2018年经济学人 自由交流:企业老板如何高效控制员工(1)

 

Finance and Economics

财经

Free exchange

自由交流

Better, stronger, faster

更好、更强、更快

Labour-monitoring technologies raise efficiency—and hard questions.

劳动力监督技术在提高效率的同时也带来种种难题。

Bosses have always sought control over how workers do their jobs.

企业老板总是在找办法来控制员工的工作方法。

Whatever subtlety¹ there once was to this art, technology is now obliterating².

不论这种方法以前有多么微妙，如今的技术正在完全毁灭掉。

In February Amazon received patents for a wristband apparently³ intended to shepherd labourers in its warehouses⁴ through their jobs with maximum efficiency.

2月，亚马逊获得了一款腕带多项专利——从表面上看，这款腕带是用来指导员工在仓库里最为高效地工作。

The device, were Amazon to produce and use it, could collect detailed⁵ information about each worker’s whereabouts and movements, and strategically vibrate in order to guide their actions.

如果亚马逊生产并使用这一穿戴设备，它将收集每位员工详细的行踪和运动信息，并以巧妙地震动方式指导员工的行动。

Using such technology seems an obvious step for firms seeking to maximise productivity.

对于各家企业来说，使用这类技术表面上是为了追求最高生产率。

Whether workers should welcome the trend, or fear it, is harder to say.

员工对此技术是欢迎还是担忧，现在还很难说。

Workplace discipline came into its own during the Industrial Revolution.

在工业革命时期就有了工作纪律。

As production came to depend ever more on expensive capital equipment, bosses, not keen to see that equipment sitting idle, curtailed⁶ their workers’ freedom,

随着生产越来越依赖于昂贵的资本设备，老板们不愿看到设备闲置，便缩减员工的自由，

demanding they work during set hours, in co-ordination with other employees, at a pace dictated⁷ by the firm.

要求他们在固定的时间里工作，以及与其他员工协调一致，而工作节奏则由企业来控制。

Technology creates new opportunities for oversight⁸.

技术为监督员工工作创造了新机会。

Editors can see which of their journalists attract the most readers (though many wisely focus on other measures of quality).

编辑能看到哪位记者吸引的读者最多（虽然很多人明智地关注于其他衡量质量的办法）。

Referees⁹ at sporting events are subject to reviews that check their decisions to within millimetres.

运动比赛的裁判常常要复查以确保他们的决策精确到毫米。

1 subtlety   

n.微妙，敏锐，精巧；微妙之处，细微的区别

参考例句：

• He has shown enormous strength,great intelligence and great subtlety.他表现出充沛的精力、极大的智慧和高度的灵活性。
• The subtlety of his remarks was unnoticed by most of his audience.大多数听众都没有觉察到他讲话的微妙之处。

2 obliterating   

v.除去( obliterate的现在分词 )；涂去；擦掉；彻底破坏或毁灭

参考例句：

• Michael smoked the competition, obliterating field in most of his events. 迈克尔让比赛放光，几乎淹没了他所参加的大多数项目。 来自互联网
• He heard Pam screaming.The noise became obliterating.Then solid darkness descended. 在一片混乱中，他听到了帕姆的尖叫。接下来，噪音消失了，黑暗降临了。 来自互联网

3 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。

4 warehouses   

仓库，货栈( warehouse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The whisky was taken to bonded warehouses at Port Dundee. 威士忌酒已送到邓迪港的保稅仓库。
• Row upon row of newly built warehouses line the waterfront. 江岸新建的仓库鳞次栉比。

5 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

6 curtailed   

v.截断，缩短( curtail的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Spending on books has been severely curtailed. 购书开支已被大大削减。
• Their public health programme had to be severely curtailed. 他们的公共卫生计划不得不大大收缩。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 dictated   

v.大声讲或读( dictate的过去式和过去分词 )；口授；支配；摆布

参考例句：

• He dictated a letter to his secretary. 他向秘书口授信稿。
• No person of a strong character likes to be dictated to. 没有一个个性强的人愿受人使唤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

9 referees   

n.裁判员( referee的名词复数 )；证明人；公断人；（专业性强的文章的）审阅人

参考例句：

• The fiery player has had numerous run-ins with referees. 这位脾气暴躁的队员曾和裁判员发生过无数次争吵。
• If you want to appeal, the Court of Referees will decide. 如果你要上诉，可以由仲裁法庭去判决。 来自辞典例句