来源：《泰晤士报》
原文见报日期：2023年5月4日
It’s a warm day in the middle of June and the clock has just struck 12. A group message arrives, the contents predictable: drinks somewhere outdoors, somewhere in the sun and somewhere far from the office.
这是六月中旬一个温暖的日子，时钟刚刚敲响12点。一条群发信息来了，内容可想而知：在户外、在阳光下、在远离办公室的地方喝酒。
There’s only one slight problem — it’s a Friday. But the number of people clocking off at lunchtime on the last day of the traditional working week is growing each summer as managers battle to keep employees happy.
只有一个小问题——今天是星期五。但每年夏天，在传统工作周的最后一天，在午餐时间打卡下班的人数都在增加，因为经理们都在努力让员工开心。
Joe Ryle, the director of the 4 Day Week Campaign, said British companies were increasingly offering summer hours to raise morale. He said: “Pressure for a four-day week has been building and it’s resulting in companies looking at different ways of doing business. Companies that aren’t quite ready to go the full hurdle are introducing nine-day fortnights and summer working hours. Seasonal hours give companies the opportunity to experiment with shorter working hours in a much smaller time period so workers can adjust and get used to it.”
“4天工作周”运动的负责人乔赖尔表示，英国公司越来越多地提供夏季短工时，以鼓舞士气。他说：“四天工作制的压力一直在增加，这导致企业考虑不同的经营方式。那些还没有完全准备好克服所有障碍的公司正在引入两周9天工作制和夏季短工时。季节性工时让公司有机会在短期内尝试更短的工作时间，这样员工就可以调整并习惯它。”
This summer several major companies are expected to continue schemes that allow employees to finish work between 12pm and 3.30pm on Fridays. At L’Oréal, the cosmetics company, “summer Fridays” start at 3pm. Employees at Asos, the online fashion outlet, also clock off then. Half-day Fridays are on offer at Mondelez International, which owns Cadbury, and at the sportswear giant Nike.
今年夏天，预计几家大公司将继续实施允许员工在周五中午12点至下午3点半之间结束工作的计划。在化妆品公司欧莱雅，“夏日星期五”从下午3点开始。网络时尚商店Asos的员工也会在这一时间点打卡下班。吉百利(Cadbury)的母公司亿滋国际和运动服装巨头耐克(Nike)都推出了“周五半天班”活动。
From May to September, office-based and field sales staff at Kellogg’s are allowed to finish work from midday on a Friday. Chris Silcock, the head of Kellogg’s UK, said: "We’ve been offering summer hours for 20 years now because we know it works. By giving our people half a day for themselves each week, it allows them to recharge and unwind. Not only is this great for people’s mental and physical wellbeing, but it also leads to increased productivity and motivation."
从5月到9月，凯洛格公司的办公室和现场销售人员可以在周五中午结束工作。凯洛格英国公司负责人克里斯·西尔科克说：“我们提供夏季短工时已经有20年了，因为我们知道这很有效。通过每周给员工半天的私人时间，他们可以恢复精力，放松身心。这不仅有利于员工的身心健康，还能提高工作效率和积极性。”
Employees from companies such as Hachette, Penguin Random House, PwC and Deloitte are also likely to be found leaving for the pub or even a quick jaunt abroad on summer Fridays.
在夏季的周五，阿歇特(Hachette)、企鹅兰登书屋、普华永道(PwC)和德勤(Deloitte)等公司的员工也很可能会去酒吧，甚至是去国外短途旅行。
There is, of course, a catch: most companies that offer the early cuts expect their employees to make up the hours during the week. “It’s a way of balancing demands during quieter periods while also appealing to workers at the same time,” said Jon Boys, senior labour market economist at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. “Summer hours serve a good business purpose when companies are battling to attract and retain talent and it’s well-paid, highly-skilled roles that get flexibility. If things do start to slow down, there might be less of an incentive to offer these sort of perks which are driven by market pressures.”
当然，有一个问题：大多数提前放假的公司都希望员工能在工作日补齐工作时间。英国特许人事与发展协会高级劳动力市场经济学家乔恩博伊斯表示：“这是一种平衡淡旺季需求的方式，同时也能吸引工人。当公司正在努力吸引和留住人才时，夏季短工时能够达到很好的商业目的，那些高薪、高技能的员工获得了灵活性。如果经济确实开始放缓，那么提供这些由市场压力驱动的福利的动力可能就会减少。”