单选题
Improving the balance between the working part of the day
and the rest of it is a goal of a growing number of workers in rich Western
countries. Some are turning away from the ideals of their parents, for whom work
always came first; others with scarce skills are demanding more because they
know they can get it. Employers, caught between a failing population of workers
and tight controls on immigration, are eager to identify extra perks that will
lure more "talent" their way. Just now they are focusing on benefits (
especially flexible working) that offer employees more than just pay.
Some companies saw the change of mood some time ago. IBM has more than 50
different programs promoting work-life balance and Bank of America over 30. But
plenty of other firms remain unconvinced and many lack the capacity to cater to
such ideas even if they wanted to. Helen Murlis, with Hay Group, a
human-resources consultancy, sees a widening gap between firms "at the creative
end of employment" and those that are not. The chief component
of almost all schemes to promote work-life balance is flexible working. This
allows people to escape rigid nine-to-five schedules and work away from a formal
office. IBM says that 40% of its employees today work off the company premises.
For many businesses, flexible working is a necessity. Globalization has spread
the hours in which workers need to communicate with each other and increased the
call for flexible shifts. Nella Barkley, an American who
advises companies on work-life balance, says that large firms are beginning to
understand the value of such schemes, "but only slowly. " For most of them, they
still mean little more than child care, health care and flexible
working. To some extent, the proliferation of work-life-balance
schemes is a function of today's labor market. Companies in knowledge-based
industries worry about the shortage of skills and how they are going to persuade
talented people to work for them. Although white-collar workers are more likely
to be laid off nowadays, they are also likely to get rehired.
Unemployement among college graduates in America is just over 2%. The same
competition for scarce talent is evident in Britain. For some
time to come, talented people in the West will demand more from employers, and
clear employers will create new {{U}}gewgaw{{/U}} to entice them to join. Those
employers should note that for a growing number of these workers the most
appealing gewgaw of all is the freedom to work as and when they please.
单选题
Employees are demanding more form their employers because ______.
A. they always put their work as the first thing in life
B. they are pursuing a more balanced lifestyle
C. they are equipped with special skills
D. they are focusing on benefits more than their salary