One "bad apple" spoils the whole office

　　一个坏员工带坏整个办公室

　　One "bad apple" can spread negative behaviour like a virus to bring down officemates or destroy a good team, according to a new study examining conflict in the workplace.

　　一项针对办公室矛盾的调查显示，某个人的坏行为能像病毒一样传播感染，最终带坏同事或者破坏一个好团队。

　　Negative behaviour outweighs(1) positive behaviour, so a bad apple can spoil the whole barrel, but one or two good workers can't "unspoil" it, researchers at the University of Washington said in the current issue of the journal Research in Organizational Behaviour.

　　华盛顿大学研究人员在最近一期《组织行为研究》中说，学坏容易学好难，因此一颗坏苹果能毁掉整桶好苹果，但是一两个好员工却无法"反破坏"。

　　"Companies need to move quickly to deal with such problems because the negativity of just one individual is pervasive(2) and destructive and can spread quickly," said co-author Terence Mitchell, a professor of management and organisation.

　　合著者，管理组织教授Terence Mitchell说："一个人的坏行为极具渗透力和破坏力，传播迅速，因此公司应立刻杜绝此类问题。"

　　If a bad apple slips through screening(3) in the hiring process, he or she should be placed to work alone as much as possible, the study's lead author, William Felps, said.

　　本研究主要作者William Felps说如果一颗坏苹果溜进公司招聘榜，他或者她应该尽量被安排独立工作。

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　　The study defines negative workers as those who do not do their fair share of the work, are chronically unhappy and emotionally unstable, or bully(4) or attack others.

　　坏员工的定义是那些不完成分内工作，长期不开心，情绪不稳定，欺凌弱小或者袭击他人的员工。

　　Felps said he was inspired to investigate workplace conflict by his wife's experience with a "bad apple" and what happened when the worker was out sick for several days.

　　Felps说他妻子与一颗"坏苹果"经历以及这颗"坏苹果"请病假期间发生的事情是他开始研究办公室冲突的灵感。

　　"When he was gone my wife said the atmosphere of the office changed dramatically," Felps said. "People started helping each other, playing classical music on their radios, and going out for drinks after work. But when he returned to the office, things returned to the unpleasant way they were."

　　"他不在的时候，我妻子说办公室气氛急剧变化。人们开始互相帮助，播放古典音乐，下班后一起出去玩。但是他一回来，一切不开心卷土重来。"

　　"He truly was the bad apple that spoiled the barrel," Felps said.

　　Felps："他的确是毁了一桶好苹果的那颗坏苹果。"

　　The researchers said they found that a single "toxic(5)" or negative team member can be the catalyst(6) for a group's downward spiral(7).

　　研究人员称他们发现一颗"有毒的"或者"坏"队员是团队瓦解的催化剂。

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　　In a follow-up study, the researchers found the vast majority of the people they surveyed could identify at least one "bad apple" with whom they had worked and who had produced organizational dysfunction(8).

　　在后续研究中，研究人员发现绝大多数受测者能够说出至少一个曾经共事并影响团队团结的"坏苹果"。

　　Hiring managers could head off(9) the problem by being more thorough when screening potential employees, Felps said.

　　Felps说招聘经理在筛选员工时应更加谨慎。

　　He recommends checking references and administering personality tests to weed out(10) those who are "really low on agreeableness and emotional stability."

　　他建议通过审核候选人推荐信和测试人格来屏蔽那些不合群，情绪稳定性差的人。

中国国际广播电台 译

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