經濟衰退讓老闆和員工走得更近

Few bosses need worry that their employees want their jobs as most workers are just happy to be employed and one fifth would even have a fling with their boss if it helped their career, according to a US survey.

The US recession has driven bosses and their employees closer together and only 30 percent of employees want their boss's stressful job, recruitment firm Adecco Staffing US found in a poll tied to National Boss Day in mid-October.

But the survey found that some people are willing to go to greater lengths to keep their jobs in a tough market.

Almost one in five said they would have a fling with their boss if it would help their career and a similar number share connections with their boss through social networking sites like Facebook or LinkedIn.

Striving for the boss's job is not a top priority, though.

Employees with children aged 18 or under at home are more likely (39 percent vs. 23 percent) to want their boss's job to help pay for education and other costs.

With unemployment brushing up against 10 percent, those still working "feel like they were the chosen ones, like they got a vote of confidence from their boss that they're good enough to be retained," said David Adams, Adecco Group North America vice president of learning and development in Seattle.

That, and the smaller number of employees in many departments, strengthened ties between employees and bosses.

"Recession tested people's values and many realize that it's not all about work," said Adams, adding that workers saw peers climb the corporate ladder only to be laid off.

More than three-quarters of bosses said they felt stronger bonds to their employees than three years ago, and 61 percent of the employees agreed.

This may not change any time soon, even though the private-sector National Bureau of Economic Research last month called the recession over as of June 2009.

"Although it's technically over, nobody feels that it is over," said Adams.

根據美國的一項調查，老闆們基本上不需要擔心員工會搶自己的飯碗，因爲大多數員工只要有工作就滿足了，五分之一的員工甚至會和老闆發生風流韻事以求對事業有所幫助。

人才服務公司德科集團美國分部在一項民意調查中發現，美國的經濟衰退拉近了老闆和僱員之間的關係，只有30%的員工希望能得到老闆那頗具壓力的職務。這一調查與10月中旬的“全國老闆日”有關。

然而，調查也發現，在市場形勢嚴峻的情況下，有些人願意更加努力，以求保住自己的工作。

近五分之一的人稱，如果對自己的事業有幫助的話，會和老闆發生風流韻事。另外，數目與此相當的人通過Facebook和LinkedIn等社交網站和老闆分享信息。

儘管如此，努力坐上老闆的位置並非他們的首選。

那些家裏有未成年孩子的員工更有可能想得到老闆的工作（想當老闆的佔39%，不想當老闆的佔23%），以幫助支付教育費用和其他開支。

大衛•亞當斯是位於西雅圖的德科集團北美分公司學習與發展部的副主管，他說：“由於失業率直逼10%，那些還有工作的人“覺得自己是被上天選中的幸運兒，感覺自己得到了老闆的信任票，認爲他們足夠優秀，可以留下來。”

正是這一點，再加上許多部門的員工數量變少，加強了員工和老闆之間的關係。

亞當斯說，“經濟衰退使人們的價值觀經受了考驗，很多人意識到有些事情並不完全和工作相關。他補充說，員工們目睹了一些同事想尋求晉升，結果卻被解僱。

超過四分之三的老闆稱，他們覺得和員工的關係比三年前更近了，61%的員工對此表示認同。

儘管美國私營機構國家經濟研究局上個月宣佈經濟危機已經於2009年6月結束，但目前的狀態可能不會在短時間內發生改變。

亞當斯說，“儘管經濟危機從理論上來講已經過去，但是大家都覺得它沒有結束。”

Vocabulary:

have a fling with somebody: have a short sexual relationship with somebody（和某人有一段短暫的風流韻事）

go to greater lengths: 盡更大的力量，做出更多努力

brush up against: 碰及，觸及

climb the corporate ladder: 晉升，職務升遷