The benefit workers want most is less work

The benefit workers want most is less work

The quest to keep employees happy has spurred some employers to take a fast-fashion approach to perks,making cupcakes,or kombucha,or onsite CrossFit classes a must-have for some time until the next big extraordinary benefit arrives.

quest 追求，需求
spurred [spɜ:d] 鞭策，促使
perks 补贴
onsite 现场的

让员工开心的需求促使一些雇主采取了快速时尚的补贴方式，比如制作纸杯蛋糕、康普茶或一段时间内须参加的综合健身课程——直到下一个特别的符里到来。

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But all the creativity and trend-chasing may be unnecessary.According to the just-released MetLife Employees Benefits Trends Study 2019,which surveyed 2600 full time US workers ,the top-rated “emerging benefit” is actually pretty intuitive and timeless. Among respondents ,72% expressed interest in unlimited paid time off,putting that perk ahead of wellness plans that reward healthy behaviors ,phased retirement programs, paid sabbaticals，and free or subsidized on-site services,like hair salons,dry cleaners,and restaurants.

trend [trend] 趋向
metlife 大都会
survey [ˈsɜ:veɪ] 调查
emerging 新兴的
intuitive [ɪnˈtju:ɪtɪv] 直观的
timeless 永恒的
respondents 受访者
wellness 健康
phased [feɪzd] 分阶段的
sabbatical [səˈbætɪkl] 休假的
subsidize [ˈsʌbsɪdaɪz]以津贴补助，以金钱收买

但是，所有的创造力和趋势追逐可能是不必要的。根据刚刚发布的“2019年大都会人寿员工福利趋势研究报告”，该研究对2600名全职美国员工进行了调查，结果显示，排名最高的”新兴福利“实际上相当直观，而且是永恒的。在受访者中，72%的受访者表示有兴趣享受无限制的带薪休假，将这种福利置于奖励健康行为、分阶段退休计划、带薪休假以及免费或补贴的现场服务（如发廊、干洗店或餐厅）之前。

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Sure,that stuff all sounds great,the survey takers basically said ,but what we really want is to have a life.

takers 调查人员(survey takers)常用

当然，这些东西听起来都很棒，调查人员基本上说，但我们真正想要的是有一个生活。

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MetLife’s research,which focused on employees in a diverse range of occupations aged 21 and older,found a fairly consistent agreement across generations on this topic. Among Gen Z workers (now aged 21 or 22),73% of survey takers said they’d be drawn to unlimited paid time off,compared to 80% of millennials (aged 23-36),70% of Gen Xers (aged 37-52),and 63% of Boomers(aged 52 and up).

diverse [daɪˈvɜ:s] 多种多样的
occupation 职业，工作
consistent [kənˈsɪstənt] 一致的
millennial [mɪ’lenɪəl]千禧年
There are now four distinct generations in the workforce: Gen Z ( interns), Gen Y ( employees), Gen X ( managers), and Baby Boomers ( executives).
现在职场上有四类不同的人：Z一代（实习生）、Y一代（普通职员）、X一代（管理者）和婴儿潮一代（高管）。

大都会保险的研究聚焦于年龄在21岁以上、从事不同职业的员工，发现几代人在这一问题上达成了相当一致的看法。在Z一代（现在21或22岁）中，73%的受访者表示，他们会被无限带薪休假所吸引，而千禧一代（26-36岁）、X一代（37-52岁）和婴儿潮一代（52岁及以上）的比例分别为80%、70%和63%。

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Many of the creative perks offered by workplaces are essentially designed to keep an employee at work longer by removing excuses,like the need to eat,or see a doctor across town.The survey results suggest there is some demand for these kind of programs.

essentially 本质上
designed 计划，企图
excuses 借口

工作场所提供的许多创造性福利，本质上是为了让员工工作更长时间，方法是消除借口，比如需要吃饭，或者在城里看医生。调查结果表明，对这类项目有一定的需求。

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But an unlimited paid time off benefit increasingly adopted by a range of firms,not only tech companies has the potential to be truly empowering and restorative.The perk gives employees permission to take the odd day off to deal with life or take a break,without triggering fear about “wasting” the paid days away allotted to them,which are pitifully scarce in the US.(Companies avoid total chaos by asking employees to gain approval for long stretches of vacation,or an abundance of days,and reserve the right to deny requests that are deemed infeasible.)

adopted 被收养，被采用
empowering 增强
restorative [rɪˈstɔ:rətɪv] 恢复活力，滋补品
allotted 分配
pitifully 可怜的
scarce [skeəs] 缺乏的
approval 批准
stretches 一段时间，伸展
abundance 丰富，大量
reserve 保留
deem 认为，主张
infeasible 不可实行的

但是，无限的带薪休假福利-越来越多地被一系列公司采纳，而不仅仅是科技公司-有潜力真正增强权能和恢复活力。这项津贴允许员工休一天奇怪的假来处理生活或休息，而不会让人担心”浪费“分配给他们的带薪天数。在美国，这些日子实在太少了。（公司要求员工在长假或充裕的天数内获得批准，并保留拒绝被认为不可行的请求的权力，从而避免了完全的混乱）。

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In practice,of course, an unlimited vacation policy is only as enlightened as the managers who enforce it. It can become meaningless if managers themselves do not take time off,or if there is no minimum time away established. Research has shown that,int the absence of clear rules ,some employees take fewer days off than they would under a standard plan.

policy 政策
enforce 加强，强迫，执行
enlightened 有远见的，开明(as enlightened)

当然，事实上一项不受限制假期政策只有当管理者推行它时才是有远见的。如果管理者自己不休息或者不设定（休假）最低时间，那么它（该政策）就边得毫无意义，该调查表明，没有明确规定，一些员工休假天数比他们可以的标准计划要低。

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Another way to read the finding is as a pining for flexibility,which might make unlimited time off less necessary.

finding 研究结果，发现
pining ['paɪnɪŋ] 渴望 (as a pining for)

另一种解读这一发现的方式是对灵活性的渴望，这可能会使不受限制的休假变得不那么必要。

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MetLife also asked full-time workers who are planning to leave their job for “gig” work in the next five years what would convince them to stay.More money was the answer for roughly half the respondents,while a third felt better benefits could help change their mind.However,the third and fourth most popular responses were more flexibility with their schedule ,and the ability to work from anywhere.

gig 工作，现场演奏会，(零工)
roughly 大致上

大都会人寿还询问那些计划在未来五年内离开工作岗位从事”零工“工作的全职员工，什么能说服他们留下。对大约一半的受访者来说，更多的钱是答案，而三分之一的受访者认为，更好的利益可能有助于改变他们的想法。然而，第三和第四最受欢迎的反应是更灵活的时间表，以及在任何地方工作的能力。