Tea and Productivity 喝茶与工作效率
[audio]http://file.24en.com/bbc/tae/assets_8292392/tae_298_tea_productivity_110104_tae_298_tea_productivity_audio_au_bb.mp3[/audio]According to tradition, China has been drinking tea since the time of Shennong, 5,000 years ago.
Britain's relationship with the [b]invigorating brew[/b] is much shorter, but the [b]beverage[/b] nonetheless enjoys [b]pride of place[/b] as the UK's national drink. In fact the UK Tea Council claims Britons drink an average of three cups a day, or a [b]staggering[/b] national total of 165m cups every day.
With figures like these it is no surprise that time spent taking tea [b]eats into[/b] the working day of the British [b]labour force[/b]. A recent survey found that 24 minutes a day are lost to making, buying and drinking tea and coffee. This [b]equates to[/b] £400 (4,000 yuan) a year in lost [b]man hours[/b] per employee, or 190 days over a [b]lifetime[/b].
So, should employers be worried about this lost working time, or does the tea break [b]compensate[/b] in other ways?[img=226,170]http://www.24en.com/d/file/bbc/bbc2/2011-01-13/b6801871f4faa9d1bca0df89c6536396.jpg[/img] [p=30, 2, left][size=5][b]Prince Charles enjoying a brew[/b][/size].
One [b]argument[/b] in its defence is that [b]caffeine[/b] improves mental performance: a drink of tea or coffee can [b]perk you up[/b] and help you focus on work.
Professor Peter Rogers of the University of Bristol disagrees. After years of studying caffeine he sees no evidence that it improves [b]mental alertness[/b].
"Workers would perform equally well if not consuming it at all," he says. "But if they're [b]consuming[/b] it frequently and then [b]go without[/b], they'll feel tired and won't perform well."
[b]Occupational psychologist[/b] Cary Cooper instead emphasises the role breaks play in coping with [b]sedentary[/b] office life, and in building social relationships.
"We need to make people more [b]active[/b] and see other people. The coffee break is one way of doing this," says Cooper.
And Professor Rogers also points out the [b]soothing effect[/b] of a hot drink: "We warm our hands on them on a cold day, they're comforting and play a big role in our everyday life.
"Whatever the caffeine's doing, I'd say these 24 minutes aren't wasted."[/p]
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