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Unit 3
Attitudes Toward Work
In-Class Reading
Making Work Meaningful: Secrets of the Future-Focused Corporation
1 Today's worker is no longer willing to work in an authoritarian and dehumanizing environment. Workers want meaning in their work and balance in their lives. They want opportunities to contribute and to know how their work is effective. Employees want to work for organizations that respect them as individuals. They also want to know that they are working for an ethical company that acts in a socially and environmentally responsible manner.
2 Today, and in the future, companies must design work so that employees can take responsibility and be rewarded appropriately. By changing attitudes and conditions in the workplace, organizations can help make work more meaningful.
3 Repetitive factory routines and office work that simply moves paper from in-box to out-box are mindless tasks that destroy motivation and productivity. Research has shown that mental challenge is closely related to job satisfaction. Too little challenge in the work, as in completely automated tasks, generally leads to boredom and lowered satisfaction. On the other hand, too much challenge may lead to failure and frustration. Thus success or achievement in reaching an accepted standard of competence is an important factor in job satisfaction.
4 Today's workers want to be a valued part of the whole. They want to know that their work is important and how it fits into the corporate strategy. They want to know not only how the work they do affects others and the organization's goals, but how they as individuals can make an impact. Employees will contribute their knowledge enthusiastically in a corporate culture that values the individual.
5 The profitability of a company is related to the quality and efforts of its workers. Therefore, a direct relationship between job performance and reward makes work more meaningful. Compaq Computers, for example, has an unusually low turnover rate among its employees. Like most companies in the computer field, Compaq expects its people to work long and hard to achieve big results quickly. In many companies an atmosphere of constant push would inspire people to seek employment with less pressure somewhere else. Instead, high quality people stay with Compaq. The company's culture emphasizes individual responsibility for results and high respect for individuals. Compaq benefits from creating opportunities for employees to perform to the best of their potential and to be rewarded for their achievements.
6 Quality of life, on and off the job, is more important to today's workers than ever before. Both men and women struggle to balance the requirements of their job and the needs of their family. Some workers care for both children and elderly parents. Even employees without family responsibilities want time to pursue personal interests. In order to maintain a stable and motivated workforce, companies must be sensitive to the personal needs of their employees. They can respond to these needs by establishing flextime, daycare and sports facilities, for example.
7 In today's ever-changing workplace, very few workers expect to stay in the same job for their whole life. They want opportunities to expand their knowledge and experience. To avoid boredom and to increase their capabilities, they want to try different kinds of work. They also expect ongoing job training that makes them more marketable both inside and outside the company. The Land's End Company, Dodgeville, Wisconsin, offers employees the possibility of trying a new job temporarily without losing their current position. If they like the work, they can request an official transfer.
8 Employees, investors and consumers are also beginning to judge companies by how they deal with issues like ethnic diversity, harassment, hiring and firing, profit sharing, and other labor/management policies. A number of companies recently in the news know all too well the public impact of internal decisions. To cite just two examples, AT&T created a very negative impression when it laid off thousands of workers in a year of profits. And Texaco's failure to handle racial discrimination within its own ranks will remain in the public consciousness for years. Prospective employees are reluctant to join a company that has a history of treating its people badly. Investors are also watching companies carefully because the connection between a stable workforce and profitability has been made quite clear.
9 More and more companies are celebrating differences among people and making active use of the varied perspectives that workers from different backgrounds bring to the job. The Hearst Corporation, for instance, celebrates the unique talents and contributions of all its employees, whether they are high-profile reporters, secretaries, or operators of printing presses. When someone at Hearst does something worthy of recognition, flowers are sent to the employee's spouse. Really special contributions call for a small gift from a prestigious department store. Receiving the gifts at home brings the family into the celebration and helps connect the worlds of home life and work experience.
10 Employees also want to know that they are working for an ethical company that respects the environment. Younger workers today are much more concerned with environmental issues than employees were in the past. Whether a company applies environmental considerations at every stage of its operations or ignores these issues unless it gets caught can make a major difference in employee loyalty and market acceptance. A company that takes an active role in protecting the environment, both in its own products and through community involvement, will have a stronger position in the marketplace.
11 Successful future organizations must be mindful of all their relationships and act with integrity at all times. But the most important relationship is between a company and its employees. The ability to build strong, collaborative relationships with employees will determine whether a business evolves through time or is lost along the way. (943 words)
Time taken: _________ minutes
Proper Names
At & T (abbreviation)
American Telephone and Telegraph 美国电话电报公司
Compaq Computers
（美国）康柏电脑公司
Dodgeville
道奇维尔市（位于美国威斯康星州）
Hearst Corporation
赫斯特公司
The Land's End Company
兰兹角公司（a company for sports clothes）
New Words
authoritarian
adj. of, favoring, or requiring complete obedience to authority 主张绝对服从权力的
boredom *
n. the state of not being interested in anything 厌烦；厌倦
e.g. The children's boredom resulted from having nothing to do on a rainy day.
collaborative *
adj. joint, shared or done by two or more persons 合作的；协作的
e.g. The presentation was a collaborative effort by all the children in the class.
daycare *
n. care for children during the day when their parents are working 日托，日间照管儿童
flextime
n. a system that allows employees to choose the hours for starting and leaving work, according to guidelines specified by an employer 弹性工作时间制
harassment
n. behavior which is intended to trouble or annoy someone repeatedly 骚扰
e.g. The company issued guidelines to prevent any kind of harassment in the workplace.
high-profile
adj. receiving a lot of attention and interest from the public 引人注目的
e.g. He came to public attention when he started in a high-profile job as economic adviser to the Prime Minister.
integrity
n. honesty; moral uprightness 正直；诚实
e.g. When he was accused of cheating, John's integrity was questioned.
investor *
n. a person who puts money into a business idea or activity in the hopes of making more money if the idea is successful 投资者
e.g. The investor is entitled to a reasonable return on his money.
mindful *
adj. taking heed or care; being conscious 注意......的；留心......的
e.g. Politicians are increasingly mindful that young voters are turning away from traditional political parties.
mindless*
adj. not needing one's mind 无须动脑筋的；无须集中注意力的
e.g. I'm afraid it's fairly mindless work-opening mail and keying data into a computer.
ongoing
adj. continuing; not stopping 进行中的， 不间断的
e.g. There were ongoing negotiations until the contract was settled.
operator
n. a person who operates equipment, a machine, etc., or a person who handles telephone calls at a switchboard (设备、机器等的)操作员；话务员
e.g. I) The operator of a big truck must be careful not to injure others.
II) I didn't know how to make an overseas call, so I asked an operator to help me.
prestigious *
adj. having a high reputation 有声望的
e.g. A number of prestigious persons attended the wedding
profitability *
n. the quality of being able to produce a profit 羸利
e.g. Since the recession (衰退), many of the successful retailers have recorded reduced profitability.
temporarily *
adv. for the time being; for a little while 暂时地；临时地
e.g. Well, I suppose she can stay here temporarily, while she's looking for an apartment.
varied *
adj. consisting of or including many different kinds of things or people, especially in a way that seems interesting 各种各样的；不同的
e.g. This restaurant offers a varied menu that should please everyone.
workforce
n. the group of people who work in a company, industry, country, etc. 劳动力
Phrases and Expressions
be mindful of
keep something in one's mind 注意；留心
e.g. We must be mindful not only of the form but also of the content of our drill sentences.
be reluctant to do something
be very unwilling to do something 不情愿做某事
e.g. I am reluctant to get out of bed on cold mornings.
be sensitive to something
have or show intelligent awareness or sympathetic understanding of other people's needs, problems, or feelings 对......敏感的；对......同情理解的
e.g. Dr Abraham said he hoped teachers would be sensitive to signs of stress in children at exam time.
judge... by
form an opinion about (someone/something) after considering some factors 以......来判断；用......衡量；从......看
e.g. You can't judge a book by its cover. In other words, you can't tell what something or someone is like by looking only at the outside appearance.
lay off
stop employing (a worker), especially if it might be possible to employ them again in the future (暂时)解雇雇员
e.g. The company laid off a thousand workers because there wasn't enough demand for its products.
make a/no/some difference
have an/no/some effect 有/没有/有些......作用或影响
e.g. I) Exercise can make a big difference to your health.
II) You can ask him again if you like, but it won't make any difference-he'll still say no.
to the best of one's potential
as far as one can 尽其所能
e.g. We are a competitive company looking for creative people willing to work to the best of their potential.
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