陳豪在北京的ABC美國公司工作。他中午去吃飯,正好遇到美國同事Amy。
(Office ambience)
C:Amy, 你去吃飯嗎?
A:As a matter of fact, I am.
C:我準(zhǔn)備到樓下的商店去隨便買個(gè)漢堡。一起去吧?
A:OK. I am looking for a quick bite myself. I would be delighted to join you.
C:我剛好有個(gè)問題要請教你。
A:What is it?
C:現(xiàn)在很多人都在格間里工作,我還記得你告訴過我,工作時(shí)應(yīng)該盡量設(shè)法不要影響到別人。
A:Right. We have discussed keeping your voice down in your cubicle, not using a speaker phone or holding a meeting in your cube.
C:對,除了聲音不要太大以外,還有不要吃味道特別重的食物。不過Amy,我最近還注意到了另外一個(gè)問題。
A:I'm interested to hear what it is.
C:主要是個(gè)人對工作格間的裝飾。I call it "cubicle decor."
A:Here we are at the sandwich shop. Let's get seated and then continue our conversation.
******
陳豪和Amy坐下吃飯。
A:You were talking about cubicle décor. What do you mean?
C:有人的格間很整齊,沒有任何私人物品,但有的人卻好像是把家都搬來了。
A:Can you be more specific?
C:他們的工作間里到處是家人的照片、小裝飾品、孩子的手工作品、出去玩買的紀(jì)念品,還有各種獎狀。
A:That bothers you?
C:我確實(shí)覺得有點(diǎn)兒過份。
A:Well, I agree with you. People need to add a personal touch to their office or cubicle without overdoing it.
C:我覺得應(yīng)該定個(gè)規(guī)矩,一律不許用私人物品來裝飾辦公室?
A:I disagree. Putting personal touches around your desk reveals a dimension of your personality to your co-workers and associates. It's as important as small talk in the office.
C:這么說也有道理,其實(shí)我就挺喜歡看同事們桌子上的照片的。但是你不覺得應(yīng)該適當(dāng)控制一下嗎?
A:People need to understand the limits of how much memorabilia to display as well as what is appropriate.
C:那你覺得什么樣的限制比較合理呢?
A:Keep the number of family photos to one or two, no more than 5x7 inches each. Display a favorite art piece, knick-knack or a plague that expresses a personal philosophy, but not a collection.
C:你的意思是可以放一、兩張5x7的照片,外加一件小裝飾品。還有些同事喜歡在辦公室里養(yǎng)花,你覺得合適嗎?
A:It's OK to add a live plant or two. The bottom line is to make your work area represent you without diminishing your professionalism.