
職場(chǎng)雙人搭檔并不新鮮,,事實(shí)上,,他們成功的案例人盡皆知。例如蝙蝠俠和羅賓,、夏洛克和華生或者馬里奧和路易吉等,。然而,員工對(duì)于這種重要關(guān)系的定義正在發(fā)生變化,。
近幾年,,“工作妻子”或“工作丈夫”這類(lèi)說(shuō)法變得日益流行,以至于最近有一項(xiàng)研究顯示,,七成的辦公室上班族聲稱(chēng)有一位“工作伴侶”,。
對(duì)英國(guó)辦公室上班族的研究發(fā)現(xiàn),在2,000名受訪者中,,有72%表示有“工作伴侶”,,即與他們關(guān)系親密的同事。
但所謂的“工作伴侶”會(huì)延伸到職場(chǎng)以外,。
由健康服務(wù)提供商Health Assured委托開(kāi)展的研究發(fā)現(xiàn),,五分之一受訪者表示,,他們對(duì)工作伴侶的私人生活一清二楚,還有23%的受訪者表示,,在情感問(wèn)題上,,他們更信任自己的工作伙伴,而不是感情伴侶,。
在工作中結(jié)交到知交好友并不是壞事,,事實(shí)上,這是決定員工整體工作滿意度的關(guān)鍵因素之一,。
皮尤研究中心(Pew Research)去年發(fā)現(xiàn),,與同事和老板的關(guān)系是許多人工作中最積極的方面,這讓他們?cè)诠ぷ髦械恼w成就感更高,。
但專(zhuān)家警告,,工作中的密友將這種重要的友誼公開(kāi)或者私下定義為“工作婚姻”,可能會(huì)暗示某種親密關(guān)系,,進(jìn)而引發(fā)沖突和指責(zé),。
雖然這種俏皮的說(shuō)法在朋友之間是簡(jiǎn)短的稱(chēng)呼,但對(duì)其他人來(lái)說(shuō)可能是一個(gè)警告信號(hào),。
工作妻子或共享大腦,?
杰西·肯特和科尼莉亞·霍爾夫鮑爾共事了近十年時(shí)間。
兩人分別擔(dān)任紐約公關(guān)公司Derring-Do的總裁和副總裁,,他們不僅是親密無(wú)間的好友,,而且他們配合默契,以至于被人們形容兩人“共享一個(gè)大腦”,。
雖然兩人似乎完全符合職場(chǎng)伴侶的所有特征,,但肯特對(duì)《財(cái)富》雜志表示,他不會(huì)如此輕率地定義兩人之間的關(guān)系,,而是更準(zhǔn)確地描述為“左膀右臂”或者“副手”,。
肯特在約7年前創(chuàng)立了自己的公司,當(dāng)時(shí)霍爾夫鮑爾是他招募的第一名員工,?;魻柗蝓U爾表示,肯特可以信任她作為他的“第二大腦”,。
肯特解釋稱(chēng):“我們就像是一個(gè)人,。我們的客戶都知道。因?yàn)槲沂枪镜呢?fù)責(zé)人,,所以許多客戶都會(huì)來(lái)找我,,但我分身乏術(shù)。所以我告訴她們:‘為什么不去和科尼莉亞聊聊呢?她很清楚我的想法,。我們的思考方式是相同的,。’”
當(dāng)肯特每個(gè)月需要前往外地照顧一位親屬時(shí),,兩人之間毫無(wú)保留的信任變得更加重要。
肯特補(bǔ)充說(shuō):“科尼莉亞接手了我的所有客戶和團(tuán)隊(duì),,讓公司保持正常運(yùn)行——我甚至無(wú)需過(guò)問(wèn),。我和她在工作之外的私人關(guān)系,使公司變得更強(qiáng)大,、更成功,,也讓我個(gè)人變得更強(qiáng)大、更成功,?!?/p>
雖然兩人之間的關(guān)系現(xiàn)在變得非常穩(wěn)固,因此兩人經(jīng)常對(duì)彼此“直言不諱”,,但肯特表示,,他特別注意不讓其他團(tuán)隊(duì)成員感到被疏遠(yuǎn)。
他說(shuō)道:“如果沒(méi)有團(tuán)隊(duì)的反饋,,我就不會(huì)有現(xiàn)在的成就,。”他們經(jīng)常會(huì)安排一對(duì)一培訓(xùn)和反饋會(huì)議,。他補(bǔ)充說(shuō):“否則,,我個(gè)人和公司都不會(huì)得到成長(zhǎng)?!?/p>
知道自己的角色
經(jīng)常有研究發(fā)現(xiàn),,高質(zhì)量的工作關(guān)系能夠減輕員工的壓力,進(jìn)而提高工作效率,。
倫敦國(guó)王商學(xué)院(King’s Business School)的阿曼達(dá)·瓊斯博士解釋稱(chēng),,與同事建立親密關(guān)系的好處分兩個(gè)方面,分別是工具性好處和情感性好處,。
工具性好處是指,,例如在工作中關(guān)系緊密的兩個(gè)人,技能互補(bǔ),,因此效率更高,。
瓊斯博士對(duì)《財(cái)富》雜志解釋稱(chēng),實(shí)際好處更多與情感因素有關(guān),,例如培養(yǎng)更強(qiáng)大的社交人脈和建立團(tuán)隊(duì)等,。
瓊斯表示認(rèn)為,在工作中無(wú)法獲得這些實(shí)際好處,可能導(dǎo)致孤獨(dú)和孤立,,但她補(bǔ)充道,,同事之間即使關(guān)系密切,也要有清晰的邊界,,以確保這種友誼不會(huì)變成相互依賴(lài),。
事實(shí)上,還有研究發(fā)現(xiàn),,職場(chǎng)友誼可以幫助人們度過(guò)經(jīng)濟(jì)困境,,而且可能是讓員工重新回到辦公室的主要激勵(lì)因素。
然而,,瓊斯博士補(bǔ)充說(shuō),,過(guò)度親密的關(guān)系可能影響一個(gè)人的客觀性,導(dǎo)致人們?nèi)菀走^(guò)度工作,。
此外,,“如果在這種關(guān)系中存在權(quán)力差異,讓人們很容易受到濫用權(quán)力的指控,。這可能導(dǎo)致同事之間發(fā)生沖突,、出現(xiàn)偏袒的指控甚至更糟糕的情況?!?/p>
瓊斯博士補(bǔ)充說(shuō),,歸根結(jié)底,這種關(guān)系會(huì)成為幫助你職業(yè)發(fā)展的武器,,還是阿喀琉斯之踵(弱點(diǎn)),,取決于你是否清楚自己的職業(yè)和個(gè)人身份,并且不要讓兩者發(fā)生沖突,。
她補(bǔ)充道:“如果你感覺(jué)在個(gè)人生活中的關(guān)系,,因?yàn)槟阍诼殬I(yè)生活中投入的專(zhuān)注和資源而受到破壞,這應(yīng)該引起警惕,?!?/p>
到底該如何稱(chēng)呼
西莉亞·摩爾教授對(duì)工作伴侶這種說(shuō)法的擔(dān)憂,有多個(gè)原因,,而不只是因?yàn)樗鼛в幸恍┛赡懿粶?zhǔn)確的含義,。
摩爾是一名來(lái)自倫敦帝國(guó)學(xué)院(Imperial College in London)的學(xué)者。她表示,,可以預(yù)料社會(huì)上會(huì)出現(xiàn)一個(gè)用來(lái)描述親密工作關(guān)系的短語(yǔ),。畢竟,我們會(huì)用專(zhuān)門(mén)的詞匯來(lái)描述我們大多數(shù)重要的關(guān)系,。
但她警告:“我們對(duì)于伴侶的普遍理解包含了排他性,,這是與這個(gè)詞匯有關(guān)的道德義務(wù),。因此,在職場(chǎng)使用這個(gè)詞,,就具有了排他性和特殊待遇的含義……這樣稱(chēng)呼可能引發(fā)問(wèn)題,,在工作內(nèi)外造成各種后果?!?/p>
在某些情況下,,可以用“工作姐妹”或者“工作兄弟”來(lái)取代工作伴侶,因?yàn)楹笳呓?jīng)常帶有強(qiáng)烈的情感含義,。
摩爾教授表示,,最簡(jiǎn)單的定義這種對(duì)職業(yè)有影響的關(guān)系的方式,是用它們本來(lái)的稱(chēng)呼來(lái)形容:“長(zhǎng)期共事的同事”或者“共同管理客戶的同事”等,。(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:劉進(jìn)龍
審校:汪皓
職場(chǎng)雙人搭檔并不新鮮,事實(shí)上,,他們成功的案例人盡皆知,。例如蝙蝠俠和羅賓、夏洛克和華生或者馬里奧和路易吉等,。然而,,員工對(duì)于這種重要關(guān)系的定義正在發(fā)生變化。
近幾年,,“工作妻子”或“工作丈夫”這類(lèi)說(shuō)法變得日益流行,,以至于最近有一項(xiàng)研究顯示,七成的辦公室上班族聲稱(chēng)有一位“工作伴侶”,。
對(duì)英國(guó)辦公室上班族的研究發(fā)現(xiàn),,在2,000名受訪者中,有72%表示有“工作伴侶”,,即與他們關(guān)系親密的同事,。
但所謂的“工作伴侶”會(huì)延伸到職場(chǎng)以外。
由健康服務(wù)提供商Health Assured委托開(kāi)展的研究發(fā)現(xiàn),,五分之一受訪者表示,,他們對(duì)工作伴侶的私人生活一清二楚,還有23%的受訪者表示,,在情感問(wèn)題上,,他們更信任自己的工作伙伴,而不是感情伴侶,。
在工作中結(jié)交到知交好友并不是壞事,,事實(shí)上,這是決定員工整體工作滿意度的關(guān)鍵因素之一,。
皮尤研究中心(Pew Research)去年發(fā)現(xiàn),,與同事和老板的關(guān)系是許多人工作中最積極的方面,,這讓他們?cè)诠ぷ髦械恼w成就感更高。
但專(zhuān)家警告,,工作中的密友將這種重要的友誼公開(kāi)或者私下定義為“工作婚姻”,,可能會(huì)暗示某種親密關(guān)系,進(jìn)而引發(fā)沖突和指責(zé),。
雖然這種俏皮的說(shuō)法在朋友之間是簡(jiǎn)短的稱(chēng)呼,,但對(duì)其他人來(lái)說(shuō)可能是一個(gè)警告信號(hào)。
工作妻子或共享大腦,?
杰西·肯特和科尼莉亞·霍爾夫鮑爾共事了近十年時(shí)間,。
兩人分別擔(dān)任紐約公關(guān)公司Derring-Do的總裁和副總裁,他們不僅是親密無(wú)間的好友,,而且他們配合默契,,以至于被人們形容兩人“共享一個(gè)大腦”。
雖然兩人似乎完全符合職場(chǎng)伴侶的所有特征,,但肯特對(duì)《財(cái)富》雜志表示,,他不會(huì)如此輕率地定義兩人之間的關(guān)系,而是更準(zhǔn)確地描述為“左膀右臂”或者“副手”,。
肯特在約7年前創(chuàng)立了自己的公司,,當(dāng)時(shí)霍爾夫鮑爾是他招募的第一名員工?;魻柗蝓U爾表示,,肯特可以信任她作為他的“第二大腦”。
肯特解釋稱(chēng):“我們就像是一個(gè)人,。我們的客戶都知道,。因?yàn)槲沂枪镜呢?fù)責(zé)人,所以許多客戶都會(huì)來(lái)找我,,但我分身乏術(shù),。所以我告訴她們:‘為什么不去和科尼莉亞聊聊呢?她很清楚我的想法,。我們的思考方式是相同的,。’”
當(dāng)肯特每個(gè)月需要前往外地照顧一位親屬時(shí),,兩人之間毫無(wú)保留的信任變得更加重要,。
肯特補(bǔ)充說(shuō):“科尼莉亞接手了我的所有客戶和團(tuán)隊(duì),讓公司保持正常運(yùn)行——我甚至無(wú)需過(guò)問(wèn),。我和她在工作之外的私人關(guān)系,,使公司變得更強(qiáng)大、更成功,,也讓我個(gè)人變得更強(qiáng)大,、更成功,。”
雖然兩人之間的關(guān)系現(xiàn)在變得非常穩(wěn)固,,因此兩人經(jīng)常對(duì)彼此“直言不諱”,,但肯特表示,他特別注意不讓其他團(tuán)隊(duì)成員感到被疏遠(yuǎn),。
他說(shuō)道:“如果沒(méi)有團(tuán)隊(duì)的反饋,,我就不會(huì)有現(xiàn)在的成就?!彼麄兘?jīng)常會(huì)安排一對(duì)一培訓(xùn)和反饋會(huì)議,。他補(bǔ)充說(shuō):“否則,我個(gè)人和公司都不會(huì)得到成長(zhǎng),?!?/p>
知道自己的角色
經(jīng)常有研究發(fā)現(xiàn),高質(zhì)量的工作關(guān)系能夠減輕員工的壓力,,進(jìn)而提高工作效率,。
倫敦國(guó)王商學(xué)院(King’s Business School)的阿曼達(dá)·瓊斯博士解釋稱(chēng),與同事建立親密關(guān)系的好處分兩個(gè)方面,,分別是工具性好處和情感性好處。
工具性好處是指,,例如在工作中關(guān)系緊密的兩個(gè)人,,技能互補(bǔ),因此效率更高,。
瓊斯博士對(duì)《財(cái)富》雜志解釋稱(chēng),,實(shí)際好處更多與情感因素有關(guān),例如培養(yǎng)更強(qiáng)大的社交人脈和建立團(tuán)隊(duì)等,。
瓊斯表示認(rèn)為,,在工作中無(wú)法獲得這些實(shí)際好處,可能導(dǎo)致孤獨(dú)和孤立,,但她補(bǔ)充道,,同事之間即使關(guān)系密切,也要有清晰的邊界,,以確保這種友誼不會(huì)變成相互依賴(lài),。
事實(shí)上,還有研究發(fā)現(xiàn),,職場(chǎng)友誼可以幫助人們度過(guò)經(jīng)濟(jì)困境,,而且可能是讓員工重新回到辦公室的主要激勵(lì)因素。
然而,,瓊斯博士補(bǔ)充說(shuō),,過(guò)度親密的關(guān)系可能影響一個(gè)人的客觀性,,導(dǎo)致人們?nèi)菀走^(guò)度工作。
此外,,“如果在這種關(guān)系中存在權(quán)力差異,,讓人們很容易受到濫用權(quán)力的指控。這可能導(dǎo)致同事之間發(fā)生沖突,、出現(xiàn)偏袒的指控甚至更糟糕的情況,。”
瓊斯博士補(bǔ)充說(shuō),,歸根結(jié)底,,這種關(guān)系會(huì)成為幫助你職業(yè)發(fā)展的武器,還是阿喀琉斯之踵(弱點(diǎn)),,取決于你是否清楚自己的職業(yè)和個(gè)人身份,,并且不要讓兩者發(fā)生沖突。
她補(bǔ)充道:“如果你感覺(jué)在個(gè)人生活中的關(guān)系,,因?yàn)槟阍诼殬I(yè)生活中投入的專(zhuān)注和資源而受到破壞,,這應(yīng)該引起警惕?!?/p>
到底該如何稱(chēng)呼
西莉亞·摩爾教授對(duì)工作伴侶這種說(shuō)法的擔(dān)憂,,有多個(gè)原因,而不只是因?yàn)樗鼛в幸恍┛赡懿粶?zhǔn)確的含義,。
摩爾是一名來(lái)自倫敦帝國(guó)學(xué)院(Imperial College in London)的學(xué)者,。她表示,可以預(yù)料社會(huì)上會(huì)出現(xiàn)一個(gè)用來(lái)描述親密工作關(guān)系的短語(yǔ),。畢竟,,我們會(huì)用專(zhuān)門(mén)的詞匯來(lái)描述我們大多數(shù)重要的關(guān)系。
但她警告:“我們對(duì)于伴侶的普遍理解包含了排他性,,這是與這個(gè)詞匯有關(guān)的道德義務(wù),。因此,在職場(chǎng)使用這個(gè)詞,,就具有了排他性和特殊待遇的含義……這樣稱(chēng)呼可能引發(fā)問(wèn)題,,在工作內(nèi)外造成各種后果?!?/p>
在某些情況下,,可以用“工作姐妹”或者“工作兄弟”來(lái)取代工作伴侶,因?yàn)楹笳呓?jīng)常帶有強(qiáng)烈的情感含義,。
摩爾教授表示,,最簡(jiǎn)單的定義這種對(duì)職業(yè)有影響的關(guān)系的方式,是用它們本來(lái)的稱(chēng)呼來(lái)形容:“長(zhǎng)期共事的同事”或者“共同管理客戶的同事”等,。(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:劉進(jìn)龍
審校:汪皓
Workplace duos aren’t a new phenomenon—in fact, they’re famously successful. Just ask Batman and Robin, Sherlock and Watson, or Mario and Luigi. However, how employees are defining these crucial relationships is changing.
In recent years, the terms ‘work wife’ or ‘work husband’ have become increasingly prevalent—so much so that a recent study found that seven in ten people in office jobs claim to have a ‘work spouse’.
A study of British office workers found that 72% of 2,000 people surveyed said they had a ‘work wife’ or ‘work husband’—a term they would use to describe someone with whom they shared a close bond.
But a so-called work spouse goes beyond the walls of the office.
Research commissioned by health and wellbeing provider Health Assured found that a fifth of respondents say they know everything about their work spouse’s personal life, and a further 23% said they’d rather confide in their work partner than their romantic partner about emotional issues.
Having a close friend at work is no bad thing—in fact it’s one of the key factors in determining an employee’s general job satisfaction.
Pew Research found last year that relationships with coworkers and bosses was the most positive aspects of many people’s roles, leading to a higher overall job fulfillment.
But experts warn that by defining these important friendships as ‘work marriages’—either publicly or between themselves—duos are signaling connotations that can spiral into conflicts and accusations.
While the quirky phrase might be shorthand between pals, it’s a red flag for everyone else.
Work wife or shared brain?
Jesse Kent and Cornelia Holvbauer have worked together for the best part of a decade.
As president and VP of New York-based PR firm Derring-Do respectively, the pair aren’t just close friends but also work so seamlessly together they’re told they “share a brain.”
While the duo would seemingly tick every box for the work spouse moniker, Kent tells Fortune he would never define the relationship so flippantly—instead sticking to the more accurate descriptors of “right hand” or “number two.”
Holvbauer was Kent’s first hire when he launched his firm nearly seven years ago and says he can rely on her as his “second brain.”
He explained: “We’re very much the same person and our clients understand that. A lot of clients ask for me because I lead the company, but I can’t be everywhere all at once. So I say to them: ‘Why don’t you chat with Cornelia because she knows everything that I’m thinking? She thinks the same way that I will.'”
The duo’s implicit trust became all the more paramount when Kent found himself traveling across the country on a monthly basis to care for a relative.
“Cornelia stepped in with all of my clients and the team to hold everything together—I didn’t even have to ask,” Kent added. “Having that personal relationship with her outside of work has made the company stronger and more successful, and me as a person stronger and more successful.”
While the relationship with Holvbauer is now so established the pair can often be “blunt” with each other, Kent said he was conscious not to alienate other team members.
“I wouldn’t be where I am without feedback from my team,” he said. One-to-one training and feedback sessions are scheduled consistently, he added: “Otherwise I wouldn’t have grown as a person or as a company.”
Know your role
Studies have often found that high-quality work relationships can result in reduced stress among staff and, as a result, greater productivity.
The benefits of close relationships with colleagues can be split into two areas, instrumental and effective, explained Dr Amanda Jones of King’s Business School in London.
Instrumental benefits are, for example, a work duo whose skills complement each other and thus are more productive as a result.
Effective benefits are more emotional factors, Dr Jones explained to Fortune, like forging strong social networks and building teams.
Not having access to these effective benefits could result in loneliness and isolation at work, Dr Jones continued, but added close colleagues needed to set clear boundaries to make sure these friendships don’t become co-dependent.
Indeed, studies have also found work friendships can get individuals through economic upset and could be a major motivator in getting staff back into the office.
Yet overly close relationships can get in the way of one’s objectivity, Dr Jones added, making people vulnerable to overworking.
Additionally: “If there’s a power differential in that relationship, it leaves people very open to accusations of abuse of power. It can lead to conflict between colleagues, accusations of kind of favoritism or even something worse than that.”
Ultimately whether these relationships become a weapon in your professional armory or an Achilles heel comes down to knowing your professional and personal roles, Dr Jones added, and not letting the two conflict.
“If you feel your relationships in your personal life are becoming damaged by the amount of attention and resource you’re giving to the other roles, that’s probably a red flag,” she added.
What to call it
Professor Celia Moore is concerned about the work spouse phrasing for several reasons, not least because it has a raft of connotations that may not be accurate.
The academic at Imperial College in London said it’s to be expected that society would coin a phrase to describe a close working partnership. After all, we do it with most of our significant relationships.
But she cautioned: “A common understanding of spouse involves exclusivity—that’s the moral imperative associated with that term. So, using the term in a workplace then has a bunch of connotations of exclusivity and special privilege … [it] can be very problematic, [and have] consequences both in work and outside of work.”
In some cases the phrase ‘work sister’ or ‘work brother’ have been proposed as an alternative for work spouse, a phrase which equally carries weighty emotional connotations.
Professor Moore said the easiest way to define these career-making relationships is to simply call them what they are: “Colleagues who have worked together for a long time” or “colleagues who manage clients together.”