你的工作环境快乐吗

工作差不多占用了你一生三分之一的时间，所以工作开心是非常重要的。你的工作环境让你快乐吗？快来测试一下吧！

I just read a fascinating book, The Levity Effect, by Adrian Gostick and Scott Christopher. It’s about how “levity” can transform the workplace. They make a powerful case for why levity is an extremely effective tool for helping people to work better. 刚读了一本引人入胜的书《The Levity Effect》（《“轻佻”效应》），作者是Adrian Gostick和 Scott Christopher。这本书讲述了“轻佻”是如何改变办公场所的。两位作者为轻佻胡闹在帮助人们更好的工作方面提出了强有力的支持。

Now, you might be thinking, as I did, “Levity would sure be tough for me, I’m not particularly funny, and I’m not particularly outgoing.” 现在，也许你和我一样也认为：“‘轻佻’对我而言肯定很难做到，我不是特别幽默的人，我也不是很外向。”

But what the authors mean by “levity” is really a sense of “lightness.”

但是，这里作者对“轻佻”定义其实是一种心情“轻松”的感觉。

Ah, I thought, I’m trying! The Ninth of my Twelve Commandments is “Lighten up”. When I posted sticky notes with key phrases all around my office and apartment, the one I put in the master bathroom read, “Tender and light-hearted.”

Gostick and Christopher include a quiz about workplace levity. Looking at it, I realized that most of my workplaces included these elements, which I’m sure contributed to the positive experience I had everywhere (except for the summer I worked as a waitress at Dos Hombres Mexican restaurant -- zoikes, I did not like that job).

For example, I’d assumed that the atmosphere around the Supreme Court would be serious, thoughtful, and grand. And it was. But in her chambers, Justice O’Connor incorporated certain goofy aspects that made it a lot of fun, too. Each Halloween, she required her clerks to decorate elaborate pumpkins, and birthday celebrations were always a big deal, and she took the clerks on a yearly outing (we went fishing). And that sort of thing really made a difference.

How does your workplace measure up? Take Gostick and Christopher’s quiz:

相比之下你的办公场所是怎样的呢？请做一做作者们给出的小测验吧：

New employees are made to feel welcome 新员工感觉受到了欢迎

Meetings are positive and light 开会时气氛积极、轻松

We have fun activities at least once a month 每月至少有一次娱乐活动

It’s common to hear people laughing around here时常笑声不断

I can be myself at work 工作中我能展现自我本色

We have a lot of celebrations for special events 遇上特别事件我们有许多庆祝

When brainstorming, we like to have fun 集体研讨时我们喜欢开玩笑

My boss is usually optimistic and smiling老板积极、面带微笑

Customers would call us fun to do business with 客户们都说和我们合作心情愉快

I have a friend at work who makes me laugh 上班时我有一位让我大笑的朋友

We have a good time together 在一起的时候是美好时光

It occurs to me that this is a good list for home, too; I just need to substitute a few words. I’ve been working hard to be a more light-hearted parent and spouse, and these are helpful points to keep in mind.