越來越多人在工作中感到疲倦和孤獨(dú)。在分析 2016 年的《總體社會調(diào)查》時(shí)我們發(fā)現(xiàn)，與大約 20 年前相比，傾向于認(rèn)為自己總是過度勞 累的人數(shù)翻了一番。接近 50% 的人說，他們經(jīng)?；蚩偸且?yàn)楣ぷ鞫v不堪。這一數(shù)值高得驚人，比 20年前增長了 32%。更重要的是， 感到孤獨(dú)和工作疲勞之間存在明顯的相關(guān)性 : 人們越疲倦，越感到孤獨(dú)。?

More and more people are feeling tired and lonely at work. In analyzing the?General Social Survey of 2016, we found that, compared with roughly 20 years ago, people are twice as likely to report that they are always exhausted. Close to 50% of people say they are often or always exhausted due to work. This is a shockingly high statistic — and it’s a 32% increase from two decades ago. What’s more, there is a significant correlation between feeling lonely and work exhaustion: The more people are exhausted,?the lonelier they feel.

你可能會認(rèn)為這種孤獨(dú)與社交孤立無關(guān)，是工作勞累所導(dǎo)致的情緒疲憊。 在研究《幸福之路》（The Happiness Track）一書中我們發(fā)現(xiàn)，從非營利性機(jī)到醫(yī)療領(lǐng)域，半數(shù)人群都感到疲勞。這不僅僅是終日忙碌、不堪重負(fù)的高管們所面臨的問題，盡管在這個群體中，孤獨(dú)和倦怠的發(fā)生率之高是眾所周知的。我們的研究表明，這一問題在各行業(yè)普遍存在。?

This loneliness is not a result of social isolation, as you might think, but rather is due to the emotional exhaustion of workplace burnout.?In researching the book?The Happiness Track, we found that 50% of people — across professions, from the nonprofit sector to the medical field — are burned out. This isn’t just a problem for busy, overworked executives (though the high rates of?loneliness?and?burnout?among this group are well known). Our work suggests that the problem is pervasive across professions and up and down corporate hierarchies.

?孤獨(dú)，不管是源自社交孤立還是精疲力竭，都會給個人帶 來 嚴(yán) 重 的 后 果。 約 翰· 卡 西 奧 珀（John Cacioppo） 是 全 球 頂尖的孤獨(dú)研究專家，也是《孤獨(dú)：人性和社交聯(lián)系需要》 （Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection）一書的合著者，他強(qiáng)調(diào)指出孤獨(dú)對身心健康和長壽的巨大影響。加州大學(xué)歐文分校的莎拉·普銳斯曼(Sarah Pressman)所做的研究確證了他的論著，并證明肥胖會縮短20%的壽命，飲酒會縮短30%，吸煙會縮短50%，而孤獨(dú)則會縮短70%的壽命。事實(shí)上，一項(xiàng)研究表明，孤獨(dú)可增加罹患中風(fēng)或冠 心病的幾率，這是發(fā)達(dá)國家人群致死的主要原因，比例為30%。另一 方面，正常的社交關(guān)系令人感覺良好，可增強(qiáng)我們的免疫系統(tǒng)，延長壽命，降低焦慮和抑郁的發(fā)生率。

Loneliness, whether it results from social isolation or exhaustion, has serious consequences for individuals. John Cacioppo, a leading expert on loneliness and coauthor of?Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection,?emphasizes its tremendous impact on psychological and physical health and longevity.?Research?by Sarah Pressman, of the University of California, Irvine, corroborates his work and demonstrates that while obesity reduces?longevity by 20%, drinking by 30%, and smoking by 50%, loneliness reduces it by a whopping 70%. In fact,?one study?suggests that loneliness increases your chance of stroke or coronary heart disease — the leading cause of death in developed countries — by 30%. On the other hand, feelings of?social connection can?strengthen our immune system,?lengthen our life,?and?lower rates of anxiety and depression.

? ? ?

所有親歷者都可以證明孤獨(dú)是一種情感上的痛苦，甚至可在大腦中出現(xiàn)生理性疼痛。因?yàn)闊o法集中精力，這種令人不快的社交反應(yīng)可直接對工作效率造成影響。女王大學(xué)史密斯商學(xué)院和蓋洛普公司的調(diào)查還顯示，如果員工不能全 身心投入工作，將為企業(yè)帶來極其惡劣的后果：曠工率高達(dá) 37%，事故發(fā)生率 增加 49%，利潤下降 16%，股價(jià)隨時(shí)間推移而下跌 65%。?

As anyone who has experienced it can attest to, loneliness is an emotionally painful feeling; it even?registers as physical pain?in the brain.?The social repercussions of this discomfort directly impact?work productivity because people disengage. And both?the?Smith School of Business at Queen’s University?and the?Gallup Organization?have shown the extreme costs to companies of disengagement: almost 37% higher absenteeism, 49% more accidents, 16% lower profitability, and a 65% lower share price over time.

與此同時(shí)，專家和企業(yè)一直在想方設(shè)法應(yīng)對日益嚴(yán)重的過勞問題。許多建 議側(cè)重于減輕壓力，教導(dǎo)正念，或減少工作量，所有這些都將過度勞累視為一 種個人狀態(tài)。但過勞與孤獨(dú)的聯(lián)系表明，在工作中建立更廣泛的人際關(guān)系也可 能是消除精神疲憊的關(guān)鍵。?

In the meantime, experts and companies have struggled to figure out how to counter growing levels of burnout. Many recommendations focus on relieving stress, teaching mindfulness, or reducing workload — all of which treat burnout as an individual condition. But its link to loneliness suggests that greater human connection at work may also be key to solving the burnout problem.

事實(shí)上，研究已經(jīng)表明，工作中的社交支持與更低的倦怠率、更大的工作 滿意度和更高的生產(chǎn)率存在聯(lián)系。英國的一項(xiàng)研究顯示，工作幸福感的最重要因素是與同事之間積極的社交關(guān)系。工作場所的參與程度與積極的社交關(guān)系讓人獲得重視、支持、尊重和安全感。研究表明，社交聯(lián)系能夠產(chǎn)生更大的心理 幸福感，并轉(zhuǎn)化為更高的生產(chǎn)力和更好的業(yè)績表現(xiàn)。這在一定程度上是正確的， 因?yàn)樯缃豢梢蕴岣咦宰?，這意味著員工受到更多信任、更有同情心，也更樂于 合作——從而獲得他人的信任和合作。?

In fact,?research?has demonstrated the?link between social support at work, lower rates of burnout, and greater work satisfaction and productivity. After all,?the most important factor in work happiness, a?UK study showed, is positive social relationships with coworkers. Workplace engagement is associated with positive social relations that involve feeling valued, supported, respected, and secure.?And the result of?feeling socially connected,?studies?show, is?greater psychological well-being, which translates into higher productivity and performance. This is true in part because social connectedness leads to?higher?self-esteem, which means employees are more trusting, empathic, and cooperative — leading others to trust and cooperate with them.

那么，領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者和員工能夠做些什么呢？

提升職場文化的包容性和同理心

密歇根大學(xué)的金·卡梅倫是《積極領(lǐng) 導(dǎo)》（Positive Leadership）一書的作者，其研究表明，關(guān)心、支持、尊重、誠實(shí)和具有寬容性的職場關(guān)系可以促使整體組織有更好的表現(xiàn)，應(yīng)該在人與人之間鼓勵協(xié)作，珍惜熱情、友好、善解人意的關(guān)系。研究表明，尤其是將心比心的移情作用，它可能是預(yù)防身心疲憊和工作勞累的保護(hù)性因素。簡·達(dá)根 (Jane Dutton) 是密歇根大學(xué)的教授，也是《在工作中喚醒同情》一書的合著者，他令人信服地指出，同情心可以提高整個職場成員的適應(yīng)能力。

So what can Leaders and employees do?

Promote a workplace culture of inclusion and empathy.?

Research?by the University of Michigan’s Kim Cameron, author of?Positive Leadership, shows that workplaces characterized by caring, supportive, respectful, honest, and forgiving relationships lead to higher organizational performance overall. You want to encourage community and value warm, friendly, and understanding relationships between people. Empathy, in particular, may be a protective factor against burnout and work exhaustion,?studies?suggest. Jane Dutton, professor at the University of Michigan and coauthor of?Awakening Compassion at Work, persuasively?argues?that compassion can foster greater workplace resilience overall.

鼓勵組織內(nèi)部所有員工建立成長性人脈網(wǎng)絡(luò)，其中包括你經(jīng)常向其請教任 務(wù)建議或需求情感支持的一小群同事。在絕大多數(shù)企業(yè)中，這些網(wǎng)絡(luò)的創(chuàng)建都不是有意為之。然而，公司可以通過指派員工、幫助員工聯(lián)系潛在的導(dǎo)師、教 練和同事，來協(xié)助人際關(guān)系的建立。消除連接壁壘，利用日歷中的空閑時(shí)間， 并提供（不僅限于工作，還應(yīng)包括愛好和興趣的）相關(guān)背景信息，這些方法長期有效。

Encourage employees throughout the organization to build developmental networks.?These networks are small groups of colleagues you routinely turn to for task advice or emotional support. At the vast majority of companies, creation of these networks is left up to chance. However, companies can help foster them by assigning onboarding partners and helping employees access and connect with potential mentors, coaches, and peers. Removing barriers to connect, by freeing space in calendars and offering?contact information with relevant background information (including hobbies and interests, not just work), can go a long way.

慶祝集體的成功

快樂時(shí)光所帶來的快樂是短暫的。但是，慶祝集體的成 功有助于在組織中創(chuàng)造歸屬感。我們所見過的最好實(shí)例來自南非的創(chuàng)業(yè)孵化器 阿威圖。每當(dāng)有新員工加入一家創(chuàng)業(yè)公司時(shí)，鈴聲響起，每個人都停下了手上正在做的事情，群起歡呼。這種儀式可以增強(qiáng)團(tuán)結(jié)，增加歸屬感，并有助于防止倦怠。?

Celebrate collective successes.

?The happiness arising from a happy hour is short-lived. But celebrating collective successes helps create a sense of belonging and attachment in organizations. One of the best examples we have seen of this was at Awethu, a startup incubator in South Africa. Each time a new employee was hired into a venture, a bell rang, and everyone stopped what they were doing to cheer. This kind of ritual builds solidarity, increases a sense of belonging, and can help guard against burnout.

公司為員工的孤獨(dú)和過勞付出的代價(jià)非常之高。

最近的研究估計(jì)，在英國，員工的孤獨(dú)感每年給雇主造成的損失高達(dá)數(shù)十億美元，員工的精疲力竭也讓美 國的醫(yī)療體系每年損失數(shù)以千億計(jì)美元。這項(xiàng)研究的結(jié)論明確無疑——對管理者和領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者而言，現(xiàn)在是時(shí)候采取措施來應(yīng)對這些流行病了。

The stakes for companies are high when it comes to loneliness and burnout.?

Recent?studies?estimate that loneliness costs employers in the UK billions of dollars each year and employee burnout costs the U.S. health care system?hundreds of billions of dollars?each year. The research is clear. Now it’s time for managers and Leaders to take steps to battle these epidemics.

艾瑪.賽帕拉博士是斯坦福大學(xué)同情與利他研究和教育中心的科學(xué)主任，也是《幸福軌跡》 （Fulfillment Daily）一書的作者，還是“每日踐諾”(Fulfillment Daily) 網(wǎng)站的創(chuàng)始人。

瑪麗莎.金博士是耶魯大學(xué)管理學(xué)院的組織行為學(xué)教授，其研究和教學(xué)涵蓋了社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)、福利和工作。