在職場爲私事請假時如何把握分寸

With summer vacations ending, you may feel there’s no longer an acceptable reason to be away from work. Can you afford to stay home with a sick child or work from home while supervising a contractor now that the season for time off has ended?
暑假即將結束，你可能感覺以後再也沒有可以接受的請假理由了。鑑於最適合請假的季節已經結束，你還能在需要對承包商進行監督的關鍵時刻，留在家裏照顧生病的孩子或者在家辦公嗎？

The answer is yes. Workplace flexibility is increasingly important to your colleagues and supervisors. In fact, it was ranked as the most important perk (after cash and benefits) in an EY survey last year. Thirty-four percent of men and 30% of women reported they’d go so far as to quit their job if they weren’t offered day-to-day flexibility.
答案的肯定的。對於你的同事和上司來說，工作場所的靈活性正變得越來越重要。事實上，安永會計師事務所（Ernst & Young）去年進行的一項調查顯示，工作場所的靈活性被視爲最重要的福利（僅次於現金和補貼）。34%的男性和30%的女性表示，如果某項工作不能提供日常工作場所的靈活性，他們甚至可能會考慮辭職。

Companies are responding to this demand: between 2008 and 2014, more employers surveyed by the Families and Work Institute allowed employees to occasionally work from home (from 50% to 67%), control their breaks (from 84% to 92%), control overtime hours (from 27% to 45%), and take time off during the workday for personal needs (from 73% to 82%).
許多公司也在迎合這種需求：家庭與工作協會（Families and Work Institute）的調查顯示，從2008年到2014年，越來越多的僱主允許員工偶爾在家辦公（從50%增加到67%）、控制休息時間（從84%增加到92%）、控制加班時間（從27%增加到45%），因個人需要在工作時間請假（從73%增加到82%）。

But figuring out when to disclose a personal obligation that takes you away from work—and how much detail to give—isn’t always simple. “The reality is that every work environment has a big culture and then there are subcultures. Any worker needs to test it,” says KarynTwaronite, EY Americas global diversity and inclusiveness officer and a partner at Ernst & Young.
但要弄清楚在什麼時候披露需要請假的私人事務，以及透漏多少細節，並不是件簡單的事情。安永美洲區人才戰略官卡瑞恩•特瓦羅尼特表示：“事實上，每一個工作環境都有一個大文化背景，此外還有一些亞文化背景。員工必須對其進行測試。”

So, why should you share anything about a family commitment that takes you away from work? Why not just take the time you need but not explain?
但是，對於自己不得不請假去照顧的家庭義務，我們爲什麼要告知他人呢？爲什麼不能直接請假，不做任何解釋？First, if you’re comfortable talking about a personal commitment, you will contribute to building a culture in which employees’ work-life boundaries are respected and flexibility is used.
首先，如果你願意談論個人事務，你會幫助建立一種尊重員工工作和生活界限，並具有靈活性的團隊文化。

Kim Lubel, 50, chairman and chief executive of convenience retailer CST Brands, makes a point of bringing her children to work events and talking about carpool or other family obligations. “There are lots of other folks who are trying to figure out if it’s okay or not, and I want them to know it’s okay,” says Lubel. “If you have to pretend like your life outside your 10 hours at the office doesn’t exist, you’re going to be miserable in the long run.”
50歲的吉姆•魯貝爾是連鎖便利店CST Brands的董事長兼首席執行官。她特別注意帶孩子出席公司的活動，談論拼車或其他家庭義務。魯貝爾說道：“有許多人還不清楚這麼做是否合適，而我希望用行動告訴他們，這樣做是可以的。如果你要假裝10小時工作之外的生活是不存在的，長此以往你會陷入悲慘的境地。”

Second, if you don’t share anything about your personal life—or ask for help when you need it—you will miss the chance to build authentic connections at work.
其次，如果你不分享自己的個人生活，或在有需要的時候不請求幫助，你會錯過在工作中建立可靠人脈的機會。

“If you go through your life helping other people, then when you need it, they’ll be there for you,” says Brian M. Wong, 44, a partner at law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman in San Francisco. “They can’t be there for you if you’re not sharing what’s going on.”
44歲的布萊恩•M•王說道：“如果你在生活中幫助其他人，當你有需要的時候，他們也會願意幫助你。但如果你不分享自己的生活，沒有人會來幫助你。”王是舊金山普盈律師事務所（Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman）的合夥人。

That doesn’t mean you tell everyone everything about your personal life and challenges. Start small when disclosing commitments, and gauge the receptivity of the person you’re telling. If there’s tension, keep it more professional in the future.
當然，這並不意味，你要把和你個人生活有關的所有事情統統告訴別人。先透露一小部分，觀察對方的接受程度。如果氣氛有點緊張，將來可以採取更職業的方式。

“I recommend putting your toe in the water and then putting your foot in the water next,” Twaronite says. “Sometimes people just want to know, ‘Great, I accomplished my personal thing and I also got the job done.’ ”
特瓦羅尼特表示：“我建議先試探一下對方的反應，然後再說明自己的情況。有時候，人們只是想知道，你既解決了私事，也完成了工作。”

When Lubel’s now-13 year old son was an infant, her then-employer Valero was going through a crazy transition that required her to travel almost weekly. She brought her breast pump on the airplane every time, but never broached the subject with her colleagues. “The guys never asked me about it and I never brought it up,” she recalls. “It’s an uncomfortable conversation.”
當魯貝爾現在13歲的兒子還是個嬰兒的時候，她當時的僱主瓦萊羅能源公司（Valero）正在經歷一場令人瘋狂的轉型，幾乎需要她每週出差。她每次都會帶着吸奶器坐飛機，但卻從未跟同事提到自己的情況。她回憶稱：“那些人從來沒有問過我這件事，而我也沒有主動提出。這種對話讓人感覺不舒服。”

Wong says that he shares personal information with clients or colleagues he knows are receptive but keeps to business with those who prefer that style. “It’s knowing when you need to be transparent,” he says. “Sometimes you can just say, ‘I have a meeting.’ ”
王表示，他會與那些能夠接受這種話題的客戶或同事分享個人信息，而對於喜歡公事公辦的人，他也用相同的方式應對。他說道：“關鍵是要知道何時採取坦率的態度。有時候你只需說：‘我要參加一個會議。’”

When he and his husband adopted their five-year old son, Damien, they had to appear in court and take time away from work at short notice. With clients Wong has known for 10 or 15 years, he could say he was taking two days off to be interviewed by social services or spending the day in court for adoption proceedings. With others, he simply said he wasn’t available.
在收養5歲大的兒子達米安時，王和他的丈夫必須在接到通知後立刻請假前往法院。對於相交10年或15年的客戶，王會告訴他們，他要請兩天假，接受社會服務人員的面談，或者要去法院辦理收養手續。對於其他人，他只會告訴他們自己沒有空。

Above all, don’t let personal obligations affect your ability to do your work. Indeed, that may be the best way to broach a commitment. Instead of saying, “I need the morning off to train for an upcoming marathon,” begin with explaining that all your projects are on track.
但最重要的是，不能因爲個人事務影響完成工作的能力。事實上，提出個人事務最好的方式，或許是首先解釋自己負責的所有項目均已步入正軌，而不是一開始便說：“我上午要請假，爲即將舉辦的馬拉松進行訓練。”

“Performance comes first,” Twaronite says. “If you’ve proven yourself in results, you will have a bigger voice. You’ll have the ability to flex your muscles and be more transparent.”
特瓦羅尼特說道：“工作績效要放在首位。如果你用結果證明了自己，你便擁有了更大的發言權。只要你能展示出自己的實力，也就可以在私人事務上更加坦率。”