工作中的焦虑

帮助团队建立复原力、处理不确定性和完成任务的8项策略

作者：阿德里安-戈斯蒂克、切斯特-埃尔顿和安东尼-戈斯蒂克

Anxiety at Work

8 Strategies to Help Teams Build Resilience, Handle Uncertainty, and Get Stuff Done

By Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton with Anthony Gostick

内容提要

《工作中的焦虑》（2021）探讨了现代工作场所如何导致我们的焦虑水平飙升。它概述了组织和团队领导如何帮助减轻员工的忧虑和思想负担。

Synopsis

Anxiety at Work (2021) explores how the modern workplace contributes to our soaring anxiety levels. It outlines how organizations, and team leaders, can help alleviate their employees’ worries and concerns.

本书适用于谁？

* 任何对组织心理学感兴趣的人

* 寻找问题的感到压力的员工

* 希望提高员工幸福感的管理者

Who is it for?

* Anyone interested in organizational psychology

* Stressed-out employees looking for some perspective

* Managers hoping to give employee well-being a boost

关于作者

阿德里安-戈斯蒂克是一位英国作家，专门研究组织心理学。他也是位于犹他州的咨询公司The Culture Works的创始人。

切斯特-埃尔顿是一位加拿大作家和管理战略家。他专门研究提高员工的积极性。他们也是其他几本书的作者，包括《纽约时报》的畅销书《胡萝卜原则》、《全员参与》和《以感恩之心领导》。

About the author

Adrian Gostick is a British author who specializes in organizational psychology. He’s also the founder of the Utah-based consulting firm The Culture Works.

Chester Elton is a Canadian author and management strategist. He specializes in boosting employee motivation. They’re also the authors of several other titles, including the New York Times best sellers The Carrot Principle, All In, and Leading with Gratitude.

1, What’s in it for me? Take stress out of the office.

[ 我能学到什么？把压力赶出办公室 ]

近年来，心理健康已经成为一个谈话的主题。而且人们比以往任何时候都更多地谈论他们自己的心理健康。在本书中，你将了解到职能经理和人事经理如何能够成为这一对话的一部分。

In recent years, mental health has become a topic of conversation. And people are speaking out about their own mental wellness more than ever. In these blinks, you’ll learn how businesses and people managers can become part of this conversation.

本书包含了一些简单的技巧，帮助团队领导识别工作场所焦虑的原因和诱因。这本书是你了解现代工作世界如何影响我们心理健康的首选指南。你还会发现简单而有效的技术来解决焦虑问题，从而使你的员工尽可能地没有压力--并因此提高生产力。

Packed with simple techniques to help team leaders identify the causes and triggers of anxiety in the workplace, this is your go-to guide for understanding how the modern working world is affecting our mental health. You’ll also discover simple yet effective techniques for troubleshooting anxiety so that your employees are as stress-free as possible – and more productive as a result.

在本文中，你将学会

    *为什么一起吃午饭的消防员能拯救更多的生命。

    *为什么千禧一代经常被称为 "偏执狂一代"；以及

    *你如何能成为来自少数民族背景的员工的盟友。

In these blinks, you’ll learn

* why firefighters who eat lunch together save more lives;

* why millennials are often called “generation paranoia”; and

* how you can be an ally to employees from minority backgrounds.

2, Younger workers are feeling besieged by events beyond their control. 

[ 年轻的员工感到被各种事件所困扰，超出他们的控制能力 ]

你是如何应对不确定性的？像我们许多人一样，当你不知道未来会发生什么时，你可能会感到焦虑。对于今天的员工来说，这已经成为一个大问题，因为现代的工作场所充满了未知。关键是领导者要在他们能做到的地方尽量减少不确定性--在他们不能做到的时候帮助他们的员工应对。

How do you respond to uncertainty? Like many of us, you probably feel anxious when you don’t know what the future holds. For today’s workforce, this has become a big problem because the modern workplace is full of the unknown. The key is for leaders to try and minimize uncertainty where they can – and help their employees cope when they can’t.

那么，造成这种不确定性的原因是什么？这一切都归结于工作的不安全感。近三分之二的美国员工表示对他们工作的未来感到担忧。当然，COVID-19大流行病已经破坏了许多工作的稳定性，但这些恐惧也有其根源，那就是更早的事件。年轻一代仍然受到2008年金融危机的影响，以及机器人和自动化取代他们角色的前景。

So what’s the cause of this uncertainty? It all comes down to job insecurity. Nearly two-thirds of American workers report being concerned about the future of their jobs. Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic has destabilized many jobs, but these fears have their roots in earlier events, too. The younger generation is still affected by the financial crisis of 2008, as well as the prospect of robots and automation taking over their roles.

这里的要点是：年轻的员工感到被他们无法控制的事件所围困。

The key message here is: Younger workers feel besieged by events beyond their control.

可悲的是，很多千禧年的员工还感到被剥削。他们自己掏钱进行教育和深造，在这个过程中通常会累积学生债务。但即使做了这一切，他们的回报往往是不安全的、自由的或基于合同的工作。为什么？因为这是对拥有资本的老板们最有效的劳务安排。因此，千禧一代感到随时都可以被取代。

Sadly, a lot of millennial workers also feel exploited. They’ve funded their own education and qualifications, typically accruing student debt in the process. But even after doing all of this, their reward is often insecure, freelance, or contract-based work. Why? Because this is the labor arrangement that works best for the capital-owning bosses. As a result, millennials feel replaceable at any time.

这种令人不舒服的现实导致了可预见的高焦虑水平。一些社会评论家甚至将千禧一代命名为 "偏执狂一代"。年轻的员工们眼睁睁看着不断增加的竞争负担，并感到被迫比以前更努力、更长时间地工作。这就是员工们觉得需要 "永远在线 "和随叫随到的真正原因。

This uncomfortable reality leads to predictably high anxiety levels. Some social commentators have even christened millennials as “Generation Paranoia.” Younger workers are constantly looking over their shoulders at the competition and feel forced to work harder and longer than ever before. This is the real reason why workers feel the need to be “always on” and always available.

领导者如何帮助减少员工的焦虑水平，和造成焦虑的不确定性？好吧，在许多情况下，他们对不确定性无能为力。令人振奋但又充满挑战的现实是，在几乎所有的行业中，颠覆正在以惊人的速度发生。因此，变化和不确定性将继续存在。

How can leaders help to reduce their employees’ anxiety levels, and the uncertainty that drives it? Well, in many cases, they can do nothing about the uncertainty. The exciting, yet challenging reality is that, across almost every industry, disruption is happening at breakneck speed. So change and uncertainty are here to stay.

但领导者并不是完全无能为力；他们仍然可以帮助他们的团队驾驭这种不确定性。当COVID-19大流行病袭来时，FYidoctors验光师公司被迫关闭其几乎所有的诊所。这使其整个员工队伍陷入恐慌和混乱。但高级领导团队决心对所发生的事情保持透明。在通过Zoom进行的每日简报会上，领导团队告诉他们的员工任何新的变化和已经发生的问题，以及他们打算如何处理这些问题。随着时间的推移，公司的气氛从恐慌和混乱转变为相互理解，公司里的每个人都感到不那么焦虑了。

But leaders aren’t completely helpless; they can still help their teams navigate this uncertainty. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, optometrist firm FYidoctors was forced to close almost all its clinics. This threw its entire workforce into panic and disarray. But the senior leadership team was determined to be transparent about what was happening. During daily briefing sessions over Zoom, the leadership team told their staff about any new changes and issues that had occurred, and what they were planning to do about them. In time, the mood in the company changed from panic and confusion to mutual understanding, and everyone in the company felt a lot less anxious.

3, Some conflict is necessary for a thriving and productive team.

[ 对于一个蓬勃发展和富有成效的团队来说，一些冲突是必要的 ]

在与人意见相左时，你会舒服吗？也许你能自如地将自己与朋友或爱人对立起来，但当涉及到工作场所时，你却避而远之。与你的队友或你的老板发生冲突的前景可能会让你感到非常焦虑。但是，在办公室里，健康的辩论和不健康的敌意是有很大区别的。

How comfortable are you with disagreeing with someone? Perhaps you’re comfortable putting yourself in opposition to a friend or a loved one, but when it comes to the workplace, you shy away from it. The prospect of engaging in conflict with your teammates, or your boss, might make you highly anxious. But, there’s a big difference between healthy debate and unhealthy hostility in the office.

经理们经常抱怨的一个问题是，他们的员工过于回避冲突。他们羞于进行困难的对话，当他们被给予严厉的反馈时，会变得很痛苦。不出所料，这是经理们沮丧的一个来源。

One common complaint that managers have is that their employees are too conflict-averse. They shy away from having difficult conversations and become distressed when they’re given tough feedback. Unsurprisingly, this is a source of frustration to managers.

这里的要点是：一些冲突对于一个蓬勃发展和富有成效的团队是必要的。

The key message here is: Some conflict is necessary for a thriving and productive team.

绩效最高的团队成员之间的意见分歧和辩论是很常见的。这种冲突会推动问题的更好解决，实际上可以激励员工产生更好的工作。

Disagreement and debate among members of the highest-performing teams is common. This conflict drives better problem-solving and can actually motivate staff to produce better work.

为什么呢？是这样的，当人们知道他们的声音被听到时，他们会感到更多的参与和安全，并对工作项目有更大的责任感。毕竟，当你觉得自己有发言权的时候，你更有可能参与和关心某件事。

Why? Well, when people know that their voices are being heard, they feel more engaged and secure and have a greater sense of ownership over work projects. After all, you’re more likely to own and care about something when you feel you’ve had a say in it.

那么，领导者如何鼓励团队中的健康辩论？第一步是鼓励会议上的讨论。

So how can leaders encourage healthy debate within their teams? The first step is to encourage discussions in meetings.

一些团队成员避免分享他们的观点是很常见的。这不可避免地意味着，只有少数乐于辩论的人的意见被听取。解决这个问题的一个方法是在每次会议结束时花几分钟时间直接问每个人他们的想法是什么。这鼓励人们离开他们的舒适区，分享他们的真实想法。当然，这只有在团队成员在分享他们的意见时感到心理安全时才有效。

It’s not uncommon for some team members to refrain from sharing their views. This inevitably means that just a few, more conflict-comfortable people, are listened to. One way around this issue is to take a few minutes at the end of each meeting to ask each person directly what their thoughts are. This encourages people to leave their comfort zones and share their true thoughts. Of course, this only works if team members feel psychologically safe in sharing their opinions.

为了给人们这种安全感，管理者应该强调每个人在任何时候都要提出自己的真实意见。虽然给自己的意见涂上糖衣看起来是最好的选择，但实际上对整个组织是不利的。当个人或团体有正确的信息作为决策的基础时，才能使其做到最好。如果有人隐瞒自己的真实意见，那么他们实际上是隐瞒了可以帮助其他人做出更好决定的信息。

To give people this sense of safety, managers should emphasize the importance of everyone giving their honest opinion at all times. Although sugar-coating one’s opinions may seem like the best option, it’s actually detrimental to the whole organization. Both individuals and groups function best when they have the right information on which to base their decisions. When someone holds back their true opinions, then they’re actually withholding information that could help others come to better decisions.

当然，辩论的方式有好有坏。管理者可以通过鼓励员工在表达不同意见时用事实来支持他们的论点，来鼓励提高辩论的质量。

Of course, there are good and bad ways to debate. Managers can encourage a better quality of debate by encouraging employees to support their arguments with facts, whenever they express disagreement.

4, Leaders must have brave conversations about discrimination and systemic bias.

[ 领导者必须就歧视和系统性偏见进行勇敢的对话 ]

并非所有的职场焦虑都是一样的，可悲的是，我们中的一些人因为我们是谁而感到焦虑。我们现在谈论的是边缘化群体在工作中可能感到的心理困扰。这些群体包括，但不限于，少数民族、彩虹族(性少数者-LGBTQ)和受残疾影响的人。

Not all workplace anxiety is the same, and sadly, some of us feel anxious because of who we are. We’re now talking about the psychological distress that marginalized groups may feel at work. These groups include, but aren’t limited to, ethnic minorities, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and those affected by disability.

一些领导仍然拒绝相信偏见会影响人们的工作。他们认为，不这样说只是政治正确性的问题。但是，证据很清楚；一些人在历史上受到了不同的对待，并因此而受到伤害。

Some leaders still refuse to believe that bias affects people at work. They think that saying otherwise is simply a case of political correctness. But the evidence is clear; some people have been historically treated differently, and have suffered as a result.

这里的要点是：领导人必须就歧视和系统性偏见进行勇敢的对话。

The key message here is: Leaders must have brave conversations about discrimination and systemic bias.

早就该改变了。研究表明，在美国，黑人受到严重心理健康问题影响的可能性比其他任何群体都高20%。然而，尽管如此，黑人成年人接受帮助和治疗的可能性也比普通美国人低。专家认为，黑人受心理健康问题影响过大的部分原因，是由于他们在日常环境中面临的种族主义和不公正；这些环境包括工作场所。同样，彩虹族人经历的焦虑和抑郁的比率比他们的异性恋同龄人高两倍以上。

Change is well overdue. Studies show that, in the United States, Black people are 20 percent more likely to be affected by severe mental health problems than any other group. Yet, despite this, Black adults are also less likely to receive help and treatment than the average American. Experts believe that part of the reason why Black people are affected disproportionately by mental health problems, is because of the racism and injustices they face in their daily environments; these environments include the workplace. Similarly, LGBTQ+ people experience rates of anxiety and depression that are over twice as high as their heterosexual peers.

那么，在反对工作场所的歧视和偏见的斗争中，领导者如何才能成为盟友？

So how can leaders become allies in the fight against discrimination and bias in the workplace?

首先，重要的是及时跟进所有投诉，即使是那些看起来很轻微的投诉。其次，领导者应该营造一个环境，让每个人都能自如地表达自己的真实想法。当然，这说起来容易做起来难，许多人觉得不能在工作中带入太多私人事务。但是，领导者可以通过分享更多关于他们自己的信息，以及树立真实性的榜样，来帮助促进一个更真实的环境，从而使其他人也开始感到能够做到这一点。

First, it's important to follow up on all complaints in a timely manner, even the ones which appear to be minor. Second, leaders should foster an environment in which everyone feels comfortable expressing their true selves. Of course, this is easier said than done, and many people don’t feel able to bring their whole self to work. But leaders can help promote a more authentic environment by sharing more about themselves, and modeling authenticity, so that others start to feel able to do the same.

最后，许多经理人可能会经历像星巴克前首席执行官霍华德-舒尔茨(Howard Schultz)在2019年的一次公司全体会议上所做的冲动。在星巴克面临种族偏见的指责时，舒尔茨宣称他根本没有 "看到颜色"。尽管像这样试图证明自己没有偏见的态度可能很诱人，但这也是一个坏主意。毕竟，仅仅因为你可能没有 "看到 "某人的肤色或性取向，并不能使他们身份的这一部分变得不那么真实，也不能减少他们可能因此而面临的歧视。

Finally, many managers might experience the urge to do as Howard Schultz, the former CEO of Starbucks, did during a company town hall meeting in 2019. As Starbucks faced accusations of racial bias, Schultz declared that he simply didn’t “see color.” Although it may be tempting to try to prove one’s unprejudiced attitude like this, it's also a bad idea. After all, just because you might not “see” someone’s color or sexual orientation, doesn’t make this part of their identity any less real, and it doesn’t reduce the discrimination they may face as a result of it.

5, Members of effective teams feel a powerful sense of belonging.

[ 高效团队的成员有一种强大的归属感 ]

你是否曾经历过被抛弃的消沉感？也许其他人都去参加了一个聚会，但你的邀请函却从未到达。通常情况下，这些被排斥的感觉与学校操场有关，但作为一个成年人，你也会感到被抛弃，甚至在工作场所。

Have you ever experienced the crushing feeling of being left out? Perhaps other people went to a party, but your invite never arrived. Often, these feelings of exclusion are associated with the schoolyard, but you can feel left out as an adult, too, even in the workplace.

证据表明，当员工们感到自己是一个有凝聚力的团体时，他们在工作中实际上会更加有效。因此，当员工感到被他们的队友排斥时，这不仅仅是个人的问题，也是公司的问题。

Evidence suggests that, when workers feel like a cohesive group, they’re actually much more effective at their jobs. So when employees feel excluded by their teammates, it's not just a problem for the individual, but for the company as well.

这里的要点是：有效团队的成员有一种强大的归属感。

The key message here is: Members of effective teams feel a powerful sense of belonging.

例如，康奈尔大学的研究发现，消防员一起吃午饭的消防站比消防员自己单独吃饭的消防站拯救了更多的生命。有意思的是，当研究人员问消防员谁单独吃饭以及为什么时，消防员们很快就变得很尴尬。为什么呢？因为他们知道，他们团队的运作方式有更深层次的问题。

For example, research by Cornell University found that fire stations in which firefighters eat their lunch together save more lives than the stations in which firefighters eat by themselves. Tellingly, when researchers asked the firefighters who ate alone and why, the firefighters quickly became embarrassed. Why? Because they knew that something deeper was wrong with the way their team was operating.

不幸的是，我们很多人都有在工作中被冷落的经历。在不列颠哥伦比亚大学的一项研究中，71%的专业人员报告说他们在某种程度上感到被队友排斥。这对心理健康来说是一个很大的问题，因为排斥会导致焦虑，以及降低生产力。

Unfortunately, many of us have had the experience of being left out at work. In a study by the University of British Columbia, 71 percent of professionals reported feeling excluded by their teammates in some way. This is a big issue for mental health because exclusion contributes to anxiety, as well as reduced productivity.

那么，管理者如何才能确保他们团队中的每个人都感到被接纳？现实是，这可能是一个挑战。毕竟，排斥通常是没有发生的事情；同事们并没有特意不回某人的电话或不邀请该人与他们一起吃午饭。发现没有发生的事情比发现发生的事情要难得多。解决这个问题的最好方法之一是利用定期的一对一叙旧会议，询问团队成员他们与团队其他成员相处得如何。

So how can managers ensure that everyone on their team feels included? The reality is that this can be challenging. After all, exclusion is typically something that isn’t happening; coworkers aren’t returning someone’s phone calls or inviting that person to join them for lunch. It's much harder to spot something that’s not taking place than something that is. One of the best ways around this problem is to use regular one-to-one catch-up sessions to ask team members how they’re getting along with the rest of the team.

这可以简单到采用一种被称为 "10-10 "的例行程序。这是一个上午和下午的仪式，在领导人刚上班时和离开前的最后一件事中进行。10-10 "包括在他们团队的办公室里走动，目的是向每个人打招呼，并询问他们的情况。这让每个人都感觉到他们属于这个团队，满足了他们作为人类的内在需求，让他们感觉到自己是更大范围内有价值的一部分。领导者可以促进包容的另一种方式是实施伙伴制度。这就是资深员工指导初级员工并与之进行更多互动。

It can be as simple as adopting a routine known as the ten-ten. This is a morning and afternoon ritual that takes place when leaders first get into work and last thing before they leave. The ten-ten involves walking around their team’s office, with the goal of saying hello to everyone, and asking them how they’re doing. This makes everyone feel as if they belong to the team, satisfying their innate need as human beings to feel like a valued part of something bigger. Another way that leaders can promote inclusion is to implement a buddy system. This is where senior staff members mentor and socialize with junior staff.

6, Our cult of overwork is leading to burnout and lost productivity. 

[ 我们对过度工作的倡导正在导致倦怠和生产力的损失 ]

你的工作保障可能是不确定的，但在现代工作场所，有一件事我们大多数人可以肯定：工作太多。老板们对他们的员工提出了更高的要求，并期望他们在不断缩小的时间范围内做更多的事情。但所有这些期望正在把员工推向边缘。

Your job security might be uncertain, but in the modern workplace, there’s one thing most of us can be sure of: having too much work. Bosses are placing greater demands on their employees and expecting them to do more in an ever-shrinking timeframe. But all these expectations are pushing workers over the edge.

在2019年的一项调查中，令人震惊的是，91%的美国雇员报告说，在过去一年的某个时候，他们感到身心疲惫。当你精疲力竭时，你会感到身体或精神上的疲惫。你可能开始对你的工作和与你一起工作的人感到愤世嫉俗；你可能感到烦躁，甚至开始讨厌忍受别人的不合理要求。

In a 2019 survey, a shocking 91 percent of American employees reported feeling burned-out at some point during the previous year. When you’re burned-out, you feel either physically or emotionally exhausted. You might start feeling cynical about your work and the people you work with; you may feel irritable, or even start to dislike yourself for putting up with other people’s unreasonable demands.

这里的要点是：我们对过度工作的崇拜正在导致倦怠和生产力的损失。

The key message here is: Our cult of overwork is leading to burnout and lost productivity.

倦怠不仅对个人不利，对他们的雇主来说也是个坏消息。倦怠的员工不仅每年比平均水平多出60%的病假，而且他们离开公司去别的公司的可能性也是两倍以上。

Burnout isn’t just bad for the individual, it's also terrible news for their employer. Not only do burned-out employees take over 60 percent more sick days every year than average, but they’re also more than twice as likely to leave their firm for a different company.

考虑到这一点，许多组织开始注意到员工倦怠的风险。不幸的是，他们采取了错误的方式。为什么呢？因为他们关注的问题的表象，而不是问题的根本原因。

With this in mind, many organizations are starting to pay attention to the risks of employee burnout. Unfortunately, they’re going about it in the wrong way. How? By focusing on the symptoms, not the root cause of the problem.

许多雇主促进员工的福利计划，如放松课程、健康饮食倡议和时间管理指导。其他方法包括复原力培训，希望能使员工对倦怠有更强的抵抗力。但所有这些策略都忽略了真正的问题，那就是今天的许多员工只是有太多的事情要做。再多的瑜伽也无法解决这个问题。至于复原力，倦怠率最高的行业之一是卫生保健行业。正如COVID-19大流行病向我们展示的那样，医疗工作者实际上在压力下具有难以置信的复原力和效率。然而，他们仍然受到职业倦怠的困扰，所以复原力培训可能不会有太大的改变。

Many employers promote staff well-being schemes such as relaxation courses, healthy eating initiatives, and time-management guidance. Other approaches include resilience training, in the hope that workers can be made more resilient to burnout. But all these strategies overlook the real problem, which is that many of today’s workers simply have too much on their plate. No amount of yoga is going to fix that. As for resilience, one of the industries with the highest burnout rate is the health-care industry. As the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us, health-care workers are actually incredibly resilient and effective under pressure. Yet, they’re still suffering from burnout, so resilience training probably isn’t going to change very much.

那么，公司可以做些什么来解决工作倦怠问题呢？

So what can companies do to tackle burnout?

嗯，他们可以从减少员工的工作量开始。许多领导抱怨说这是不可能的，但这是可以做到的。例如，卫生保健专业人员被官僚主义所累，负担过重。每次看到病人，他们都要花费宝贵的时间来填写表格和打勾。许多医疗保健公司发现，通过简单地减少员工的数字工作量，或将填表工作重新分配给团队中真正喜欢这类任务的人，员工就会感到不那么焦虑，也不那么不堪重负。

Well, they could start with reducing their employees’ workload. Many leaders complain that this is impossible, but it can be done. Health-care professionals, for instance, are overly burdened by bureaucracy. Every time they see a patient, they spend valuable time filling in forms and ticking boxes. Many health-care companies have found that, by simply reducing their employees’ digital workload, or reassigning form-filling to people on the team who actually enjoy these kinds of tasks, staff feel less anxious, and far less overwhelmed.

7, Millennial workers fear missing out on better job opportunities. 

[ 千禧一代员工害怕错过更好的工作机会 ]

你是否经历过FOMO(Fear of Missing Out，是一个网络流行语，是指害怕错过朋友圈里发生的事情)；害怕错过？也许你滚动浏览社交媒体后，担心你的朋友似乎都比你更有乐趣，生活得更好？如果是这样，那么你并不孤单。数以百万计的美国年轻人正有同样的感觉，并因此感到焦虑。

Have you experienced FOMO; the fear of missing out? Perhaps you’ve scrolled through social media and worried that your friends all seem to be having more fun, and living a better life than you? If so then you’re not alone. Millions of young Americans are feeling exactly the same, and are feeling anxious as a result.

而且，我们觉得我们将错过的不仅仅是乐趣和聚会。特别是对年轻一代来说，也有其他重要的事情，比如获得一份好工作，在职业生涯中取得进展，甚至是获得抵押贷款的事情。所有这些FOMO的原因是什么？这一切都归结于工作的不安全感。

And it's not just fun and parties that we feel we’re going to miss out on. For younger generations in particular, it's also the big things; things like getting a good job, progressing in a career, or even getting a mortgage. What’s the cause of all this FOMO? It all comes down to job insecurity.

这里的要点是：千禧一代员工害怕错过更好的工作机会。

The key message here is: Millennial workers fear missing out on better job opportunities.

困在自由职业者和合同制工作中，许多员工感到比他们的父母那一代人更随波逐流。因此，这些年轻一代经常先发制人地跳到不同的公司。由于担心错过其他地方更好的机会，他们以极快的速度在不同的工作岗位上流动。例如，40%的婴儿潮一代报告说在他们的公司呆了20年以上。超过四分之三的Z世代说他们只打算在他们的雇主那里呆两年，然后就跳槽。

Stuck in freelance and contract-based work, many workers feel much more disposable than their parents’ generation did. As a result, these younger generations often make a preemptive jump to a different company. Fearing that they’re missing out on better opportunities elsewhere, they move between jobs at breakneck speed. For instance, 40 percent of baby boomers report staying with their company for over 20 years or more. Over three-quarters of Gen Zers say they only plan to stay with their employer for two years, before moving on.

是什么让年轻员工如此不休的寻求新机会？确实，87%的年轻员工说他们正在寻找学习和发展的机会，使他们能够发展自己的职业生涯。可悲的是，他们往往没有找到这样的机会。全球洞察力公司CEB的研究表明，只有十分之一的组织有学习和发展的文化。

What is it that younger workers are so restlessly seeking? Well, 87 percent of younger workers say they’re looking for learning and development opportunities that’ll allow them to develop their careers. Sadly, they don’t often find it. Research conducted by global insights company CEB, has shown that only one in ten organizations has a culture of learning and development.

但是，员工期望和现实之间的这种差距也为雇主提供了一个机会。

But this gap in employee expectations and reality also presents an opportunity for employers.

具体来说，企业可以通过为员工实施发展计划，缓解年轻员工对职业发展的焦虑，并降低离职率。这可能包括提供给所有员工的传统培训项目。它也可能意味着更有创意的举措，如提供快速晋升的途径。例如，位于美国的招聘公司Ladders为其初级员工提供晋升机会，包括每四个月改变一次工资等级和工作职位。为了实现这些小型的晋升，员工必须达到特定的学习目标。这个计划不仅提高了员工的参与度，还使公司更加成功。当你发现那些促进员工学习和发展的公司会多出1/3的可能性成为其行业的领导者，就不会觉得奇怪了。

Specifically, organizations can ease their younger workers’ anxiety around career progression, and reduce turnover rates, by implementing development initiatives for their employees. This could include traditional training programs that are offered to all staff. It could also mean more creative initiatives, such as offering a fast route to promotion. For instance, Ladders, a US based recruitment firm, offers its junior staff a promotion, including a change in pay grade and job title, every four months. To achieve these mini-promotions, staff must achieve specific learning objectives. Not only does this scheme boost employee engagement, it also makes the company more successful. This isn’t that surprising, when you consider that companies that facilitate employee learning and development are nearly a third more likely to be leaders in their industry.

8, Perfectionist traits are becoming more prevalent among young people. 

[ 完美主义特质在年轻人中越来越盛行 ]

你有任何完美主义的特征吗？你是否以不可能的高标准要求自己或他人？你是否惯于自我批评，或以一种孤注一掷的心态做事？如果你在自己的行为中发现这些端倪，那么你可能会在工作中给自己带来不必要的焦虑。

Do you have any perfectionist traits? Do you hold yourself, or others, to impossibly high standards? Are you very self-critical, or operate with an all-or-nothing mindset? If you recognize any of this in your own behavior, then you might be causing yourself unnecessary anxiety at work.

虽然有些职业，如航空公司的飞行员或医疗技术人员，需要极端的准确性和对细节的关注，但完美主义并不完全是指在你的任务中要准确或高度细致。事实上，完美主义通常是指看起来很完美。在许多情况下，完美主义者感到来自周围人的评判的压倒性感觉，并不断试图达到他们所认为的别人的期望。

While some professions, such as being an airline pilot or a medical technician, require extreme accuracy and attention to detail, perfectionism isn’t exactly about being accurate or highly meticulous in your tasks. Actually, perfectionism is usually about seeming to be perfect. In many cases, perfectionists feel an overwhelming sense of judgment from the people around them, and constantly try to live up to what they perceive to be others’ expectations.

这听起来可能是件好事，而且完美主义者确实倾向于更有动力和更自觉。但完美主义也有很大的坏处。不仅完美主义者倾向于不灵活，而且具有讽刺意味的是，他们也可能更容易放弃困难的任务。为什么呢？因为如果他们知道他们不能完美地做某件事，他们甚至可能没有兴趣去尝试。

This might sound like a good thing, and it's true that perfectionists tend to be more motivated and conscientious. But perfectionism also has big downsides. Not only do perfectionists tend to be inflexible, but they also, ironically, may give up on difficult tasks more easily. Why? Because if they know they can’t do something perfectly, they may not be interested in even trying.

这里的要点是：完美主义的特质在年轻人中越来越普遍。

The key message here is: Perfectionist traits are becoming more prevalent among young people.

巴斯大学2017年的一项研究对英国、美国和加拿大的大学生进行了调查，发现完美主义特征比前几代人要普遍得多。造成这样的原因可能是社交媒体。毕竟，现在比以往任何时候都更容易将自己与他人进行比较，而要达到网络上展现的不可实现的标准的压力可能很强烈。

A 2017 study by the University of Bath that looked at British, American, and Canadian college students, found that perfectionist traits were much more common than in previous generations.The cause of this may be social media. After all, it's now easier than ever to compare ourselves to others, and the pressure to reach the unattainable standards presented online can be intense.

那么，公司可以做些什么来阻止完美主义成为其员工，特别是年轻团队成员的焦虑来源？答案出奇的简单：让你的员工知道什么是足够好的样子。如果员工的工作达到了可接受的标准，却从未收到积极的反馈，问题就会出现。相反，只有在事情不够好的时候才会收到反馈。这意味着，员工很难认识到界限在哪里，也不知道要为一件工作付出多少努力。这对所有人来说都是一种焦虑，但对完美主义者来说尤其如此，他们过于害怕被严厉评判。因此，老板需要慷慨地赞美他们，即使工作质量并不突出。

So what can companies do to stop perfectionism becoming a source of anxiety among their employees, and particularly among younger team members? The answer is surprisingly simple: let your employees know what good enough looks like. Problems can arise if staff never receive positive feedback on work that’s of an acceptable standard. Instead, feedback is only received when something isn’t good enough. This means that employees struggle to recognize where the boundaries lie, and don’t know how much effort to put into a piece of work. This is anxiety-inducing for all, but especially for perfectionists, who are overly fearful of being harshly judged. So bosses need to be generous with their praise, even when the quality of the work isn’t spectacular.

对老板来说，在工作场所中识别完美主义发生的情况也是一个好主意，这样他们就能识别可能需要额外保证的人。你通常可以通过观察谁在项目上要求很多指导来发现完美主义者，因为完美主义者往往要求更多。如果某人也努力承担风险，无论多小的风险，并在受到批评时变得非常防卫，那么这个人也很有可能是一个完美主义者。

It's also a good idea for bosses to learn how perfectionism presents itself in the workplace, so that they can identify the people that might need extra reassurance. You can usually spot perfectionists by looking at who is asking for a lot of guidance on projects, as perfectionists tend to ask for a lot more. If someone also struggles to take risks, however small, and gets very defensive when criticized, there’s also a high chance that the person is a perfectionist.

9, Final summary [ 最后总结]

总结本文的要点是：

新一代工人正面临着他们父母那一代没有遇到的挑战；劳动力市场很少像现在这样不安全和动荡不安。这个勇敢的工作新世界让许多员工感到不确定、不满现状，并被焦虑所折磨。然而，只要有一点同情心，雇主就可以缓解这种焦虑，帮助年轻员工感到他们受到重视，并走上职业成功的正确轨道。

The key message in these blinks is that:

New generations of workers are facing challenges that their parents’ generation didn’t; the labor market has rarely been as insecure and tumultuous as it is right now. This brave new world of work has left many employees feeling uncertain, restless, and racked with anxiety. However, with a little empathy, employers can ease this anxiety and help younger workers feel that they’re valued and on the right track to career success.

这里有一些更可操作的建议：

不要忘记表扬你的明星员工。

And here’s some more actionable advice:

Don’t forget to praise your star performers.

无论你作为经理有多忙，你都应该抽出时间来表达你对所做工作的感谢。虽然听起来很反常，但那些往往从经理那里得到最多的时间和关注的团队成员，往往是那些失败的人。经理们忙于对团队中最弱的人进行绩效管理，而最强的人却很少收到反馈。讽刺的是，这可能导致明星员工对这种沉默感到焦虑，使他们担心自己的工作不够好。

However busy you are as a manager, you should always take time to express your gratitude for a job well done. As counterintuitive as it might sound, the team members who tend to receive the most time and attention from their manager are often the ones who are failing. Managers are so busy trying to performance manage the weakest people in the team, that the strongest receive precious little feedback at all. Ironically, this can lead to star performers feeling anxious about this radio silence and make them worry that their work isn’t good enough.