I would like to open with an interview from t3n.de (the magazine for digital business) and draw a conclusion from it:
The philosopher and literary scholar Marie-Luise Goldmann warns against a fun imperative in today’s society. Do our expectations of work need to change?
Choosing a field of study and sticking with it — this was the mindset with which philosopher and literary scholar Marie-Luise Goldmann herself began her studies. She chose a combination of subjects that she believed would bring her the greatest enjoyment — a guiding principle in which she now recognises many problems. Why this is the case, she explains in the interview.
t3n: Ms Goldmann, for your doctorate you read hundreds of books — did you always enjoy it?
Marie-Luise Goldmann: That depends on what you mean by enjoyment. Of course, there are incredibly long-winded stories — in literary realism, for example, landscape descriptions can stretch on for pages. That kind of boredom is quite something. But what is fascinating is this: once you really immerse yourself in those long descriptions, you develop a different sense of time. This is the flow of boredom — and it is also important for becoming creative. I would describe this flow experience as a form of enjoyment as well.
t3n: And yet, when boredom persists, people begin to doubt their job …
Yes, certainly. And that is unfortunate, because our view of work today is rather limited. Many people are looking for a job that, above all, gives them enjoyment. When you ask more closely what they actually mean by that, it usually comes down to either flow experiences — or identification, meaning the desire to fully realise oneself as a person through an activity and to develop precisely through one’s work. Yet there are many other areas through which we could define ourselves: leisure activities, for example, or family and our social network.
t3n: But surely there is nothing wrong with enjoying one’s work.
No, of course not. Enjoyment is important. The problem, however, lies in the logic behind it, which is strongly shaped by capitalism: on the one hand, in today’s society it is desirable to perform and achieve a great deal — and on the other hand, not to suffer in the process. This sets today’s perspective apart from the performance-oriented society of the Protestant era, when hard work was much more closely associated with asceticism. Back then, people worked hard in order to receive a reward later in life — in extreme cases, only in the afterlife, from God. Today, the focus is on the here and now: we strive for occupations that already bring enjoyment in the present and during the process itself. On the one hand, this means that certain professions — such as elderly care and nursing — are no longer chosen at all. On the other hand, on an individual level, it leads to greater pressure for self-realisation and growing dissatisfaction: when things do not go well, people are quick to assume that they must have done something wrong in life.
t3n: But overall, isn’t it a positive development that enjoyment at work is moving more strongly into focus?
The Berlin-based philosopher Byung-Chul Han criticises the idea that this development can also be attributed to the dynamics of self-exploitation within capitalism: work is supposed to make us better people — instead of finding fulfilment in hobbies or within our social environment, many people even subordinate their leisure time to the goal of becoming better at their jobs. In this way, we internalise the pressure that used to be exerted by bosses or parents: we organise and motivate ourselves — and are expected to enjoy doing so every single day.
t3n: What do you feel is missing from this perspective?
That work can be fulfilling in many different ways, even when it is not constantly enjoyable. For example, there are jobs that give us the sense that we have done something meaningful during the day or created something lasting — something Hannah Arendt described with the concept of “making”. Moreover, work — or simply having something to do at all — can also serve as a distraction from the great existential crises of life or from thoughts about death, as conveyed by the writer Marlen Haushofer in her novel “The Wall”, published in 1963. In it, a woman is cut off from the outside world by an invisible barrier, and the hard work in the fields helps her forget her sense of hopelessness.
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From management’s perspective, the primary focus is usually on finding ways to increase revenue. How costs can be reduced. How efficiency can be improved. How mistakes can be avoided. How accidents can be prevented.
Only occasionally does the question arise of how identification with the company can be created or strengthened — how a sense of ownership can be fostered.
When, as an entrepreneur coach, I put the following question to a business owner: What thoughts have you had about how your employees — the warehouse worker, the inside sales team, the cleaner — might experience more enjoyment at work? What would you have to offer, apart from higher pay, so that your employees actually look forward to coming to work and enjoy the drive there in the morning?
Some consider a freely accessible fitness room complete nonsense; others implement flexible working hours or freely selectable break times instead. Which benefits — beyond salary increases — would motivate employees to go onto the battlefield for the company (and for their boss)?
Very often, it is quite simple things — work processes that can be changed in order to create enjoyment. What is more frustrating than having to compensate for complicated procedures and processes? Errors that could have been avoided, for example, through improved software?
During brainstorming sessions, ideas often emerge that a managing director would never have thought possible.
Coaching an entrepreneur requires several days of insight into the company — its employees and its workflows. Only then can a truly individual, tailored concept be developed. Those who find this too time-consuming opt for an off-the-shelf seminar.
Those who invest in their employees are investing sustainably.
I am here for you.
Warm regards,
Gregor
