好英语网除了减少工时 韩国政府还能如何制造幸福
From Jeju’s bustling seaside, South Korea doesn’t look like it has a happiness problem.
看到济州熙熙攘攘的海边，会觉得韩国并不像是有幸福问题的国家。
Music from an open-air concert mingles with squeals from the funfair as couples snap selfies. Sang-dae Cha is on his summer holiday, propped against the edge of the promenade with a fishing rod while his kids play nearby. He’s an unintentional advert for the government’s ‘worabel’ campaign.
露天音乐会的乐曲与游乐场的尖叫声交织在一起，情侣们纷纷拍下自拍照。车尚达（Sang-dae Cha）正在休暑假，孩子们在附近玩耍的时候，他用钓竿撑在人行道的边缘。他无形中宣传了政府的"工作生活平衡"运动。
‘Worabel’ is Korean shorthand slang for ‘work-life balance.’ South Koreans famously put in some of the longest working hours on the planet; according to the OECD more than 20% of workers exceed 50 hours a week. And the average employee barely takes half of their leave days.
"Worabel"是韩语"工作与生活平衡"的口语缩写。众所周知，韩国人在这个星球上工作时间最长。根据经济合作与发展组织的数据，超过20%的员工每周工作多于50小时，员工平均下来仅休了一半的假期。
The resulting stress contributes to a nation with a shockingly high number of suicides. It is also a factor in the country’s record low birth rate, as working mothers also carry the bulk of parenting responsibilities.
由此产生的压力使得韩国的自杀率高得令人咂舌，同时也是导致该国出生率达历史新低的一个因素，因为职业女性在工作的同时还需承担大部分的养育责任。
The government’s solution for this pile-up of problems: make everyone happier.
对于这些堆积的问题，政府的解决办法是：让每个人都更快乐。
Time and money
时间和金钱
This isn’t a feel-good, free cupcakes type initiative, but an attempt to legislate long-term cultural change.
这不是那种感觉美好的简单倡议，而是试图通过立法促成长期的文化变革。
National happiness is a mixture of psychology and number-crunching. Both the United Nations and OECD produce annual reports on happiness around the world, a using a complex combination of social and economic indicators (like per capita Gross Domestic Product, life expectancy, education, and corruption) to determine each country’s well-being. These are processed with a fuzzier measurement psychologists call Subjective Well-Being (SWB). The SWB is how happy people perceive themselves to be.
国民幸福是心理学和数字运算的混合体。联合国和经合组织都发布了关于世界各地幸福指数的年度报告，使用一系列社会和经济指标（如人均国内生产总值、预期寿命、教育和贪腐）评估每个国家的幸福程度。这些都是用一种更为模糊的测量方法来处理的，心理学家称之为主观幸福感（Subjective Well-Being），指人们对自身幸福程度的认知。
Contrary to expectations, an objectively high standard of living does not necessarily result in a high SWB. Koreans may have everything from BMWs to remote-control toilets, but their life satisfaction has been well below the average for OECD countries since 2013. President Moon Jae-in, who ran for office on a 'People First ticket, is campaigning to close the gap.
与预期相反的是，客观的高品质生活未必会导致高水平的主观幸福感。韩国人什么都有，从宝马汽车到自动马桶，但自2013年以来他们的生活满意度远低于经合组织成员国的平均水平。曾以"以人为本"为竞选口号的韩国总统文在寅，正在努力缩小这一差距。
2018年，韩国的最低工资标准上升了16.4%，预计2019年将提高10.9%。
This year Korea’s per capita income will reach $30,000,” he said at a 2018 New Year press conference. “The number itself is not important. What really matters is to ensure that the people actually enjoy a quality of life befitting a per capita income of US$30,000.”
"今年，韩国的人均收入将达到3万美元，"文在寅在2018年的新年新闻发布会上说，"这个数字本身并不重要。真正重要的是要确保人们能享受到与3万美元人均收入相称的生活质量。"
To this end, the government is determined to get Koreans out of the office and into a healthier state of mind. One of the biggest reforms so far is the reduction of the maximum workweek from 68 to 52 hours. It’s not just a suggestion; employers who don’t follow the law could face up to two years in prison.
为了实现这一目标，政府决心让韩国人走出办公室，获得更健康的心理状态。到目前为止，最大的改革之一是将每周工作时间的上限从68小时调减到52小时。这不仅仅是一个建议，不遵守法律的雇主可能面临最长两年的监禁。
The government has also mandated a dramatic increase in the minimum wage along with a host of supporting measures—parental leave, subsidies for childcare, reduced mental healthcare costs, increased pensions, and an extension of the previous administration’s Happiness Fund, which helps citizens pay off certain kinds of personal debt.
政府还强制要求企业大幅提高最低工资，并采取一系列支持措施——育婴假、儿童保育补贴、降低精神保健费用、增加养老金，以及延长上届政府的"国民幸福基金"，这一基金旨在帮助公民减轻个人债务负担。
Cha, a product planning and market quality manager for a Seoul tyre company, thinks this comprehensive approach could be just what South Korea needs. And he some of these problems, like the low birth rate, are getting too big to ignore. “I think we should go for this policy. I think it’s the right time.”
车尚达是首尔一家轮胎公司的产品规划和市场质量经理。他认为这种全面的政策可能正是韩国所需要的。韩国面对的一些问题，比如低出生率，变得愈发严峻，不容忽视。他说："我们应该支持这一政策，现在正是时候。"
In theory, improving quality of life benefits the country as a whole. Lower-income workers have more money, boosting demand for a wide variety of products and services. Leisure industries profit from the sudden abundance of free time. Suicide rates decline, and happy people have more babies. Problems solved.
从理论上讲，提高生活质量对整个国家都有好处。低收入员工手上的钱多了，对各种产品和服务的需求也会增长。人们的空闲时间突然变多，休闲产业便可因此获利。自杀率下降，感到幸福的民众会生育更多孩子。问题迎刃而解。
If only it were that simple.
要是这么简单就好了。
A mathematical approach
数学的方法
Legislating happiness is tricky. A country’s SWB is influenced by many different driver - from political freedom to environmental concerns.
想要通过立法追求幸福是十分棘手的。一个国家的主观幸福感受到许多不同因素的影响——从政治自由到环境问题。
Shun Wang, co-author of the UN’s annual World Happiness Report and associate professor at the Korea Development Institute’s School of Public Policy and Management, believes policymakers should be guided by the research of happiness economists.
联合国年度世界幸福报告的合著者、韩国发展研究所公共政策与管理学院副教授汪顺（Shun Wang）认为，政策制定者应该以幸福经济学家的研究为指导。
“They are not trying to tell people how to be happy,” he says. “Instead they are trying to tell the government what kind of policies are a little bit more effective to increase or decrease the happiness level.”
"他们并不是告诉人们如何获得快乐，"他说。"相反，他们试图告诉政府，什么样的政策能更有效地提高或降低幸福水平。"
For example, statistical research determined that unemployment has a huge effect on national happiness. During the 2008 financial crisis, the South Korean government focused on creating jobs, even low-paying or temporary ones. As a result South Korea’s SWB was relatively stable, while happiness in affected European countries, such as Greece and Spain, tanked. It has yet to recover.
例如，统计研究表明，失业对国民幸福有巨大影响。2008年金融危机期间，韩国政府致力于创造就业机会，甚至包括一些低薪或临时工作，这番努力使韩国的主观幸福感保持在相对稳定的水平；而在一些受金融危机影响的欧洲国家，如希腊和西班牙，幸福感下降了，至今还未恢复。
South Korea isn’t the only country factoring happiness into policy decisions. The UK has recorded domestic well-being since 2012, using the data to inform policies on mental healthcare, employment, and continuing education. The United Arab Emirates recently appointed a Minister of State for Happiness and Wellbeing, with the aim of becoming one of the happiest countries on earth by 2021.
韩国并不是唯一一个将幸福纳入政策决定的国家。自2012年以来，英国一直在记录国内福祉情况，利用这些数据为精神卫生、就业和继续教育方面的决策提供信息支持。阿拉伯联合酋长国最近任命了一位内阁福利部部长，目标是在2021年前使该国成为地球上最幸福的国家之一。
The most famous example of administrated happiness is Bhutan. The tiny Southeast Asian country has officially prioritised Gross Domestic Happiness over pure economic development since 2008, setting the standard for calculating well-being on a national scale. President Moon, who visited Bhutan in 2016, is thought to have been inspired by the country’s holistic approach.
全球最著名的幸福治理的国家是不丹。自2008年以来，这个小小的东南亚国家正式将国内幸福总值置于单纯的经济发展之上，在全国范围内设立了计算幸福程度的标准。曾于2016年访问不丹的韩国总统文在寅可能受到了该国整体政策的启发。
This doesn’t equate to a vague push for grand ideas. The Moon Administration’s policies are direct, actionable, and specific to South Korean problems. Evidence suggests they are on the right track. Wang, who has studied the relationship between long hours and life satisfaction in Korea, puts the ideal workweek at 40-50 hours. As for pay-related happiness, low-income workers appear to offer the most bang for the country’s buck.
但这并不意味着对宏大构想的模糊追求。文在寅政府的政策非常直接，可操作性强，并且针对韩国有的放矢。有证据表明这些政策都在发挥作用。汪顺研究了韩国长时间工作和生活满意度之间的关系，他认为每周理想的工作时间是40至50个小时。至于与薪酬相关的幸福，低收入员工幸福度更高，他们似乎为国家幸福总值贡献最多。
Happiness as a finite resource
幸福是有限的资源
But succe ss is far from guaranteed. The minimum wage jumped 16.4% in 2018 with another 10.9% raise scheduled for 2019. This rapid change is prompting forecasts of widespread job losses. Already some bus companies have threatened to stop service over the wage hikes, while other businesses have cut employee hours to manage the increased costs.
但成功并非势在必得。2018年，最低工资上涨了16.4%，预计2019年将增加了10.9%。面对这种快速变化，人们预测失业现象会广泛蔓延。一些公交公司由于工资不断攀升已经威胁要停止服务，而其它企业则尝试削减员工工时以应对增加的成本。
The shortened workweek is a difficult sell too. It is standard practice for South Koreans to work nonstop to meet deadlines. Reducing the hours without reducing the workload could pressure employees to finish projects off the clock. This is a deeply ingrained workplace behaviour in South Korea; as of 2012, 40% of workers were not getting paid for overtime.
缩短工作时长的方法推行起来困难重重。在截止日期前不间断地工作是韩国人的标准做法。在不减少工作量的情况下减少工作时间可能会迫使员工无偿加班。这种行为在韩国职场上根深蒂固。2012年的数据显示，40%的员工没有加班费。
And South Korea might just be a tough place to be happy. According to Eunkook M. Suh, director of Yonsei University’s Happiness and Cultural Psychology Lab, different cultures have different interpretations of happiness. In individualistic cultures, like the UK or US, each person creates their own definition. But collectivistic cultures, like Korea, prioritise the community over the individual, so happiness has a strong social component.
韩国可能真的是一个快乐难寻的国家。延世大学幸福与文化心理学实验室主任苏恩国（Eunkook M. Suh）表示，不同的文化对幸福的理解不同。在个人主义文化中，比如英国或美国，每个人对于幸福都有自己的定义。但是集体主义文化，比如韩国，把集体置于个人之上，所以社会因素对个人幸福影响巨大。
“In other words,” explains Suh, “what I think subjectively about how my life is going sometimes doesn’t really matter. It’s how I’m evaluated by other people.”
"换句话说，"苏恩国解释道，"我对于自己生活的主观认识有时并不重要。更重要的是别人如何评价我。"
This fuels a need for tangible achievement. “In some sense you have to prove to the world that your life is worthy of happiness,” Suh explains. “So you need some visible evidence, for instance having a diploma from a top university, driving an expensive, luxurious car, living in a huge apartment.”
这就驱使人们去争取物质的成就。"在某种意义上，你必须向世界证明你的生活是幸福的，"苏主任解释道，"所以你需要一些看得见的证据，比如顶尖大学的文凭，开豪车，住大公寓。"
But in South Korea, university admissions and coveted civil servant jobs are often capped. In this scenario, happiness becomes a finite resource as only a tiny slice of the population can achieve the ideal.
但在韩国，大学录取人数和令人垂涎的公务员职位往往是有限的。在这种情况下，幸福变成了有限的资源，只有一小部分人能实现理想。
“It becomes more of a zero-sum type of game in highly collectivist cultures,” says Suh.
"在高度集体主义的文化中，这更像是一种零和游戏，"苏主任说。
Given that working long hours has become a virtue in itself, this won’t be easy to change.
由于长时间工作已成为一种职场美德，想要改变这种现状并非易事。
Personal Initiative
个人主动性
President Moon may be trying to head off some of these problems. In an effort to lead by example the president is pointedly using all his holiday time. If the man who’s trying to broker peace with a nuclear-armed North Korea can take a break, then maybe everyone else can too.
文在寅总统可能正试图解决其中一些问题。为了以身作则，总统享受了所有休假时间。如果这个试图与核武国家朝鲜达成和平协议的人可以休息一下，那么其他人应该也可以。
But experts agree that giving people more free time is only half the solution. The rest depends on what they do with it.
但专家们一致认为，给予人们更多自由时间只解决了问题的一半。其余则取决于他们如何利用这些时间。
Which brings us back to Song-dae Cha, fishing at sunset while his kids play. After 15 years at the same job, he feels his work-life balance is good. His company already has a 40-hour workweek, with occasional overtime. And he always takes his leave days.
我们再看看车尚达的生活，孩子们玩耍的时候，他在夕阳下钓鱼。同一份工作做了15年后，他觉得自己在工作与生活间找到了平衡点。车尚达的公司每周工作40小时，偶尔加班，"积极"休假。
“My company recommends it.” He grins. “Of course, my wife also recommends it.”
"公司提倡这样做。"他笑着说。"我妻子当然也支持。"
He recognises that others might resent having their work-life balance legislated. If the changes were to come from the business community itself, he suggests, people would be quicker to adopt them. And of course, no government policy comes one-size-fits-all.
他知道有些人可能会对工作与生活的平衡进行立法感到不满。他认为，如果这些变化来自于商界本身，人们会适应得更快。当然，没有任何政府政策是"通用的"。
But does he think the changes point the country in the right direction?
但他是否认为这些变化为国家指对了方向？
“I think so,” he says, smiling at his daughter as she runs over. “I think it will improve a lot in the future.”
"我想是的，"他一边说，一边对跑过的女儿微笑。"未来情况会大幅改善。"
