THE PROBLEM 问题

I'm bored and depressed at work. My job is a portfolio manager for a large bank and the work keeps me busy for just 10 hours a week. I've been discouraged from starting new projects so spend my time writing a script and studying. The idleness is killing me but I can't quit as I need the salary. I've decided to try to get myself sacked and use the huge pay--off to subsidise a more interesting, worse paid job. But how do I it? The company is satisfied with my work and colleagues love me.
我在工作中感到厌烦和沮丧。我是一家大银行的投资组合经理，我一周只有10小时忙于工作。公司不让我开展新的项目，因此我把时间都花在了写剧本和学习上。 这种闲散让我受不了，但我不能辞职，因为我需要这份薪水。我决定设法让公司炒掉我，这样我就能拿到一大笔补偿金，然后去找一份虽然薪水更低但更有趣味的工 作。但我该怎么做呢？公司对我的工作很满意，同事也很喜欢我。

Portfolio manager, male, 28 投资组合经理，男，28岁

LUCY'S ANSWER 露西的答案

You are full of surprises. First I'm surprised that you can do your work quite so quickly. I thought that deciding what to invest in meant doing an open-ended amount of homework.
你真是让我吃惊不已。首先让我感到吃惊的是，你能够如此迅速地完成工作。我原以为，挑选投资产品就好比做一份永远也做不完的作业。

I'm also surprised to hear that your colleagues like you so much. In my experience, people tend not to be especially keen on their overachieving workmates. If I were sitting next to someone who despatched his work to the bosses' satisfaction in a couple of hours and then spent the rest of the day writing scripts and studying, I wouldn't feel too warmly towards him.
让我感到吃惊的第二点是，你说你的同事们都非常喜欢你。以我的经验来看，人们往往不太喜欢成绩超众的同事。如果我身边坐着一位用几个小时就让工作得到老板满意、剩下的时间都在写剧本和学习的同事，那么我就不会对他有太多好感。

And finally I'm surprised that you need so much money. Isn't the point of portfolio management that you get paid quite a lot for it? Unless you are also overachieving at sowing your seeds and already have four children, then surely you can afford to take a worse paid job?
最后一个让我感到吃惊的地方是，你如此缺钱。投资组合管理工作的意义不就是可以得到丰厚报酬吗？除非你在传宗接代方面也能力过人，膝下已有4个子女，否则你当然可以找一份薪水更低的工作。

Despite the above, I'm still prepared to feel sorry for you. Having too little to do is a kind of torture and is far worse than having too much to do. However, trying to get sacked isn't the option. In most countries, getting fired for doing your work badly - let alone for having your hand in the till or up someone's skirt - means you don't get a bean. If you are made redundant you do get a pay-off - but if the bank isn't trying to lay people off, this may be hard. The best option is to tell your boss exactly how much spare time you have. If he has any sense he will respond by giving you a lot more to do. Or else he will mark you down as an annoying upstart and will only be too glad to edge you out when the next round of redundancies comes round.
尽管如此，我仍准备对你表示同情。整天没什么事做也是一种折磨，甚至比工作太多还要糟糕得多。然而，试图被炒掉并不可取。在多数国家，因为工作不努力而被解雇——更别提因为手脚不干净或性骚扰而被解雇——意味着你一分钱也得不到。如果你被裁员，你确实会得到一笔遣散费，但如果你所在的银行不想裁员，这可能就有些困难。最佳策略是告诉你的老板，你有多少空余时间。如果他有一丝理智的话，他会让你承担更多的工作。否则，他会把你列为讨厌的自以为是的家伙，在下一轮裁员时，他会很乐意把你裁掉。

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