Switching on Outside Office Risks Relationships, Psychologists Find 

英语新闻：

A company mobile phone or laptop might seem like a perk of the job but it could spell disaster for personal relationships, a new study has found. 

最新研究发现，员工配有公司移动电话或笔记本电脑似乎能加快工作进程，但也会影响他们的人际关系。

 

Modern gadgets which allows workers to be perpetually on-call or able to check emails can put a huge strain on life outside of the office. 

这些能让员工随叫随到或者随时查收电子邮件的现代化小设备，也给他们工作外的私人生活增添了巨大压力。 

 

A British study, carried out by psychologists from the University of Surrey, analysed 65 previous surveys involving 50,000 employees to determine the consequences of having constant access to work. 

英国萨里大学（University of Surrey）的心理学家们进行了一项研究，他们通过之前有5万员工参与的65份调查，分析了长期需要工作待命的后果。 

 

They found that those who ‘switched on’ long after the office was shut were more likely to have problems with their health and private lives. 

研究人员发现，那些在下班后还要保持“电话通畅”的员工可能面临更多健康和私人生活问题。 

 

The use of mobile phones and laptops increasingly ‘blurred’ the boundaries between work and home life ‘causing work-family conflict’ the authors concluded. 

他们总结说，使用公司移动电话和电脑会让工作和生活之间的界限日益“模糊”，并会造成“工作与家庭的冲突”。 

 

The studies showed that although smartphones and tablets are often billed as helping to workers to be more flexible with their time, they actually caused employees to work longer hours. 

该研究表明，虽然智能手机和平板电脑让员工的工作时段更有弹性，但实际上是延长了工作时间。 

 

“The overall amount of time which is actually spent with one’s family and with engagement in self-related activities is reduced by (mobile phone and laptop) use,” the report found. 

报告指出，“我们陪伴家人和参加活动的时间被看手机和玩电脑占用了。” 

 

The researchers discovered that workers increasingly face a strong expectation to be available 24/7 and few feel able to switch off. 

研究人员发现，越来越多的员工要面临每周7天，每天24小时的待命，很少有人敢关闭公司发配的设备。

 

Svenja Schlater who led the study said bosses needed to ‘rethink’ whether it was sensible for employees to be in constant contact. 

该研究的负责人Svenja Schlater表示，老板们需要“反思”让员工长时间待命是否合理。 

 

“Staying 'switched on' might increase flexibility and efficiency at first glance, but in the long run, it can result in longer work hours and can be detrimental to wellbeing due to stress and work-life balance issues, “she said. 

她说：“乍看之下，保持电话畅通能提高工作灵活性和效率，但从长远来看，它会造成工作时间的延长，并且由于压力和公私生活失衡，员工的健康会受到影响。”

 

 

"We need to re-think unlimited 24/7 access to work, and manage technology use more wisely and in particular, more actively. 

“我们需要反思全天候待命的工作模式，并且更明智、更灵活地使用管理技巧。” 

 

"Researchers, employers and employees need to work jointly on how to make the use of technologies as beneficial as possible, reducing the negative effects. Otherwise, there is a danger of unintended knock-on effects." 

“研究人员、雇主和雇员应该为达成有效的管理技巧而共同努力，降低其负面影响。否则会酿成意想不到的连锁危机。” 

 

Ms Schlater added: "Families are understandably annoyed when someone is checking their mobile phones throughout dinner. It can cause problems within relationships and communication. 

她补充说：“某人在饭桌上翻阅手机会引起家人的反感。这就造成了家人之间的关系紧张和沟通障碍。” 

 

"And workers themselves need to realise that they should not be contacting colleagues after hours, as they will be pressuring them to reply." 

“而员工也需要知道，他们在下班后不应再联系同事，因为这迫使对方不得不做出答复。” 

 

According to telecoms regulator Ofcom, 61 per cent of UK adults now say they own a smartphone, while household take-up of tablet computers has almost doubled over the past year to 44 per cent. 

根据英国通信管理局（Ofcom）的调查，61%的的英国成年人拥有智能手机，而家用平板电脑的持有率在过去一年里翻了一番，达到44%。 

 

Research by Ofcom found that around thirty per cent of smartphone users say they regularly take part in personal phone calls during working hours, compared with 23 per cent of regular mobile phone users. 

该调查发现，30%的智能手机用户表示，他们在工作时段常接听私人电话，相比之下只有23%的的普通手机用户有此情况。 

However, smartphone users are more likely to take part in work calls while on holiday or annual leave. 

然而，智能手机用户在假期或年假时更容易接到工作电话。 

 

Recent research by employment law specialist Blake Morgan found more than half of workers feel they are expected to work faster and hit deadlines sooner as a result of this new connectedness to mobiles and laptops, while nearly half believe their employers now expect them to be available any time, anywhere. 

雇佣法专家布莱克•摩根（Blake Morgan）在他最新的研究中指出，超过一半的员工表示由于手机和电脑被频繁运用到工作中，上级们对他们的工作速度要求更高了。而有近一半的员工甚至认为老板已经要求他们在任何时间、地点都随叫随到。

(中国日报)