一提起手铐，我们马上就会联想到被警察抓起来的罪犯。其实，生活中除了有形的手铐之外，还存在着无形的手铐，也许阅读本篇文章的你也带着这样一副手铐却不自知。这种无形的手铐经常以充满诱惑的形式出现，让你难以抵挡，乖乖就范。如果你的上司准备给你升职，和你签订新的合同，那么你要警惕了，他也许正要给你戴上一副金手铐（golden handcuffs）哦。

Golden handcuffs are a system of financial incentives designed to keep an employee from leaving the company. These can include employee stock options which will not vest for several years but are more often contractual obligations to give back lucrative bonuses or other compensation if the employee leaves for another company.

金手铐是不让员工离开公司的一套经济刺激方案。可以是员工持股权金手铐的一种，不过股份承诺要好几年才会兑现，而且一旦员工离职去另一家公司便要按照合同规定返还之前所得红利以及其他补贴。

In television, if a host has signed the 'golden handcuffs' deal with the network, it means they cannot appear on any other rival channel.

在电视行业，如果一个主播与一个电视网签订了“金手铐”协议，那么他就不能再为任何其他与该电视网相竞争的频道主持节目。

More broadly, the term can also refer to any kind of situation in which a generous salary is used to keep an important employee from looking for a more desirable but less certain position.

广义上，这个词还可以用来指用丰厚的薪水来让重要的员工安于其位，不再去想寻找其他更好的工作。

例如：Teachers joining the most disadvantaged secondary schools are to receive “golden handcuff” payments of £10,000 in an attempt to narrow the achievement gap between rich and poor pupils.

加入实力最弱的中学的老师将得到10000英镑的丰厚薪水，此项决策是通过给教师戴上“金手铐”来缩小家境富有和贫穷的学生之间（由于教育资源的不平衡而带来）的成就上的差距。

相关阅读

白名单 white list

裁员之后的ghost work（遗留工作）

谁是angel investor

lipstick effect 口红效应

（实习生 陈丹妮，英语点津 Helen 编辑）

点击查看更多英语习语和新词