Can't step away from the BlackBerry? Leaving a work voicemail at 10 p.m.? You might be a workaholic. No surprises there. |
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与黑莓手机寸步不离?在晚上10点钟给别人留工作语音短信?那你可能就是个工作狂人,这也没有什么好大惊小怪的。 |
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But new research suggests that may not be a bad thing. |
但是新的研究认为身为工作狂人不一定就是件坏事。 |
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A paper out of the Rouen Business School in France says workaholism defined by work involvement, feelings of being compelled to work and work enjoyment can actually be constructive. |
Associated Press你陷入过工作狂的状态吗?你为工作感到兴奋吗?法国鲁昂商学院(Rouen Business School)的一份研究报告说,工作狂──其界定因素包括对工作的投入程度、被强迫工作的感觉以及工作所带来的快感──实际上是积极的。 |
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As long as the compulsion to work is self-driven, it can lead to personal feelings of accomplishment (I finished that project! I solved that accounting problem!) and benefit the organization (That project is finished ahead of schedule! Our clients think we're great!) according to Yehuda Baruch, the management professor behind the study. |
参与这项研究的管理学教授耶胡迪?巴鲁(Yehuda Baruch)认为,只要工作的欲望是自发产生的,它就可以引发出个人的成就感(我完成了那个项目!我解决了那个财务问题!),也能让公司受益(那个项目比预定的时间提前完成了!我们的客户觉得我们很棒!)。 |
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To be sure, many view workaholism as a destructive addiction that requires treatment, just like alcoholism and drug addiction, as the workaholic strays from the work-life balance equation accepted by most of society. |
无可否认,许多人把工作狂看成一种有害的瘾,需要加以治疗,就像是酒瘾和毒瘾一样,因为工作狂偏离了社会上大多数人所接受的工作与生活的平衡方程。 |
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But many workaholics still feel balance in their lives, they just have a different work-to-'life' ratio than most. |
但是许多工作狂人在生活中还是感到了平衡,只不过他们的工作和生活的比率与多数人不同。 |
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In some ways, workaholism is like chocoholism, Baruch explains: Eating some chocolate on a regular basis can have health benefits and provides energy and satisfaction. Same with work for a workaholic they are energized by their work and feel good when succeeding at a task. Unless a chocoholic or workaholic is damaging their physical or mental health, Baruch says they should just be left to eat or work in peace. |
在某些方面,工作狂和巧克力狂一样。巴鲁解释说:经常吃点巧克力对健康有益,可以提供能量和满足感。工作对工作狂人也是一样,工作给了他们活力,成功地完成一个任务让他们感觉良好。除非巧克力狂或工作狂损坏了他们的身体和精神健康,否则就应该让他们自在地吃或工作。 |
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However, workaholism is often confused with being over-worked. It's not just about the hours worked, says Baruch. The need for overtime pay, or a cruel boss, might force you to log long days. ('Horrible Bosses,' anyone?) And if you express too much enthusiasm about your work, a boss could take advantage of your willingness to work and ultimately make you feel over-worked. That's when stress a positive motivator turns into distress, he says. |
不过,工作狂常常会与工作过度相混淆。巴鲁说,这不仅仅是工作时数的问题。你需要加班费,或者你有个冷酷的老板(《恶老板》(Horrible Bosses),有人看过这部电影吗?),这些都强迫你必须加班。如果你对工作表现得太过热情,你的老板可能会因为你工作自觉而占你的便宜,最终让你觉得工作过度。这时候,压力──一个积极的促进因素──就会转变为痛苦。 |
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Readers: Where do you fall on a workaholism scale? Do you get a thrill out of work? Do you think that's healthy?
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读者们,你什么时候陷入过工作狂的状态?你为工作感到兴奋吗?你认为那样健康吗?
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