雙語新聞：微軟將允許員工永久性在家辦公

由於新冠疫情的影響，大多數微軟員工仍在家工作。近日，該公司在內部發布了“混合工作場所”指南，該指南指出，經過管理人員批准後微軟員工可以永久性進行遠程工作。

Microsoft has told staff that they will have the option of working from home permanently with manager approval.

微軟公司告知員工，如果得到管理人員的批准，他們可以選擇永久性在家辦公。

The move mimics the US tech giant's rivals Facebook and Twitter, which have also said remote work would be a permanent option.

此舉效仿了這家美國科技巨頭的競爭對手臉書和推特，臉書和推特已表示員工可以選擇永久遠程辦公。

It follows a rapid shift away from office working prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.

在此之前，由於新冠疫情暴發，人們的工作地點從辦公室迅速轉移到家中。

Many companies are reconsidering how much office space they need, expecting a long-term increase in remote staff.

許多公司預計遠程辦公人員的數量將會長期增長，因此正重新考慮所需的辦公空間。

Microsoft said some roles will continue to require an in-person presence, such as those needing access to hardware, the firm added. But many staff will also be able to work from home part-time, without needing formal approval from their managers.

微軟公司還表示，一些職位仍將需要來辦公室上班，比如硬件相關職位。但許多員工也可以在家兼職，而這不需要得到管理人員的正式批准。

As of April, more than 46% of those employed were doing some work from home, according to the Office of National Statistics.

根據英國國家統計局的數據，截至今年4月，超過46%的員工在家辦公。

That was comparable to the US, where 42% of the workforce was remote in May, according to Stanford University economics professor Nicholas Bloom, whose research looked at people aged 20-64, earning more than $10,000 last year.

斯坦福大學經濟學教授尼古拉斯·布魯姆表示，這一比例與美國相當，今年5月，美國42%的員工在家辦公。這是尼古拉斯·布魯姆對美國年薪在1萬美元（約合人民幣67221元）以上、20歲到64歲之間的職場人士進行調查後得出的結論。

While that share decreased to about 35% in August, it still marked a major change. Before the pandemic, just 2% of workers were remote full time, he said.

雖然這一比例在8月份下降到35%左右，但仍是一個重大變化。他說，在新冠疫情之前，只有2%的員工全職在家辦公。

"What we're doing now is extremely unusual," he said.

“我們現在所做的極其不尋常”，他說。

永久的轉變

Many employers hailed the shift initially as being surprisingly productive. But as the months have passed, some of the drawbacks have emerged.

起初，許多僱主稱讚這一轉變的成效令人驚訝。但幾個月過去了，一些缺點也浮現出來。

For example, at a conference this month, Microsoft's own chief executive Satya Nadella said the lack of division between private life and work life meant "it sometimes feels like you are sleeping at work".

例如，在本月的一次會議上，微軟首席執行官薩蒂亞·納德拉表示，私人生活和工作之間缺乏區分，意味着“有時感覺就像你在工作時睡覺”。

As companies look beyond the pandemic, Prof Bloom said many are eyeing policies that combine two days a week at home with three days of office time, which will remain important for meetings, building company culture and loyalty and basic mental health.

布魯姆教授表示，隨着企業將目光投向疫情之後，許多企業正着眼於每週兩天在家辦公、三天在辦公室上班等政策，這對於舉行會議、建立企業文化和忠誠度，以及基本的心理健康仍然十分重要。

"The radical extremes - so, full-time in the office or full-time at home - are not ideal for most people," said Prof Bloom.

布魯姆教授表示：“對於大多數人來說，全職在辦公室工作或全職在家辦公這樣的極端做法並不理想。”

But he said he did not expect the pre-pandemic office to return.

不過，他說，他認爲我們回不到疫情前的辦公狀態。

"The Microsoft statement is completely in line with everything I've been hearing," he said. "There's pretty much uniform consensus now that the pandemic has permanently shifted the way we work."

他說：“微軟的聲明和我聽到的完全一致。現在人們幾乎一致認爲，新冠疫情永久性地改變了我們的工作方式。”

A Willis Towers Watson survey of US employers in May found that they expected 22% of staff to continue working from home after the pandemic, up from just 7% in 2019.

韋萊韜悅今年5月對美國僱主進行的一項調查發現，他們預計22%的員工在疫情結束後將繼續在家辦公，而2019年這一比例僅爲7%。

About 55% of employers said they expected staff to work from home at least one day a week after concerns about the virus passes, a PWC survey found. And more than 80% of employees said they supported that idea.

普華永道的一項調查發現，約55%的僱主表示，在對病毒的擔憂消除後，他們預計員工每週至少有一天在家工作。超過80%的員工表示支持這個想法。

Analysts say such a shift could have widespread implications, reducing demand for office and residential properties in expensive city centres. Rents in New York and San Francisco have already dropped.

分析師表示，這種轉變可能產生廣泛影響，降低對城市中心昂貴的寫字樓和住宅的需求。紐約和舊金山的房租已經有所下降。

Prof Bloom said the changes in the workplace may help ease affordability issues, but won't spell the end of city centres.

布魯姆教授表示，工作場所的變化可能有助於緩解經濟負擔，但並不意味着城市中心的終結。

spell the end of：預示……的結束

"The affordability levels of New York and San Francisco may go back to where they were in 2005," he said. "It's clearly not the case they're going to empty out."

他說：“紐約和舊金山的支付能力水平可能會回到2005年。很顯然，城市中心不會完全清空。”

明年全球34%員工將永久在家辦公