胜任，而非时间：Y世代的工作概况
Jobs have long been structured primarily around units of time—a 40-hour
workweek, an eight-hour day. The time you spend—or are supposed to spend—
determines whether you are working full or part time, with implications for
compensation and other benefits. Face time can serve as a proxy for commitment
and ambition. But that comes as a bit of a surprise to many of today’s newest
employees. Generation Y workers (born since 1980) clearly prefer jobs defined
by task, not time. They want to be compensated for what they produce.
长久以来，工作主要建立于时间单位的基础上－每周40个工时，一天共计8个钟头。你
所付出 (应该说来是你得付出的)的时间决定了你是正职或是兼差，其中也涉及了你的报酬
及其他津贴。和同事一起工作的时间，甚至成为了必须承担的义务和企图心的代名词。但
这对于当今的新兴员工来说，是有那么一点的惊讶。Y世代的工作者(自1980年起算)相当偏
好由做事能力来定义工作，而非时间。他们想要的是依照付出的多寡来决定报酬。
That’s not a new concept. Workers in agricultural and craft-based economies
were rewarded for output—bushels of wheat, the number of cups or bowls. Even in
the early days of the Industrial Revolution, workers were paid by the piece.
With the advent of the industrial economy, however, piecemeal pay preserved too
many irregularities in an increasingly scientific and mechanized approach to
management. Production shifted from the discrete output of individual workers to
a complex, integrated process in which it was difficult to isolate tasks.
Logging time made more sense. Post-Depression regulations and the rise of
unionization soon led to standardized hours.
这并不是个全新的概念。在农业及手工业的经济时期，工作者的报酬就是来自作工的
结果，像是小麦的收获量，或是窑器成品的数目。就连在工业革命的早期，工人也是用工
作产量来决定薪资。然而，随着工业经济的来临，经营上也日渐科学化和商品化，个别的
支薪就隐含了太多不规则的现象。从此，制造这件事就开始由个人的离散产值，转换成一
种难以着重在个别付出的复合式均等过程。反倒是记录工时来得合理多了。萧条后时期(约
1940年代初)制定的条例和工会制度的兴起，很快地引领了标准化工时的问世。
The economy has shifted again, though, and the drumbeat for another change
is intensifying, sounded largely by Generation Y—a vital resource for talent-
hungry corporations. Many younger employees find they can complete tasks faster
than older workers, perhaps partly because of technological proficiency but even
more, in my view, because they work differently. They spend less time
scheduling and are comfortable coordinating electronically. They resent being
(这个字实在有点巧妙....~"~a)
asked to log hours and stay in the office after their tasks are done, and the
idea of face time really annoys them. Ys love to work asynchronously—anytime,
anywhere. One said during our research, “What is it with you people and 8:30
am?”
然而，这样的经济体又再次改变了，也引起另一项逐渐增强的共鸣，将传入大多数的Y
世代耳里，他们对亟求人才的企业来说，将是份极重要的资源。许多的年轻人发现，他们
比年长的人有更快完成工作的能力，或许部份是来自对电脑的精通，甚至在我认为，他们
工作的方式并不一样。他们花较少的时间在安排时程上面，而是透过电子产品进行轻松的
协调处理。他们憎恶被要求打卡，以及完成工作后还得留在办公室里头，和同事一同工作
的想法简直就是烦扰了他们。Y世代们喜爱不同调的工作方式，无论何时何地。在我们的研
究当中，甚至还有受试者这么说著：“你们这群人和早上八点半究竟是在搞什鬼啊？”
Practical realities are also moving us toward a task-based definition of
jobs. Who can say how long it takes to write a piece of software? Many salaried
knowledge workers are already effectively paid for tasks rather than time.
Allowing telecommuting and flexible hours is essentially trusting that the task
will be accomplished, even when people working from home are expected to put in
a specified number of hours. And institutionalizing task-based job definitions
is arguably fairer than arbitrarily approving flex work and telecommuting—an
approach as ripe for favoritism as the piecemeal systems of the preindustrial
age. As virtual work continues to spread (already 40% of IBM employees have no
official offices, for instance), it’s time to match the stated expectation to
the operational reality.
在讲求实际的现实环境推动下，我们正在朝向一个以办公为本的工作观念。谁能够说
出花了多少时间去写好一份软件？许多已被支薪的知识工作者，早就更有效率地从工作量
中获得报酬，而非时间。之所以允许线上通勤和更有弹性的工作时段，是因为信赖工作必
能完成的一种理所当然，甚至当那些人在家工作时，还希望他们能够提交一份详细点明的
工作时数。将这样的观念给制度化，可说是比直接嘉许这种弹性上班和线上通勤来得更公
平些，也能使这项尚未工业化的零散体系，臻至更完备的适性主义。在虚拟作业持续拓展
的当下(举个例子，已有40%的IBM员工没有办公室了。)，该是经营现实符合上述期望的时
候了！
What would that look like? At Best Buy’s headquarters, more than 60% of the
4,000 employees are now judged only on tasks or results. Salaried people put in
as much time as it takes to do their work. Hourly employees in the program work
a set number of hours to comply with federal labor regulations, but they get to
choose when. Those employees report better relationships with family and
friends, more company loyalty, and more focus and energy. Productivity has
increased by 35%, and voluntary turnover is 320 basis points lower than in teams
that have not made the change. Employees say they don’t know whether they work
fewer hours—they’ve stopped counting. Perhaps more important, they’re
finding new ways to become efficient: “Do we really need this meeting?”
这样一来会变成什么样子呢？在Best Buy的总公司的4000名员工里，已超过60%的人是
由工作和结果来进行考核。这些人执行公务的时间也吻合了实际的付出。在此计画中，这
群以钟点计薪的员工们，按照一组符合联邦劳工法的时数工作，不过时段是随君任选。员
工们与亲朋处得更加融洽，多了对公司的忠诚度，以及更多的专注和精力。生产量也因此
上升了35%，志愿性的人事流动也比没有改变的团队低了320个基点(0.01%)，员工们表示，
他们不知是否工作较少时间－他们早已停止计算。或许更重要的是，他们正找寻许多变得
更有效率的工作方法：“我们真的还需要这样的会面吗？”
Going forward, we can devise a better model of how to define work. Think
task, not time:
‧ Articulate the results you expect—and tie accountability to getting the job
done.
‧ Make physical attendance in the office, including at meetings, optional.
‧ Gauge performance on the quality of the work performed.
‧ Help managers and employees learn to measure dedication in ways other than
face time.
‧ Use today’s networking capabilities to allow employees to work from
anywhere.
‧ Support the changes by creating drop-in centers, team spaces, and open work
areas.
如此继续下去，我们可以设计出一套更好的模式来定义工作。想想如何胜任，而非时
间长短：
．明确表达你期望的结果－并且负起责任去完成工作。
．力行在办公室里的出席，包括会议场所，但这不是强制性的。
．由工作表现的素质来决定成果。
．帮助经理及员工们学习如何用会面共事以外的方式来权衡尽责与否。
．发挥当今网络的力量，允许员工在任何地方办公。
．借由设立访客中心、茶水间，和开放式的工作场所，来支持这些改变。
Shift your definition of work from a place your employees go for a
specified period to something they do—anytime, anywhere. Task, not time—a
model that dominated employment until a century ago—is a powerful way to draw
in the newest crop of workers.
转移你对工作的定义，从一个你员工们在特定时段报到的空间，变成何时何地。胜任
，而非时间－一个直到上世纪都还在主宰工作的理念，对新兴的工作者所得，将是个强而
有力的判定手法。