工作中的朋友
刘立军 供稿
TRANSCRIPT
Bartleby: Friends at Work
Why it is a bad idea for managers to attempt to engineer office friendships
Scholars of happiness have found that close relationships are one of the critical ingredients of a contented life. What is true in general is also true of the workplace, according to research by Gallup. The pollster finds that having a “best friend at work” is closely associated with all manner of good things, from greater employee engagement to higher retention and better safety records.
At some level, that is unremarkable. Spending time with people you like makes most things more appealing, including work. If a job is sufficiently humdrum, camaraderie among colleagues can be the main draw. The support of friends can also encourage people to try new things. A study from 2015 by Erica Field of Duke University, and her co-authors, looked at the impact of business training given to Indian women. Women who attended the course with a friend were more likely to end up taking out loans than those who came alone.
The reverse also applies. Antagonistic relationships with co-workers are always likely to make working life miserable. A study conducted by Valerie Good of Grand Valley State University found that loneliness has an adverse effect on the performance of salespeople. Among other things, they start spending more on wining and dining their customers. The only thing worse than a salesperson who sees you as a way to make money is one who wants your company.
So friends matter. The problems come when managers see the words “higher employee engagement” and leap to the conclusion they should try to engineer work friendships. In a report published last year Gallup gave the example of an unnamed organisation which has a weekly companywide meeting that spotlights one employee’s best friend at work. It’s not known if, in the Q&A, others pop up to sob: “But I thought we were best friends at work.”
Startups also offer services to encourage work friendships. One monitors the depth of connections between people in different teams. It identifies shared interests (gluten-free baking, say, or workplace surveillance) between employees who don’t know each other and arranges meetings between them. You thought life was bad? At least you are not making crumpets with a stranger in finance.
It is a mistake for managers to wade into the business of friend-making, and not just because it royally misses the point. The defining characteristic of friendship is that it is voluntary. Employees are adults; they don’t need their managers to arrange play-dates. And the workplace throws people together, often under testing conditions: friendships will naturally follow.
The bigger problem is that workplace friendships are more double-edged than their advocates allow. They can quickly become messy when power dynamics change. The transition from friend to boss, or from friend to underling, is an inherently awkward one (“This is your final warning. Fancy a pint?”).
And friendships have the potential to look a lot like cronyism. A clever study by Zoe Cullen of Harvard Business School and Ricardo Perez-Truglia of University of California, Berkeley, found that employees’ social interactions with their managers could give their career prospects a boost relative to others.
The researchers looked at promotions of smokers and non-smokers who worked for a large bank in South-East Asia, hypothesising that sharing smoking breaks with managers who also indulged might give workers a leg up. And so it did. Smokers who moved from a non-smoking boss to a puffer were promoted more quickly than those who moved to another non-smoker. The authors found that social interactions did not just help smokers; socialising between male managers and male employees played a large role in perpetuating gender pay gaps. If firms are going to make friendship their business, they should worry about its downsides, too.
Companies should facilitate interactions between employees, particularly in a world of hybrid and remote working. Social gatherings and buddy systems are reasonable ways to encourage colleagues to meet each other and to foster a culture. But a high-quality work relationship does not require friendship. It requires respect for each other’s competence, a level of trust and a desire to reach the same goal; it doesn’t need birthday cards and a shared interest in quilt-making. Firms should do what they can to encourage these kinds of relationships. If individuals want to take it further, it’s entirely up to them.
VOCABULARY
1. antagonistic adj. 敌对的，对抗性的
2. adverse adj. 不利的，有害的
3. surveillance n. 监视，监控
4. wade v. 涉水，涉足
5. transition n. 过渡，转变
6. indulge v. 纵容，沉溺
7. puffer n. 吸烟者，抽烟器
8. perpetuate v. 使持续，使长存
9. hybrid adj. / n. 混合的，混血儿的；混合物，杂交品种
10. foster v. / adj. 培养，促进；寄养的，养育的
QUESTIONS
1. According to the text, what is a critical ingredient of a contented life?
A. Close relationships.
B. Financial stability.
C. Successful career.
D. Healthy lifestyle.
2. Based on the study conducted by Erica Field of Duke University, what outcome did attending a business course with a friend result in?
A. Better understanding of the course material.
B. Higher chances of taking out loans.
C. Enhanced social skills and networking abilities.
D. Improved academic performance and grades.
3. According to the article, why should managers avoid trying to engineer work friendships?
A. It can result in excessive workplace competition.
B. It may discourage employees from forming natural friendship bonds.
C. It could complicate power dynamics and potentially look like cronyism.
D. It can lead to decreased productivity.
4. What role do social interactions between managers and employees play according to the research cited in the article?
A. They are crucial for maintaining a positive work environment.
B. They can boost career prospects of employees relative to others.
C. They lead to increased employee engagement and productivity.
D. They have no significant impact on employees' performance.
5. According to the article, what is not necessary for a high-quality work relationship?
A. Trust.
B. Shared interest in personal activities like quilt-making.
C. Respect for each other’s competence.
D. A desire to reach the same goal.
KEY
1. According to the text, what is a critical ingredient of a contented life?
A. Close relationships.
B. Financial stability.
C. Successful career.
D. Healthy lifestyle.
【答案】A
【解析】细节题。文章一开始就提到，紧密的关系是幸福人生的重要因素之一。
2. Based on the study conducted by Erica Field of Duke University, what outcome did attending a business course with a friend result in?
A. Better understanding of the course material.
B. Higher chances of taking out loans.
C. Enhanced social skills and networking abilities.
D. Improved academic performance and grades.
【答案】B
【解析】细节题。Erica Field 的研究指出，与朋友一起参加课程的女性更有可能获得贷款。
3. According to the article, why should managers avoid trying to engineer work friendships?
A. It can result in excessive workplace competition.
B. It may discourage employees from forming natural friendship bonds.
C. It could complicate power dynamics and potentially look like cronyism.
D. It can lead to decreased productivity.
【答案】C
【解析】推理题。文章中表示，当经理试图营造工作友谊时，可能会导致权力动态复杂化并可能看起来像裙带关系。
4. What role do social interactions between managers and employees play according to the research cited in the article?
A. They are crucial for maintaining a positive work environment.
B. They can boost career prospects of employees relative to others.
C. They lead to increased employee engagement and productivity.
D. They have no significant impact on employees' performance.
【答案】B
【解析】细节题。文章中引述的研究发现，员工与经理的社交互动可以提升他们的职业前景。
5. According to the article, what is not necessary for a high-quality work relationship?
A. Trust.
B. Shared interest in personal activities like quilt-making.
C. Respect for each other’s competence.
D. A desire to reach the same goal.
【答案】B
【解析】推理题。文章指出，高质量的工作关系需要彼此之间的尊重、信任和达到共同目标的意愿，但并不需要在个人活动（例如制作棉被）上拥有共同兴趣。
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