop deteriorates. 土豆种了几年之后就会退化。
• Virus activity deteriorates in plasma stored at room temperature. 在室温下储藏的血浆中病毒活动逐渐衰退。

25 atrophy   

n./v.萎缩，虚脱，衰退

参考例句：

• Patients exercised their atrophied limbs in the swimming pool.病人们在泳池里锻炼萎缩的四肢。
• Many hoped he would renew the country's atrophied political system.很多人都期望他能使该国萎靡的政治体系振作起来。

26 complacent   

adj.自满的；自鸣得意的

参考例句：

• We must not become complacent the moment we have some success.我们决不能一见成绩就自满起来。
• She was complacent about her achievements.她对自己的成绩沾沾自喜。

27 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

28 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。