【中英双语】工作过劳不仅因为疲倦，也因为孤独
越来越多人在工作中感到疲倦和孤独。在分析 2016 年的《总体社会调查》时我们发现，与大约 20 年前相比，倾向于认为自己总是过度劳 累的人数翻了一番。接近 50% 的人说，他们经常或总是因为工作而疲惫不堪。这一数值高得惊人，比 20年前增长了 32%。更重要的是， 感到孤独和工作疲劳之间存在明显的相关性 : 人们越疲倦，越感到孤独。
More and more people are feeling tired and lonely at work. In analyzing the General Social Survey of 2016, we found that, compared with roughly 20 years ago, people are twice as likely to report that they are always exhausted. Close to 50% of people say they are often or always exhausted due to work. This is a shockingly high statistic — and it’s a 32% increase from two decades ago. What’s more, there is a significant correlation between feeling lonely and work exhaustion: The more people are exhausted, the lonelier they feel.
你可能会认为这种孤独与社交孤立无关，是工作劳累所导致的情绪疲惫。 在研究《幸福之路》（The Happiness Track）一书中我们发现，从非营利性机到医疗领域，半数人群都感到疲劳。这不仅仅是终日忙碌、不堪重负的高管们所面临的问题，尽管在这个群体中，孤独和倦怠的发生率之高是众所周知的。我们的研究表明，这一问题在各行业普遍存在。
This loneliness is not a result of social isolation, as you might think, but rather is due to the emotional exhaustion of workplace burnout. In researching the book The Happiness Track, we found that 50% of people — across professions, from the nonprofit sector to the medical field — are burned out. This isn’t just a problem for busy, overworked executives (though the high rates of loneliness and burnout among this group are well known). Our work suggests that the problem is pervasive across professions and up and down corporate hierarchies.
孤独，不管是源自社交孤立还是精疲力竭，都会给个人带 来 严 重 的 后 果。 约 翰· 卡 西 奥 珀（John Cacioppo） 是 全 球 顶尖的孤独研究专家，也是《孤独：人性和社交联系需要》 （Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection）一书的合著者，他强调指出孤独对身心健康和长寿的巨大影响。加州大学欧文分校的莎拉·普锐斯曼(Sarah Pressman)所做的研究确证了他的论著，并证明肥胖会缩短20%的寿命，饮酒会缩短30%，吸烟会缩短50%，而孤独则会缩短70%的寿命。事实上，一项研究表明，孤独可增加罹患中风或冠 心病的几率，这是发达国家人群致死的主要原因，比例为30%。另一 方面，正常的社交关系令人感觉良好，可增强我们的免疫系统，延长寿命，降低焦虑和抑郁的发生率。
Loneliness, whether it results from social isolation or exhaustion, has serious consequences for individuals. John Cacioppo, a leading expert on loneliness and coauthor of Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection, emphasizes its tremendous impact on psychological and physical health and longevity. Research by Sarah Pressman, of the University of California, Irvine, corroborates his work and demonstrates that while obesity reduces longevity by 20%, drinking by 30%, and smoking by 50%, loneliness reduces it by a whopping 70%. In fact, one study suggests that loneliness increases your chance of stroke or coronary heart disease — the leading cause of death in developed countries — by 30%. On the other hand, feelings of social connection can strengthen our immune system, lengthen our life, and lower rates of anxiety and depression.
所有亲历者都可以证明孤独是一种情感上的痛苦，甚至可在大脑中出现生理性疼痛。因为无法集中精力，这种令人不快的社交反应可直接对工作效率造成影响。女王大学史密斯商学院和盖洛普公司的调查还显示，如果员工不能全 身心投入工作，将为企业带来极其恶劣的后果：旷工率高达 37%，事故发生率 增加 49%，利润下降 16%，股价随时间推移而下跌 65%。
As anyone who has experienced it can attest to, loneliness is an emotionally painful feeling; it even registers as physical pain in the brain. The social repercussions of this discomfort directly impact work productivity because people disengage. And both the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University and the Gallup Organization have shown the extreme costs to companies of disengagement: almost 37% higher absenteeism, 49% more accidents, 16% lower profitability, and a 65% lower share price over time.
与此同时，专家和企业一直在想方设法应对日益严重的过劳问题。许多建 议侧重于减轻压力，教导正念，或减少工作量，所有这些都将过度劳累视为一 种个人状态。但过劳与孤独的联系表明，在工作中建立更广泛的人际关系也可 能是消除精神疲惫的关键。
In the meantime, experts and companies have struggled to figure out how to counter growing levels of burnout. Many recommendations focus on relieving stress, teaching mindfulness, or reducing workload — all of which treat burnout as an individual condition. But its link to loneliness suggests that greater human connection at work may also be key to solving the burnout problem.
事实上，研究已经表明，工作中的社交支持与更低的倦怠率、更大的工作 满意度和更高的生产率存在联系。英国的一项研究显示，工作幸福感的最重要因素是与同事之间积极的社交关系。工作场所的参与程度与积极的社交关系让人获得重视、支持、尊重和安全感。研究表明，社交联系能够产生更大的心理 幸福感，并转化为更高的生产力和更好的业绩表现。这在一定程度上是正确的， 因为社交可以提高自尊，这意味着员工受到更多信任、更有同情心，也更乐于 合作——从而获得他人的信任和合作。
In fact, research has demonstrated the link between social support at work, lower rates of burnout, and greater work satisfaction and productivity. After all, the most important factor in work happiness, a UK study showed, is positive social relationships with coworkers. Workplace engagement is associated with positive social relations that involve feeling valued, supported, respected, and secure. And the result of feeling socially connected, studies show, is greater psychological well-being, which translates into higher productivity and performance. This is true in part because social connectedness leads to higher self-esteem, which means employees are more trusting, empathic, and cooperative — leading others to trust and cooperate with them.
那么，领导者和员工能够做些什么呢？
提升职场文化的包容性和同理心
密歇根大学的金·卡梅伦是《积极领 导》（Positive Leadership）一书的作者，其研究表明，关心、支持、尊重、诚实和具有宽容性的职场关系可以促使整体组织有更好的表现，应该在人与人之间鼓励协作，珍惜热情、友好、善解人意的关系。研究表明，尤其是将心比心的移情作用，它可能是预防身心疲惫和工作劳累的保护性因素。简·达根 (Jane Dutton) 是密歇根大学的教授，也是《在工作中唤醒同情》一书的合著者，他令人信服地指出，同情心可以提高整个职场成员的适应能力。
So what can Leaders and employees do?
Promote a workplace culture of inclusion and empathy.
Research by the University of Michigan’s Kim Cameron, author of Positive Leadership, shows that workplaces characterized by caring, supportive, respectful, honest, and forgiving relationships lead to higher organizational performance overall. You want to encourage community and value warm, friendly, and understanding relationships between people. Empathy, in particular, may be a protective factor against burnout and work exhaustion, studies suggest. Jane Dutton, professor at the University of Michigan and coauthor of Awakening Compassion at Work, persuasively argues that compassion can foster greater workplace resilience overall.
鼓励组织内部所有员工建立成长性人脉网络，其中包括你经常向其请教任 务建议或需求情感支持的一小群同事。在绝大多数企业中，这些网络的创建都不是有意为之。然而，公司可以通过指派员工、帮助员工联系潜在的导师、教 练和同事，来协助人际关系的建立。消除连接壁垒，利用日历中的空闲时间， 并提供（不仅限于工作，还应包括爱好和兴趣的）相关背景信息，这些方法长期有效。
Encourage employees throughout the organization to build developmental networks. These networks are small groups of colleagues you routinely turn to for task advice or emotional support. At the vast majority of companies, creation of these networks is left up to chance. However, companies can help foster them by assigning onboarding partners and helping employees access and connect with potential mentors, coaches, and peers. Removing barriers to connect, by freeing space in calendars and offering contact information with relevant background information (including hobbies and interests, not just work), can go a long way.
庆祝集体的成功
快乐时光所带来的快乐是短暂的。但是，庆祝集体的成 功有助于在组织中创造归属感。我们所见过的最好实例来自南非的创业孵化器 阿威图。每当有新员工加入一家创业公司时，铃声响起，每个人都停下了手上正在做的事情，群起欢呼。这种仪式可以增强团结，增加归属感，并有助于防止倦怠。
Celebrate collective successes.
The happiness arising from a happy hour is short-lived. But celebrating collective successes helps create a sense of belonging and attachment in organizations. One of the best examples we have seen of this was at Awethu, a startup incubator in South Africa. Each time a new employee was hired into a venture, a bell rang, and everyone stopped what they were doing to cheer. This kind of ritual builds solidarity, increases a sense of belonging, and can help guard against burnout.
公司为员工的孤独和过劳付出的代价非常之高。
最近的研究估计，在英国，员工的孤独感每年给雇主造成的损失高达数十亿美元，员工的精疲力竭也让美 国的医疗体系每年损失数以千亿计美元。这项研究的结论明确无疑——对管理者和领导者而言，现在是时候采取措施来应对这些流行病了。
The stakes for companies are high when it comes to loneliness and burnout.
Recent studies estimate that loneliness costs employers in the UK billions of dollars each year and employee burnout costs the U.S. health care system hundreds of billions of dollars each year. The research is clear. Now it’s time for managers and Leaders to take steps to battle these epidemics.
艾玛.赛帕拉博士是斯坦福大学同情与利他研究和教育中心的科学主任，也是《幸福轨迹》 （Fulfillment Daily）一书的作者，还是“每日践诺”(Fulfillment Daily) 网站的创始人。
玛丽莎.金博士是耶鲁大学管理学院的组织行为学教授，其研究和教学涵盖了社交网络、福利和工作。
