居家办公可能正在削弱同事关系
Remote work has plenty of fans, but a new study suggests it may be quietly damaging something important: the relationships that help people get their jobs done.
Researchers from the Wharton School in the United States and the University of Texas interviewed around 760 employees at a large financial services company with offices in the US, the UK and India.
They found that working from home could erode what they call "relational capital" – knowing who to ask for help, feeling comfortable asking, and having a colleague who is willing to answer. Staff tended to focus on their own targets, while helping colleagues and training new hires slipped down the list of priorities.
Sending a message was easy, but getting a reply often wasn't. Many people left messages until the next day. Employees with long-standing work friendships got quick answers, while newcomers struggled. One new hire said it took three months to get a response to a question.
Large online meetings had their own problems, with cameras switched off and people doing other work at the same time.
The researchers stress that they are not against remote work, and that some employees benefit from fewer distractions. But they recommend that teams coordinate their office days, give new staff proper introductions, and reward people for helping their colleagues.
远程办公有很多拥护者，但一项新研究指出，它可能在悄悄损害一样很重要的东西：帮助大家把工作做好的人际关系。
美国沃顿商学院和得克萨斯大学的研究人员访谈了一家大型金融服务公司的约 760 名员工，这家公司在美国、英国和印度都设有办公室。
他们发现，在家办公可能会削弱所谓的“关系资本”——知道该找谁帮忙、好意思开口，以及有同事愿意回应。员工往往只盯着自己的业绩指标，帮助同事、带新人这些事就被排到了后面。
发条消息很容易，可要等到回复却不容易。很多人会把消息留到第二天再回。和同事交情深的老员工很快就能得到答复，新来的人却常常求助无门。一位新员工说，他问的一个问题，过了三个月才有人回复。
大型线上会议也有问题：很多人关着摄像头，一边开会一边干别的事。
研究人员强调，他们并不反对远程办公，有些员工在家反而少受打扰。不过他们建议，团队应该协调好大家到办公室的日子，给新员工安排正式的介绍，并对乐于帮助同事的人给予认可和奖励。