Why We Work

In this modern moment, full of abundant mobility, the fortunate work for more than a paycheck.

We work, initially, to find ourselves; and we work, next, to lose ourselves. We work to explore what we enjoy doing and discover a passion that provides for our families and our fun. We work to bring something to the world or our community, in our ignorance and knowledge, through our sweat and perseverance. We join organizations, sometimes start one, in pursuit of connecting to a mission, to performance, to people, to knowledge. The lucky ones find deep connections. Work no longer feels like labor. As it’s said, “we lose ourselves in our work” when the doing, the actual labor, pulls us in; labor we’d likely perform regardless of the compensation.

I like that stress on the word connections, since there are many ways to connect to work, or at work, or through work; yet, when there’s no connection, work feels...miserable. This is why the word work is often used as a metaphor to suggest a negative, laborious activity in non-work situations. Just consider the term slipping into our love life: “Our relationship needs work” or “do you think we can make this work?” There’s no job in the world that doesn’t offer elements of struggle or hardship. Yet when there’s connection, the tradeoff for the hardship is an easy deal. Connection guides us in joining and, more importantly, sticking to a job.?

Connecting through work is about feeling something. People need purpose and the foremost connection comes from the grand discovery of seeing how your effort enables something bigger than yourself. The best organizations reinforce each person’s effort through regular gatherings where the mission is walked back to each team. Customer-facing companies provide the added benefit of connecting employees to the outcomes of the people they serve. Think of the noble nurse watching her recovered cancer patient ceremoniously exit the hospital. When the dots never get connected between the people and the mission, or are rarely reinforced, employees struggle to sustain deep engagement because of a faint sense of purpose.

Connecting through the work also means connecting to the actual doing. It’s proven: those who work with their hands unlock endorphins that others stuck behind desks do not. Escaping into the work can sometimes be a pleasurable act, especially when there’s a Zen-like flow state to the rhythm of the doing. Monotony to one person is likely someone else’s pleasure. Have you ever talked to an accountant who almost gets giddy as they describe the marvels of a spreadsheet??

Some organizations are never going to be in a position to provide a profound purpose. Such places can rely on a different type of connection: people needing people. Collaboration and comradery are fundamental needs of the human condition. Fraternity can almost operate like a drug. The deeper the connection, the more likely the people are to tolerate and perform the toughest types of work. Social bonds that form through adversity are some of the strongest connections we have in life, just ask any firefighter.

Sometimes we work to learn and not much more. The compensation might be lousy, the day-in and day-out performance might be dull, and the co-workers might be emotionally distant. Yet many enter a role, albeit temporarily, in an opportunistic venture to learn. On one extreme end, there are internships and apprenticeships, but most entry-level jobs exist as a compact between the employer and the employee: we’ll give you vital training and exposure if you give us your time for a year or two. Anytime a person accepts a deal like this, they’ll feel when the time is right to jump ship as the connection evaporates into burnout. They have simply exhausted any knowledge left to absorb.

Why we work is to connect. And connection can be cultivated. We have a word for this, but many may not?realize this can be cultivated: the word is culture.

Work culture, or organizational culture as some call it, has long been assumed as something that haphazardly exists. Like moss showing up on the side of a tree. Work culture was viewed as an output of behaviors. It was viewed as something that’s passed from the traits of the leadership. That’s completely reversed now, as we know organizations can be intentional about their conditions and operational design, about their environment of systems and processes, and about setting examples for the behaviors that reinforce organizational values.

So what are we talking about when we talk about the future of work? The definition certainly changed in 2020, a year defined by the global pandemic and racial inequality awakening. Companies raced in the spring of 2020 to solve remote work infrastructure to keep operations operational. By summer, the conversation switched to diversity and inclusion as the Black Lives Matter movement took center stage. In the fall and winter of 2020, the U.S. Presidential Election provided a measure of chaos and uncertainty that only added to the stress of the year. Companies and organizations entered 2021 dazed but enlightened. Culture matters, and it’s not just about performance numbers or engaged employees.?

A strong culture provides resiliency in maintaining the commitment to the work - about compassion for colleagues and supporting them through their personal struggles. The concept of work-life balance was reimagined. Work and life are happening at the same time and often in the same dwelling. The faux separation between work and life isn’t about balance, it’s about acknowledging they co-exist and need nurturing. Great work cultures support a person’s whole life. Companies now advertise benefits that include parenthood resources, financial planning, and sabbatical leave.

The future of work is about organizations that evolve from their intentionality from connecting, to sharing. Pre-2020, Daniel Coyle, in his book The Culture Code, suggested work culture is about a shared commitment to solving hard problems. That feels right, and don’t overlook the word shared. Shared speaks to the value output from the connection input.

In 2021, shared commitment no longer equates to a shared physical workspace. Discord, Slacks, and Zooms have replaced the cubicles and conference rooms. Promises of the metaverse as a new place to work and play dance about, and a strong future lies in DAOs, or Decentralized Autonomous Organizations. The commitment we make to solving the same problems touches on all of the types of connections that make work matter: commitment to the mission, commitment to the performance, commitment to each other, and commitment to learning and sharing?knowledge. Commitments are the foundation of trust. The agreements, rules and etiquette that form around the commitments create the behaviors that form the culture of work. Now that we appreciate that work culture is both the planning and the performing of collaboration at scale, understand that the platform for culture to stand and operate is a platform best understood as “work trust.”

Imagine a circle drawn in the sand. Imagine stepping into this circle with your colleagues each day as if this were your workspace. This imaginary circle represents a circle of trust. This is a pact of shared values and commitments at your workplace. From this magic circle emerges the behaviors that shape the culture which, in turn, shapes future behaviors. Culture is the amoeba in the ether. Whether we acknowledge it or not, it’s what is operating between you and me, perpetually shaping how we work together. The best cultures are intentional about the practice of shaping this amoeba into that well-defined circle.

Defining and cultivating a healthy culture takes constant practice. The magic circle of work trust requires defining and practicing shared values. From there, a shared culture of commitment and performance emerges, complete with respect and etiquette. What’s most exciting about the future of work is the pivot, through DAOs, to the output: sharing value beyond the crumbs of the paycheck.?

Let’s pause to acknowledge that work in this land has a dark history. My stomach churns when I look back at a time when there was no choice of work and no options about the work. Work was forced upon people. It’s impossible to write about work without confronting slavery.

I started writing this from Mitchellville, South Carolina. If you know your U.S. history, you’ll recall this tiny spot on Hilton Head Island was the first community of former slaves who were first given the freedom to work for a wage. I walked through what’s left of the town, now an historic site near the Atlantic Ocean. The immense relief, pride and pleasure those people must have felt as they performed the work of their choice and earned a rightful wage. More powerful must have been the feeling of their shared commitment and effort to building their community.

From our modern privilege, we can talk about why we work to initially find ourselves and ultimately lose ourselves. We can talk about the connections we build through our work. And we can consider how we best do work. What’s thrilling in this moment is knowing work is about to vastly change more. Younger generations are forcing a reevaluation of values, along with Web3 technology. Web3 is providing the means to disrupt 20th-century structures of work. Say goodbye to the notion of the career. Say hello to one’s work journey.?

How we best do work is by freedom of choice, and inclusion. In this modern moment, with the advent of DAOs, with abundant mobility, the paycheck will often be replaced by valuable incentives that reward contribution. In the next decade, many individuals will contribute to many commitments across DAO communities. Much like a co-op, the sharing is both in the commitment input and the value output. We’re entering a work revolution where the pact between the work and the worker encompasses many more connections beyond pay.

Peeling the onion layers of why we work, it’s more than just connecting to purpose and each other; it’s more than just extracting value for our effort; it’s more than the pleasure of the labor. It’s all of that.

When work is great, it fills us up. The virtuous cycle begins: when we feel better, we work better.

So great work, at heart, is for vitality. The powerful, shared connections to purpose, and the shared connections to each other through our work commitments, give us meaning and more. When work is less than positive, it sucks the life right out of us. When it’s positive, great work gives us health and energy. The notion of retirement comes from an age when work drained the person. There’s no retirement for those reaping vitality from their work. The best work pursuits, like the best journeys, never really end.?

This essay was inspired by Pico Iyer’s Why We Travel.

For more information about how OrgVitals uses collaboration network analysis to help employers become more strategic about their culture and place employee well-being at the center of their performance model, visit OrgVitals.com.

If you're interested in DAOs and how Web3 will impact the future of work, visit Pacity.xyz to read the white paper to learn about the first cooperative wellness exchange.