Work doesn’t have to be ‘tyranny’

Given the unique field Gapingvoid is in, I’m constantly looking at new research and perspectives surrounding the world of work. So I was struck by a piece in Aeon headlined “The Tyranny of Work.” Among its claims was this:

“Our ideological commitment to work is the result of incessant and repeated activity – literally doing our jobs day in and day out. And there’s nothing we do with as much regularity, intensity and unquestioned submission as work.”

To be sure, there are many people caught in very difficult situations, facing long hours and daily drudgery, which is sometimes even back-breaking. And many workers are barely getting by. But the culture design we engage in with a wide array of organizations shows me that people’s commitment to their work does not stem from simply doing it. In fact, my interactions with workers at all levels, as well as a large amount of data, show that businesses are not filled with people acting with “unquestioned submission.”

The state of work is hardly so dire. It needs to be improved in crucial ways, of course. But broad portrayals of American workers as miserably toiling for forces beyond their control, with little to no sense of personal agency, miss a great deal of what’s actually happening today. 

Work is changing. For years following the Great Recession of 2007 to 2009, jobs grew and people had increasing choices of which company to work for. And even now, amid all the difficulties of the pandemic, companies are discovering the benefits of giving workers more control over when and where they get their work done. See experts, such as those quoted by the BBC and SHRM (the Society for Human Resource Management), calling for workers to have greater flexibility even after the pandemic ends.

Americans work more hours, but engagement doesn’t suffer

Americans do indeed work more hours on average than our counterparts in much of Europe. Figures from the OECD (the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) show that before the pandemic, Americans on average were putting in about 41.5 hours a week, compared to 39.5 in Italy and Germany for example. In general, remote workers began putting in longer work hours in 2020.

But that doesn’t mean Americans are less satisfied with their work. In some surveys, American workers show higher rates of satisfaction. 

(via World Economic Forum)

Surveys have also shown Americans just as engaged in work as their European counterparts. 

Of course, as I explained in a recent column for strategy+business, surveys surrounding worker sentiment are plagued with problems, so none of these figures should be read as concrete. What is clear is that people can derive great meaning and satisfaction from their work.  The key is for businesses to use Culture Science? to create a High-Purpose Work Culture. 

Understanding culture design

High-Purpose Cultures? are at once employee and customer-focused. They’re well defined, making clear exactly what the organization stands for. 

As our CEO Culture Study found, organizations that engage employees consciously through a High-Purpose Culture system achieve higher financial returns; better customer satisfaction scores; greater competitive advantage, and higher compensation for their CEOs. But what may be most striking is what these cultures achieve for workers: increased satisfaction, attraction, retention -- and much better reviews from current and former employees on websites like Glassdoor.

Ultimately, workplace culture spells the difference between a sense of empowerment and a sense of “tyranny.” Culture also spells the difference between what a company claims to stand for and what it actually stands for. That’s because culture is, as we see it, the collection of beliefs, mindsets, mental models, values, principles, world views, and attitudes that inform the behaviors driving operational outcomes. (See our explainer on Culture Design Basics.)

Your turn. Do you see work as tyranny? What cultural changes do you need in your organization? Weigh in in the comments below, or send me a message.

For more insights, be sure to sign up for our newsletter here.