The way we think about work is broken by Barry Schwartz
Barry Schwartz starts off his talk in asking the simple question of “Why do we work?”. Mixing economics and psychology, barry speaks on the topic of the significance of the work one does and why we really don’t just do it for the money. He goes on to say that the men and women in the audience does work that is “ stimulating, its meaningful, and if we’re lucky it might just be important”, though the majority of the people on the planet don’t feel the same. He does not insist in changing jobs or career but in finding positivity and meaningness in the job that you are doing. This way of thinking; men will not do work unless one gives them a reward, has seeped into our society and it is a false idea, a false way of thinking that plays in our capitalist society. As Schwartz explains that, yes, one works for the pay but there are values that every job should install in their working environment that is being ignored. These values give the worker a sense of pride and fulfillment in the work that they do. In our society we devalue the work in which we call “ low income”, thus makes the worker feel unimportant yet we must acknowledge that the work that is done is important because would you do that work? If they won’t, who will?
In the book Working in the Shadows by Gabriel Thompson, the journalist goes undercover to work for different types of jobs to examine the life of an immigrant worker and why they do the job that they do. Some comment that they do it to sustain their families and others say that they have more benefits than in any other job that they have worked in. My American Dream would be that every worker gets recognition for their work no matter what the job may be or the background story of that person. we must work together as a society to push each other up and motivate each other. To acknowledge that everyone’s work is valuable and must be appreciated for it.
In the book Working in the Shadows by Gabriel Thompson, the journalist goes undercover to work for different types of jobs to examine the life of an immigrant worker and why they do the job that they do. Some comment that they do it to sustain their families and others say that they have more benefits than in any other job that they have worked in. My American Dream would be that every worker gets recognition for their work no matter what the job may be or the background story of that person. we must work together as a society to push each other up and motivate each other. To acknowledge that everyone’s work is valuable and must be appreciated for it.