随着经济发展，人们加班的意愿越来越低，都希望休息的时间多一些。在发达国家，已经有不少公司开始实行每周上四天班了。
4-day work weeks are coming
by Paul Davidson
A few years ago, Amy Balliett, CEO of Killer Visual Strategies, a Seattle-based design and marketing firm, noticed that as the work week slogged on, her employees' energy and productivity wilted. "That would slump to such an extent that the same task on Monday would take double the time by Friday," she says.
Seattle /sɪˈæt(ə)l/ n. 西雅图（美国西北部城市）
-based 后缀，意思是“总部在某地的”
marketing /ˈmɑːkɪtɪŋ/ n. 市场营销
work week 指一周中工作的时间，通常是周一到周五
slog /slɒɡ/ v. 努力工作（这里指员工在一周里努力工作）
productivity /ˌprɒdʌkˈtɪvəti/ n. 生产力
wilt /wɪlt/ v. 萎靡不振
slump /slʌmp/ v. 暴跌、骤降
extent /ɪkˈstent/ n. 程度
task /tɑːsk/ n. 任务、工作任务
So Balliett decided to squeeze the work week into four 10-hour days, with her 30 employees taking off either Friday or Monday. Now, she says, "Our team has more energy throughout the week since they have three days to recharge instead of just two." And with less time to complete tasks, "They're far more efficient and focused," producing 25% more with the same-size staff.
squeeze /skwiːz/ v. 挤压
take off something 在某个时间不上班
throughout /θruːˈaʊt/ prep. 从…的开始到结束
recharge /riːˈtʃɑːdʒ/ v. 充电（这里指人从疲惫不堪恢复到精神饱满）
efficient /ɪˈfɪʃ(ə)nt/ adj. 高效的、效果好的
focused /ˈfəʊkəst/ adj. 专注的
A small but growing number of U.S. businesses are adopting a four-day work week to boost productivity and morale, and provide a competitive edge in the scramble for employees. While some scrunch（挤压成团） the standard 40 hours into four days, others simply shed a day and require four eight-hour days, typically with no cut in pay.
adopt /əˈdɒpt/ v. 采取、采用
boost /buːst/ v. 提高
morale /məˈrɑːl/ n. 士气
competitive /kəmˈpetɪtɪv/ adj. 竞争的
edge /edʒ/ n. 优势
scramble /ˈskræmb(ə)l/ n. 争夺、争抢
standard /ˈstændəd/ adj. 标准的
simply /ˈsɪmpli/ adv. 简单地
shed /ʃed/ v. 去掉
cut /kʌt/ n. 削减、减少
pay /peɪ/ n. 工资、薪水
Fifteen percent of organizations offer four-day work weeks of 32 hours or less to at least some employees, up from 13% in 2017, according to an April survey by the Society for Human Resource Management. And a poll last year by staffing firm Robert Half found that 17% of companies had compressed work weeks that squish（压扁） the same number of hours into fewer days.
survey /ˈsɜːveɪ/ n. 问卷调查
poll /pəʊl/ n. 民意测验
staffing /ˈstɑːfɪŋ/ adj. 人事的、用工的
compress /kəmˈpres/ v. 压缩
A third of workers globally (and 40% in the U.S.) would prefer a four-day week, according to a survey last year by the Workforce Institute at Kronos. "People want to work, but they don't want to work five days," says Dan Schawbel, partner in Future Workplace, an executive development firm that analyzed the survey results. "They want more control over their work."
globally /ˈɡləʊb(ə)li/ adv. 全球地、全世界地（由global加后缀-ly变成副词）
partner /ˈpɑːtnə(r)/ n. 合伙人
executive /ɪɡˈzekjutɪv/ n. 高级管理人员
analyze /ˈæn(ə)laɪz/ v. 分析
Although Killer Visual Strategies opted for four 10-hour days, many staffers toiled（苦干） five nine- or 10-hour days previously anyway, so they still benefited from a drop in total hours, Balliett says. The biggest challenge, she says, was ensuring enough workers were available each day to deal with the firm's Fortune 500 clients. As a result, half the staff takes off Friday while the other half is out Monday.
opt /ɒpt/ v. 选择
staffer /ˈstɑːfə(r)/ n. 职员、员工
benefit /ˈbenɪfɪt/ v. 受益、获益
ensure /ɪnˈʃʊə(r)/ v. 确保
deal with 处理、应对
Fortune 500 指美国最大的500家公司（美国500强）
as a result 因此
Megan Popovich, 25, who took a visual designer job at the company in February, says the four-day week was "a pretty significant factor" in her decision. She uses her Mondays off to sift through personal email, run errands（跑腿）, go to the beach and take weekend trips to her hometown of Cincinnati. On workdays, she says, "I feel more focused," allowing her to accomplish more. She's so accustomed to the abbreviated（缩短的） schedule that going back to five days at another job would be tough.
visual /ˈvɪʒuəl/ adj. 视觉的
significant /sɪɡˈnɪfɪk(ə)nt/ adj. 重要的
factor /ˈfæktə(r)/ n. 因素
sift /sɪft/ v. 筛选
hometown /ˈhəʊmtaʊn/ n. 家乡
Cincinnati /ˌsɪnsɪˈnæti/ n. 辛辛那提（美国东北部城市）
workday /ˈwɜːkdeɪ/ n. 工作日（由work和day组成）
accomplish /əˈkʌmplɪʃ/ v. 完成
accustomed /əˈkʌstəmd/ adj. 习惯的
schedule /ˈʃedjuːl/ n. 日程安排
tough /tʌf/ adj. 困难的
（如果您发现某些行的最后一个单词被分成两半了，请把您使用的浏览器升级到最新版本就能正常显示了。）
网友评论