勝任，而非時間：Y世代的工作概況
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.
長久以來，工作主要建立於時間單位的基礎上－每週40個工時，一天共計8個鐘頭。你
所付出 (應該說來是你得付出的)的時間決定了你是正職或是兼差，其中也涉及了你的報酬
及其他津貼。和同事一起工作的時間，甚至成為了必須承擔的義務和企圖心的代名詞。但
這對於當今的新興員工來說，是有那麼一點的驚訝。Y世代的工作者(自1980年起算)相當偏
好由做事能力來定義工作，而非時間。他們想要的是依照付出的多寡來決定報酬。
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.
這並不是個全新的概念。在農業及手工業的經濟時期，工作者的報酬就是來自作工的
結果，像是小麥的收穫量，或是窯器成品的數目。就連在工業革命的早期，工人也是用工
作產量來決定薪資。然而，隨著工業經濟的來臨，經營上也日漸科學化和商品化，個別的
支薪就隱含了太多不規則的現象。從此，製造這件事就開始由個人的離散產值，轉換成一
種難以著重在個別付出的複合式均等過程。反倒是記錄工時來得合理多了。蕭條後時期(約
1940年代初)制定的條例和工會制度的興起，很快地引領了標準化工時的問世。
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
(這個字實在有點巧妙....~"~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，這樣的經濟體又再次改變了，也引起另一項逐漸增強的共鳴，將傳入大多數的Y
世代耳裡，他們對亟求人才的企業來說，將是份極重要的資源。許多的年輕人發現，他們
比年長的人有更快完成工作的能力，或許部份是來自對電腦的精通，甚至在我認為，他們
工作的方式並不一樣。他們花較少的時間在安排時程上面，而是透過電子產品進行輕鬆的
協調處理。他們憎惡被要求打卡，以及完成工作後還得留在辦公室裡頭，和同事一同工作
的想法簡直就是煩擾了他們。Y世代們喜愛不同調的工作方式，無論何時何地。在我們的研
究當中，甚至還有受試者這麼說著：「你們這群人和早上八點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.
在講求實際的現實環境推動下，我們正在朝向一個以辦公為本的工作觀念。誰能夠說
出花了多少時間去寫好一份軟體？許多已被支薪的知識工作者，早就更有效率地從工作量
中獲得報酬，而非時間。之所以允許線上通勤和更有彈性的工作時段，是因為信賴工作必
能完成的一種理所當然，甚至當那些人在家工作時，還希望他們能夠提交一份詳細點明的
工作時數。將這樣的觀念給制度化，可說是比直接嘉許這種彈性上班和線上通勤來得更公
平些，也能使這項尚未工業化的零散體系，臻至更完備的適性主義。在虛擬作業持續拓展
的當下(舉個例子，已有40%的IBM員工沒有辦公室了。)，該是經營現實符合上述期望的時
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?”
這樣一來會變成什麼樣子呢？在Best Buy的總公司的4000名員工裡，已超過60%的人是
由工作和結果來進行考核。這些人執行公務的時間也吻合了實際的付出。在此計畫中，這
群以鐘點計薪的員工們，按照一組符合聯邦勞工法的時數工作，不過時段是隨君任選。員
工們與親朋處得更加融洽，多了對公司的忠誠度，以及更多的專注和精力。生產量也因此
上升了35%，志願性的人事流動也比沒有改變的團隊低了320個基點(0.01%)，員工們表示，
他們不知是否工作較少時間－他們早已停止計算。或許更重要的是，他們正找尋許多變得
更有效率的工作方法：「我們真的還需要這樣的會面嗎？」
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.
如此繼續下去，我們可以設計出一套更好的模式來定義工作。想想如何勝任，而非時
間長短：
．明確表達你期望的結果－並且負起責任去完成工作。
．力行在辦公室裡的出席，包括會議場所，但這不是強制性的。
．由工作表現的素質來決定成果。
．幫助經理及員工們學習如何用會面共事以外的方式來權衡盡責與否。
．發揮當今網路的力量，允許員工在任何地方辦公。
．藉由設立訪客中心、茶水間，和開放式的工作場所，來支持這些改變。
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.
轉移你對工作的定義，從一個你員工們在特定時段報到的空間，變成何時何地。勝任
，而非時間－一個直到上世紀都還在主宰工作的理念，對新興的工作者所得，將是個強而
有力的判定手法。