华尔街日报双语笔记:“安静辞职”大火,美国年轻人也要“躺平”?

“安静辞职”大火,美国年轻人也要“躺平”?
If Your Co-Workers Are ‘Quiet Quitting,’ Here’s What That Means
美国一些“Z世代”职场人士开始拒绝“工作狂文化”;“我该干多少,就只干多少,除此之外,不会多做”。
Some Gen Z professionals are saying no to hustle culture; ‘I’m not going to go extra’
华尔街日报双语笔记:“安静辞职”大火,美国年轻人也要“躺平”?

笔记导读

ruminate 沉思;琢磨;认真考虑; If you ruminate on something, you think about it very carefully. ◆ He ruminated on the terrible wastage that typified American life… 他认真地考虑了美国生活中典型的严重浪费问题。

snarky 尖锐批评的;讽刺挖苦的; criticizing sb in an unkind way ◆ a snarky remark 尖刻的指责

tether 将…拴到(反义词:untether);If you tether an animal or object to something, you attach it there with a rope or chain so that it cannot move very far.

contemptible 可轻蔑的;可鄙的;卑劣的;If you feel that someone or something is contemptible, you feel strong dislike and disrespect for them. ◆ contemptible behaviour 卑劣的行为

dislocate 扰乱(制度、进程、生活方式等);使混乱;使运转不正常;To dislocate something such as a system, process, or way of life means to disturb it greatly or prevent it from continuing as normal.

overextend 使(自己或别人)承担过多的工作; Be careful not to overextend yourself. You’ve been very ill.

subscribe to 同意,支持;I have never subscribed to the view that schooldays are the happiest days of your life.

双语全文(官方翻译)

Not taking your job too seriously has a new name: quiet quitting.

“别把你的工作太当回事儿”有了一个新名称:安静辞职(quiet quitting)。

The phrase is generating millions of views on TikTok as some young professionals reject the idea of going above and beyond in their careers, labeling their lesser enthusiasm a form of “quitting.” It isn’t about getting off the company payroll, these employees say. In fact, the idea is to stay on it—but focus your time on the things you do outside of the office.

这个词在TikTok上带来了成百上千万的浏览量,因为一些年轻的职场人士拒绝接受“在事业上要超越期待值”(go above and beyond)的理念,他们便将这种工作热情不高的态度视为某种形式的“辞职”。这些上班族说,这并不意味着要从企业的工资表上除名。事实上,他们还想继续领工资——只不过要把精力放在工作之外的事情上。

The videos range from sincere ruminations on work-life balance to snarky jokes. Some set firm boundaries against overtime in favor of family. Others advocate coasting from 9-to-5, doing just enough to get by. Many want to untether their careers from their identities.

这些TikTok视频中,既有对工作-生活平衡的深刻反思,也有刻薄的笑话,种类之多,不胜枚举。为照顾家庭,有人对加班设定了严格的界限;有人主张朝九晚五,得过且过;还有很多人希望将“我是干什么的”与“我是什么样的人”分割开来。

Of course, every generation enters the workforce and quickly realizes that having a job isn’t all fun and games. Navigating contemptible bosses and the petty indignities that have always been inflicted on the ranks of working stiffs has never been easy. And many people who say, when they’re young, that they don’t care about climbing the corporate ladder end up changing their minds.

当然,每一代人进入职场后都会很快意识到,工作并不总是闲情逸致。无论是对付可恶的老板,还是安抚受到各种小伤害的自尊心,从来都不容易,而这些经历是各行各业的打工族一直以来都会有的遭遇。虽然许多人年轻时都说,他们不在乎是否在公司出人头地,但最终他们都改变了想法。

The difference now is that this group has TikTok and hashtags to emote. And these 20-somethings joined the working world during the Covid-19 pandemic, with all of its dislocating effects, including blurred boundaries between work and life. Many workers say they feel they have power to push back in the current strong labor market. Recent data from Gallup shows employee engagement is declining.

如今的不同之处在于,这群人可以利用TikTok和话题标签来更强烈地表达自己的情绪。这些20多岁的人是在新冠疫情时期迈入职场的,因而感受到了疫情带来的所有负面影响,包括工作与生活的界限变得模糊。许多上班族表示,在当前强劲的劳动力市场中,他们觉得自己有能力“反击”。盖洛普(Gallup)近日的调查数据显示,员工的敬业度正在下降。

Clayton Farris, 41 years old, said that when he recently heard about the new term circulating on social media he realized he’d already been doing it by refusing to let work worries rule over him the way they used to.

41岁的克莱顿·法瑞斯(Clayton Farris)说,当他最近听到社交媒体上流传的这个新词时,他意识到,自己已经在这么做了——他不再像往常那样,让工作中的烦恼占据着内心。

“The most interesting part about it is nothing’s changed,” he said in his TikTok video. “I still work just as hard. I still get just as much accomplished. I just don’t stress and internally rip myself to shreds.”

“最有意思的是,一切依然照旧。”他在TikTok视频中说,“我仍像以前一样努力工作,我做出的成绩还和从前一样。我只是不会给自己压力,不会在心里把自己撕得粉碎。”

Across generations, U.S. employee engagement is falling, according to survey data from Gallup, but Gen Z and younger millennials, born in 1989 and after, reported the lowest engagement of all during the first quarter at 31%.

根据盖洛普的调查数据,美国各年龄段员工的敬业度都在下滑,但今年一季度,“Z世代”和较年轻的“千禧一代”(1989年及以后出生)的敬业度在所有年龄层中排名垫底,仅为31%。

Jim Harter, chief scientist for Gallup’s workplace and well-being research, said workers’ descriptions of “quiet quitting” align with a large group of survey respondents that he classifies as “not engaged”—those who will show up to work and do the minimum required but not much else. More than half of workers surveyed by Gallup who were born after 1989—54%—fall into this category.

盖洛普负责职场与福利研究的首席科学家吉姆·哈特(Jim Harter)说,上班族对“安静辞职”的描述符合不少受访对象的特点,他将这群人归为“不敬业人群”——他们会来上班,但除了完成最低要求,其余不会做太多。接受盖洛普调查的1989年以后出生的人群中,有超过一半的人(54%)属于这一类别。

One factor Gallup uses to measure engagement is whether people feel their work has purpose. Younger employees report that they don’t feel that way, the data show. These are the people who are more likely to work passively and look out for themselves over their employers, Dr. Harter said.

盖洛普衡量敬业度的指标之一是受访者在工作中是否会有使命感。数据显示,较为年轻的员工说,他们没有这种感觉。哈特博士指出,这类人更容易消极工作,也更有可能将自己的感受置于雇主之上。

Paige West, 24, said she stopped overextending herself at a former position as a transportation analyst in Washington, D.C., less than a year into the job. Work stress had gotten so intense that, she said, her hair was falling out and she couldn’t sleep. While looking for a new role, she no longer worked beyond 40 hours each week, didn’t sign up for extra training and stopped trying to socialize with colleagues.

24岁的佩奇·韦斯特(Paige West)说,她曾是华盛顿特区的一名交通分析师,入职不到一年,她便不再卖力工作。她说,之前她的工作压力很大,以至于她会脱发,还会失眠。后来在寻觅新工作时,她不再每周工作超过40个小时,也不再报名参加额外的培训,对于同事之间的社交活动,她也懒得再参加。

“I took a step back and said, ‘I’m just going to work the hours I’m supposed to work, that I’m really getting paid to work,’” she said. “Besides that, I’m not going to go extra.”

“我往后退了一步,对自己说,‘我该干多少,就只干多少,我拿多少钱,就做多少事 。’”她说,“除此之外,我不会多做。”

Ms. West said that she found herself more engaged during meetings once she stopped trying so hard, and she received more positive feedback. She left the job last year and is now a full-time freelance virtual assistant making about 75% of her previous salary. She adjusted by moving back to her home state of Florida.

韦斯特说,当她不再那么努力时,她发现自己开会时反而更投入了,而且她得到的反馈也更加积极。她去年辞去了那份工作,目前以自由职业者身份担任全职远程助理,薪水约为上一份工作的75%。她也换了居住地,搬回自己的家乡佛罗里达州。

Zaid Khan, a 24-year-old engineer in New York, posted a quiet quitting video that has racked up three million views in two weeks. In his viral TikTok, Mr. Khan explained the concept this way: “You’re quitting the idea of going above and beyond.”

24岁的扎伊德·卡恩(Zaid Khan)是纽约的一名工程师,他发布的一则“安静辞职”的视频在两周内吸引了300万人次观看。在这段大量传播的TikTok视频中,卡恩是这样解释“安静辞职”概念的:“你正在摒弃工作要超越期待值的想法。”

“You’re no longer subscribing to the hustle-culture mentality that work has to be your life,” he said.

他说,“你不再认同把工作与生活划等号的‘工作狂文化’(hustle culture)。”

Mr. Khan says he and many of his peers reject the idea that productivity trumps all; they don’t see the payoff.

卡恩说,他和许多同龄人都反对生产率高于一切的观点;他们看不到回报。

Some online commenters pledged to relax on social media when they had downtime at work. Others say they will follow their job descriptions to the letter, instead of asking for additional assignments.

一些在网上留言的人说,工作间歇,他们肯定会到社交媒体上放松一下。还有人则说,他们会严格按照岗位描述来行事,不会主动寻求额外任务。

A new crop of quiet-quitting videos is starting to pop up, denouncing the move as a cop-out, not a cure-all for burnout or discontentment at work.

眼下,网上又出现了一批新的“安静辞职”视频,它们谴责这一举动是在逃避,而非缓解工作倦怠或不满情绪的万灵药。

People who coast have been fixtures of the office for decades, but many of today’s less-invested employees have been able to skate by thanks to remote work, said Elise Freedman, a senior client partner at consulting firm Korn Ferry.

咨询公司光辉国际(Korn Ferry)的高级客户合伙人伊莉斯·弗里德曼(Elise Freedman)说,数十年来,应付了事的人在职场上屡见不鲜,但如今,得益于远程办公的好处,许多工作不那么积极的员工也能蒙混过关。

If the economy sours, Ms. Freedman said, less-engaged workers may be more at risk of layoffs. “It’s perfectly appropriate that we expect our employees to give their all,” she said.

弗里德曼指出,如果经济形势恶化,敬业度不高的员工更有可能沦为裁员对象。她说,“我们希望员工能全身心投入,这个要求再合适不过。”

Josh Bittinger, a 32-year-old market-research director at a management-consulting company, said people who stumble on the phrase “quiet quitting” may assume it encourages people to be lazy, when it actually reminds them to not work to the point of burnout.

32岁的乔什·比廷杰(Josh Bittinger)是一家管理咨询公司的市场研究主管,他说,当人们乍一听“安静辞职”这个词,可能会认为它是在鼓励工作时偷懒,但其实它是在提醒人们,工作强度不要大到把自己累垮了。

After years of saying “yes” to everything, in hopes of standing out, Mr. Bittinger said he’s learned to say no more, reserves evenings for himself and avoids checking email on vacation.

这些年来,为了让自己脱颖而出,但凡有人叫他做事,比廷杰都不会拒绝。如今他说,他已经越来越多地学会了说“不”,不仅把晚上的时间留了出来,休假时也会避免查看电子邮件。

“I get my job done, my projects done. I’m performing well and I get good feedback,” he said. “And I’m able to still take time to just step away from everything.”

“我完成了工作,也做完了项目。我现在的工作表现依然很好,得到的反馈也不错。”他说,“除去所有这些事,我还能拥有属于自己的时间。”

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