在这纷乱的世界，哪里是员工的最佳归宿？

受挫的选民会正在发声。对企业领导人来说，明智的做法是关注英国脱欧公投背后的经济焦虑、唐纳德·特朗普的崛起以及伯尼·桑德斯令人意外的竞选实力。

这些政治现象有何共同之处呢？它们的动力基本上都来自两方面，一是由于全球化给部分人带来的好处远远超过旁人而产生的不安全感和愤懑，二是许多人都觉得已经无法把握自己的经济命运。

政客和评论人士现在才意识到就业不稳和收入不均带来的强烈情绪，但后者已经悄悄地积累了一段时间。

在Great Place to Work公司，我们已经通过数据看到了这一点。为了打造《财富》杂志一年一度的100家最适宜工作的公司榜单以及其他最佳工作环境排行榜，Great Place to Work在过去20年中调查了数百万上班族。明年将是100家最适宜工作的公司排行榜推出20周年，而我们的最显著发现之一就和上班族希望提高经济安全感有关。我们用55个陈述句来衡量人们在工作场所的信任程度、自豪感和同事关系。1998年开始调查以来，肯定回答增幅位居第二的陈述句是“我想长期在这里工作”。在今年的调查中，87%的受访者表示有此意向，和1998年相比提高了20个百分点。

这个数字上升的部分原因可能是在工作场所的自豪感增强。但在我们归入“自豪感”类的其他信心指数调查项目中，大多数项目的上升幅度都较小。对此我们的结论是，上班族渴望获得更大的稳定性，就算他们已经进入了最适宜工作的公司。我们的另一项调查数据印证了这个结论。对于“我相信管理层会把裁员作为最后手段”的陈述，做出肯定回答的上班族在1998-2016年上升了5个百分点。但在我们的调查中，这样的增幅排在倒数第五位，所有的肯定回答都有所增长。

实际上，在美国最适宜工作的那些公司，员工们发现裁员和不稳定已经成为美国企业的一种生活方式，经济增长和衰退时都是如此。同时，一些最适宜工作的公司也裁了员。

我们的数据和另一项研究相呼应，后者预示着许多美国人的经济状况都将像坐上过山车一样，而且是一列惊悚多于乐趣的过山车。皮尤慈善信托基金最近的研究发现，近一半美国人经常出现收入大幅波动的情况，10年来普通美国家庭的收入仅提高了2%，而且只有一半的美国人有经济安全感。此外，美联储发现47%的美国人都很难拿出400美元来应急。

虽然美国人歌颂坚毅的冒险者，但研究表明，在内心深处我们并不喜欢看到大量不确定因素。和他人关系牢固时我们的幸福感就会上升。他人带来的安全感则让我们无需去冒最大的个人风险。

在如今的超高速全球经济中，公司也许无法像20世纪50和60年代那样用终身聘用制来换取员工的忠诚。但它们可以提供一定的稳定性。它们可以为避免裁员而蒙受一些损失，比如用休假等其他方式来代替，甚至压缩短期利润。它们还可以就工作方面的调整进行清晰而且鼓舞人心的沟通。他们可以让员工参与决策，这有助于后者获得掌控自身生计的感觉。此外，它们可以公平行事，从提拔员工、到支付工资和分享利润，均可如此。

实际上，就《财富》杂志评选的100家最适宜工作的公司而言，公平程度在过去19年中有了非常大的提升。在5条属于信任指数调查的陈述中，1998-2016年升幅最大的4条陈述都和公平有关，包括“经理避免厚此薄彼”。同时，最适宜工作的公司往往能提供经济稳定性。比如说，在大衰退期间以及其他几个亏损数百万美元的年份，Ultimate软件公司就没有裁员。

Ultimate软件等最适宜工作的公司知道，安全性、公平以及良好工作环境的其他特质能带来长期回报。以截至今年3月31日的季度为例，Ultimate软件实现收入1.872亿美元，比上年同期增长29%。同时，总的来说最适宜工作的公司在许多主要业绩指标上都横扫竞争对手，比如股价走势、平均每位员工创造的营业利润以及人才保留率等。

明年是《财富》杂志推出最适宜工作的公司排行榜20周年，承担这项工作让Great Place to Work感到激动。该榜单将于2017年3月发布。我们知道，许多公司都明白良好工作环境的重要性，特别是经济稳定性和公平。已有超过600家公司获得Great Place to Work认证，而这项成就的基础是员工对公司文化的高度评价。如果还没有通过此项认证，我们建议您提出申请，以便跻身100家最适宜工作的公司排行榜。

在经济剧烈波动时期，我们的国家、我们的世界需要领导者。你愿意倾听当前对社会和经济的不满之声，并为想办法给大家创造出良好的工作环境出一份力吗？（财富中文网）

译者：Charlie

审稿：夏林

Frustrated voters are speaking out. And business leaders would be wise to pay attention to the economic anxiety behind the “Brexit” vote, the rise of Donald Trump, and the surprising strength of Bernie Sanders’ campaign.

What do these political uprisings have in common? They are driven largely by insecurity and indignation over the ways globalization has rewarded some much more than others, and by many people’s perception that they have lost control of their financial fates.

The depth of feeling around employment instability and income equality is only now being appreciated by politicians and pundits. But it’s been building quietly for some time now.

We’ve seen it in our data at Great Place to Work, where we’ve surveyed millions of employees over the past two decades in producing Fortune’s annual 100 Best Companies to Work For list and other best workplace rankings. Next year, the 100 Best Companies to Work For ranking turns 20 years old, and one of the striking findings that we at Great Place to Work have noticed has to do with employees calling for a greater measure of economic security. Of the 55 survey statements designed to measure trust, pride and camaraderie in the workplace that we have posed to employees since 1998, the statement with the second-largest jump in positive responses is “I want to work here for a long time.” For this year’s100 Best Companies to Work For, 87% of employees expressed that desire, a 20-point increase since 1998.

Some of this rise may relate to increased workplace pride. But most of the other Trust Index survey statements we classify under “pride” have seen relatively modest bumps upwards. The take-away is that employees—even at the best workplaces—are hungry for more stability. That conclusion is bolstered by another of our survey data points. Positive employee responses to the statement “I believe management would lay people off only as a last resort” increased 5 percentage points from 1998 to 2016. But that gain was the fifth-smallest increase in our survey statements—all of which showed some improvement.

In effect, employees at the country’s best workplaces have observed the job cuts and instability that have become a way of life at U.S. businesses—in times of growth and in recessions. And some of the best workplaces have chopped jobs as well.

Our data echo other research pointing to an economic roller coaster for many Americans—one more frightening than fun. Recent research by The Pew Charitable Trusts found that nearly half of Americans regularly experienced substantial fluctuations in income, earnings increased just 2 percent over the past decade for the typical American family, and only half of Americans feel financially secure. What’s more, the Federal Reserve found that 47% of the American people would have trouble coming up with $400 in an emergency.

Although Americans celebrate the rugged, risk-taking individual, research suggests that deep down we don’t like significant amounts of uncertainty. That our happiness increases when our relationships with others are strong. And that security provided by others frees us to take our biggest gambles as individuals.

Companies operating in today’s hyper-fast global economy may not be able to offer the lifetime-employment-for-loyalty “deal” they offered workers in the 1950s and 1960s. But they can provide a measure of stability. They can take pains to avoid layoffs, turning to alternatives like furloughs and even cutting into profits in the short run. They also can communicate clearly and courageously about changes in the works. They can involve employees in decision-making, which helps people feel a semblance of control over their livelihoods. And they can be fair—on issues ranging from promotions to pay to profit sharing.

In fact, fairness has improved dramatically at the Fortune 100 Best over the past 19 years. Four of the five Trust Index survey statements that rose most from 1998 to 2016 had to with fairness, including “managers avoid playing favorites.” The best workplaces also tend to get the economic stability piece. Ultimate Software, for example, avoided layoffs during the Great Recession and several other years of losses in the millions.

But Ultimate Software and other best workplaces know that security, fairness and other aspects of a great workplace pay off in the long run. In the quarter ended March 31, for example, Ultimate Software posted record revenue of $187.2 million, a 29% increase from the previous year. And in general, the best workplaces crush the competition in many key performance indicators—stock performance, operating income per employee, and talent retention, to name a few.

Next year, we at Great Place to Work are excited to compile the 20th annual list of Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For, which will be published in March 2017. And we know there are many companies out there that get the importance of a great workplace overall, and economic stability and fairness in particular. Already more than 600 have become Great Place to Work-certified, an achievement based on employees rating their culture highly. If you haven’t already, we urge you to apply to be certified and to seek a place on the 100 Best Companies to Work For list.

During these tumultuous economic times, our country, our world needs leadership. Will you listen to today’s social and economic discontent, and help figure out how to create a great place to work for all?