早上在NPR（National Public Radio）的特别系列版 “The Coronavirus Crisis” 看到一篇讲美国线上办公的报道，采访了 Steyer Content 的 CEO Kate Walton。这报道除了可以用来了解公司线上办公，还有很多看法 + 表达可以用，所以和大家分享一下。
以下是3分钟的 News report 以及文字报道。
建议先听 News report，听完了以后再去看文字的报道.
highlight 的表达，文末有表达的例句 + 用法解释。
Virtual Happy Hour Anyone? Working From Home But Keeping Connected
March 15, 2020 7:54 AM ET
Heard on Weekend Edition Sunday
* 以下为对应话题的报道内容，不是此 news report 的逐字稿。
To limit exposure to the coronavirus, many companies across the U.S. are urging, and some are mandating, that employees work from home.
Plenty of employees are embracing the new rules, happy to avoid their daily commute and to work in their pajamas. But when a company’s employees are suddenly no longer under one roof, it can be a nightmare for managers.
But it doesn’t have to be.
Kate Walton, the owner and CEO of Steyer Content, which has its headquarters in Seattle, has decades of experience running a company where nearly all of the employees and contractors work remotely.
“We’ve, for quite a number of years now, had an online community where we gather every day,” says Walton. “That’s where we collaborate. That’s how we connect in normal times.”
But these are not normal times.
When the Seattle area emerged as the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., Walton canceled the company’s monthly lunches. While she was already connected to employees online, those tools became even more important.
Probably the most useful tool, says Walton, is Slack, a messaging platform where co-workers can post and exchange ideas in groups and channels.
While it’s primarily used for work, Walton also uses Slack to hold trivia contests, to celebrate birthdays and to ask people to post photos of their pets — not unlike you might see happening in a brick-and-mortar office.
The online exchanges are wildly popular, with people talking about books they’re reading, debating the merits of particular fonts and, of course, since this is Seattle, sharing their favorite hiking trails.
Less popular, it turns out, was Walton’s invitation for people to take part in an online seven-minute workout challenge. Only one other person has joined her, she says wistfully.
As the news about the coronavirus became more dire, Walton decided to get more creative. The company recently held its first virtual happy hour, with people joining in on a video call with their favorite drink after work.
“It was quite simply a way for us to shoot the breeze, you know, from a safe distance, to kind of have a little bit of that water-cooler effect that even after a few days we were starting to miss,” she says.
The first happy hour was so popular that they held it again last Thursday. And several employees are eagerly figuring out how to make a virtual karaoke party happen.
Such efforts are not time wasters, says Walton. Creating a sense of community helps her attract strong talent, which is a huge competitive advantage.
“Tending to the mental and emotional health of our teams needs to be our top priority,” says Walton. “I mean, I really see that as part of the response, even before you get to the smaller issue of how to keep a business going through times like this.”
Walton says the trick is not to force the connections, but rather give permission to be creative and see where employees take it.
What it comes down to, Walton says, is connections. In times of uncertainty, we want to know we’re not alone.
“It’s something that humans crave,” she says. “I mean, it’s that fundamental.”
(Source: https://www.npr.org/2020/03/15/815973389/virtual-happy-hour-anyone-working-from-home-but-keeping-connected)
1 – Limit exposure to the coronavirus
Honolulu officials take steps to limit public exposure to coronavirus.
The doctor shares how to reduce exposure to coronavirus while sleeping.
Limit exposure to dry air
Limit exposure to radiation
Limit exposure to air pollution
2 – Embrace the new rules
除了 new rules，embrace 还可以和哪些一起用呢？
可以是改变：Will MLB be smart enough to embrace new rule changes?
可以是方法：“Individuals who do not embrace the new rules and safety measures that put horse and rider safety above all else will have no place at any Stronach Group racetrack,” the company said.
3 – Avoid one’s daily commute
如果你想说 “提升通勤体验”，比如上班路上听听歌，看看书，让过程没有那么煎熬（特别是太远的时候 …）
improve one’s daily commute
或者 make one’s daily commute better
或者 have a more enjoyable commute
或者 de-stress on one’s daily commute
* de-stress 的意思就是 get rid of feelings of stress (= worry caused by difficult situations in your life or job)，生活中如果想说减压，还可以用这个词（I began doing yoga as a way to de-stress.）
4 – Have decades of experience doing
大家对 have experience doing something 这个用法应该不陌生。如果想要强调很多经验，除了 a lot of 以外，也可以用 decades of.
The registrar of companies has had decades of experience dealing with similar names.
Decades of experience show that no such guarantees are ever necessary or reasonable.
相当于 work from home。比如：Most of our employees work remotely (= from home, using email and the phone). 平时想说远程办公的时候，可以和 work from home 一起用起来。
6 – The coronavirus outbreak
平时有留意新闻（特别是外刊）的，应该对这个表达不陌生，放在句子描述的话，有这么几种方式：
There is a current outbreak of Coronavirus disease.
WHO declares the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic.
the city was moving far too slowly as the coronavirus outbreak spread.
7 – A brick-and-mortar office
brick-and-mortar 是一个形容词性质的表达，意思是实体的（existing as a physical building, especially a shop, rather than doing business only on the internet）。常见的表达还有：a brick-and-mortar retailer（实体零售店），或者brick-and-mortar bookstores（实体书店）。
8 – Such efforts are not time wasters.
以后说浪费时间除了 … is a waste of time ，还可以说 … is not a time-waster/time wasters.
9 – What it comes down to
It all comes down to money in the end.
Eventually, our choice of hotel will come down to how much we can afford.
Speak, and speak smart.
