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Just a few quotes
reveal the general
thrust of the book:
• “You’re a modern
day slave. There’s
no scope for
personal fulfilment.
You work for your
pay-check at the end
of the month, full
stop.”
• “It's pointless to
try to change the
system. Opposing it
simply makes it
stronger.”
• “What you do is
pointless. You can
be replaced from one
day to the next by
any cretin sitting
next to you. So work
as little as
possible...”
People laugh at The
Office and Dilbert
for the same reason,
recognising the
dismal truths in the
parodies. Cynicism
has become endemic
in the workplace.
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People need a
purpose beyond mere
material needs and
wants, one that
relates to personal
growth and respect
for the contribution
they make. It is the
responsibility of
leaders to ensure
people have that
sense of purpose. |
In my own surveys,
I’m concerned but
not surprised to see
how many people
suffer from
Mondayitis, a sure
sign that people are
disillusioned and
demoralised. No
wonder a recent
survey in the US
found that only 29
percent of workers
actually feel
engaged at work.
Dr Lawrence Peter
summed it up by
noting that “Many
people stop looking
for work when they
find a job.” But
humour aside, this
is obviously a
serious matter, and
negative attitudes
to work are a direct
challenge to leaders
So what is work?
Human beings have
never been sure
about how to define
work. 2500 years
ago, the
Bhagavad-Gita told
us that “What is
work, and what is
not work, are
questions that
perplex the wisest
of men.” The
dictionary defines
work as being
occupied in business
or labour, or any
effort directed to a
purpose. Work can be
understood as all
compulsory
activities, or all
tasks required for
securing subsistence
needs, or perhaps
all legal efforts to
satisfy economic
needs and wants.
Whatever we may
think, work is
generally accepted
by sane and honest
people as an
essential test of
character and a
major source of
self-respect. |
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It naturally
involves effort and
sacrifice, and it is
one of the main
avenues to the
personal fulfilment
all human beings
seek.
That
is why work is such
an important part of
our lives. Lawrence
Perlman of Ceridian
Corp. made the point
with telling
insight: “When you
ask children what
they want to be when
they grow up, they
don’t say I want a
boring job where the
only thing I look
forward to is
Friday.”
People
under-performing or
causing trouble in
the workplace often
has the same roots
as young people
engaging in
destructive
behaviour – boredom
and a lack of
self-respect.
Meaningful work is
essential for all
people, and when
they don’t have it,
social dysfunction
is a predictable
consequence.
The missing factors
of purpose and
leisure
Sadly, attitudes to
work have become
badly corrupted.
When asked why they
work, most people
respond with: “To
pay the bills”, “To
get rich”, or “To
retire in comfort”.
These
limited and
misguided goals
produce the
disillusionment we
see in the
workplace. People
need a purpose
beyond mere material
needs and wants, one
that relates to
personal growth and
respect for the
contribution they
make. It is the
responsibility of
leaders to ensure
people have that
sense of purpose.
Sustaining that
purpose week in and
week out requires
balance in one’s
life. And that is
only possible with
leisure, which is
today a badly
misunderstood
concept. The ancient
Greek word for
“leisure” is in fact
where we get our
word “school” from.
Leisure is meant to
be time used for
personal growth
through reading,
cultural activities,
and sports.
Television,
partying, and being
a spectator do not
qualify in this
regard. But people
who are misled to believe
that work on its own
gives meaning to
their existence can
be forgiven for
using their time so
poorly, both in the
workplace and out.
We should not live
to work; we should
work to live.
Which would you
rather have – an
enthusiastic and
efficient worker for
eight hours, or a
demoralised and
deficient worker for
ten? Leaders know
the value of purpose
and leisure in the
lives of workers.
But, of course, the
misleaders are
calling the shots at
present. |
