Which is worse: office life now or 50 years ago? When this question was put to me last week by a TV researcher I didn’t need to think for more than two seconds before producing an answer. Obviously, it is worse now. We have no job security. We work unbearably long hours. Competition has destroyed the collegiate spirit: every man is for himself. We only turn off when asleep and are still checking emails with one hand as we clean our teeth with the other. The result is stress, exhaustion and alienation.
哪一個更糟:現在、還是五十年前的辦公室生活?最近一位電視臺的研究者向我提出這個問題時,我思考了不到兩秒鐘就給出了回答。顯而易見,現在的辦公室生活更糟糕。我們的職位沒有保障,我們的工作時間長得令人難以忍受。競爭已經摧毀了團隊精神:每個人都只顧自己。我們只有在睡覺時才關閉電腦,而且即便是在刷牙的時候也要用空出的另一隻手檢查郵件。由此導致的後果是巨大的壓力、筋疲力竭以及疏遠的同事關係。