Handle Special Occasions with Co-Workers

陈豪在北京的ABC美国公司工作，他在休息室里遇到了美国同事Amy。

(Office ambience)

CH：Hi Amy, how are you?

A：I'm fine, thank you. And you?

CH：还好。

A：So why the puzzled look on your face?

C：今天早上接到我的同事Sue的电子邮件，说想给另外一个同事Lyn开40岁的birthday party，生日派对。

A：Oh, how nice. What are the details of the party?

C：Sue要组织大家星期五在楼下的意大利餐馆吃饭，而且还得带个礼物去。

A：How do you feel about that?

C：我觉得有点尴尬。我跟Lyn并不熟，不知道该给她买点什么，另外我也不知道花多少钱合适。

A：I agree that these occasions can be uncomfortable, especially when you don't know the person well or you are asked to buy a gift.

C：那我是不是应该给Sue发个email回绝算了呢？

A：This is not the time to send an e-mail. Your words might be misunderstood. You need to discuss this and e-mail does not lend itself to discussion.

C：要不我就说星期五已经安排了其他事儿？

A：That's not a good idea, especially if everyone else in your department is participating. Talk to Sue.

C：那好吧。

******

第二天，陈豪在办公室走廊上遇到了Amy.

A：Hi, Chen Hao. How did it go? Did you talk to Sue?

C：我昨天下午去找Sue，跟她说了我的顾虑。

A：I'm curious to know what happened.

C：谈得还不错。她说另外还有几个人找过她，提出了各种问题。

A：Like what?

C：有的人说跟Lyn不熟, 买礼物好像不太合适。但是大家并不介意凑份子，一起给Lyn买个像样的礼物。

A：Sometimes with these events, people aren't sure how much to spend, like you, and they don't want to come off looking stingy or cheap. Occasionally someone just doesn't have any extra money to spend on an unanticipated expense.

C：其实我手头也有点紧。

A
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Business Casual Done Right
陈豪在北京的ABC美国公司工作。他有个问题要请教美国同事Amy。
(Office ambience)
C：Hi Amy. 你有一点儿时间吗？我有个问题想问你。
A：Sure, I need a little break.
C：我听说最近从美国西岸调过来的几个同事在要求什么"business casual", 什么是"business casual" 啊？
A：Business casual is the term given to dressing down at work.
C：Dressing down?
A：Yes. If you usually wear a suit and tie to work, dressing down means wearing a sport jacket and tie. If you normally wear a sport jacket and tie, to dress down, you leave off either the jacket or the tie.
C：我们不是周一到周五都应该穿西装打领带。为什么又要休闲呢？
A：It's an American phenomenon that started on the west coast of the US years ago. Some people believe that they are more productive when they are dressed in comfortable relaxed clothing.
C：那你觉得穿着舒适休闲会提高工作效率吗？
A：Personally I do not feel as confident or professional when I dress down. I believe that I lose some of my credibility.
C：我们的新老板会不会考虑放松我们的着装要求呢？
A：Well, I have heard a rumor that he might, but only once a week - on Friday.
C：哦，怪不得我听大家都在说casual Friday, 休闲星期五呢！
******
MC：第二天，陈豪在饭厅里遇到了Amy.
A：Hi Chen Hao. Did you hear the news about Casual Friday? The boss has agreed to try it for three months to see how it works.
C：这么说以后星期五我们愿意穿什么就穿什么喽？
A：Not at all. True business casual means dressing down just one notch from business professional. You don't have to wear a suit and tie, but it doesn't mean that your old jeans and a T-shirt are acceptable.
C：怎么还那么多讲究啊？
A：Yes, this is business casual. Think of it as a merger of professional and casual clothing. Professional clothing is tailored, consists of suits and ties, dark to medium colors and fine fabrics.
C：职业性装束要求穿西装、打领带。那休闲服装呢？
A：Casual clothing is loose, relaxed, and made of softer fabrics and includes things like jeans, shorts, T-shirts and tennis shoes.
C：Business casual就是介于二者之间喽？换句话说，我不用穿西装，但是也不能穿T-恤衫和球鞋上班了。
A：That's right. We need to combine the business credible look with the comfortable creative look.
C：看来我要出去买衣服了！：So did you work things out?

C：Sue决定大家一起凑钱给Lyn买礼物，每人只要交几块钱就行了。她还说，如果有人不愿意，也没有关系。

A：That sounds like you all came up with the perfect solution. It is always nice to recognize special occasions in the office, like birthdays, weddings and the arrival of babies.

C：不过我觉得，办公室里遇到这种事情，应该有一个大家都觉得合适的做法。

A：I agree. These occasions are opportunities to build relationships with our co-workers, get to know each other outside the office and have some fun together. B if everyone is not in agreement, you'll create ill will instead of good will.