Tuesday December 20, 2011

On its face, “meaningful work” may sound elitist, an offshoot of late 20th century “professionalism” that encouraged the privileged few to “express themselves” through their jobs. And historically, the widespread demand for meaningful jobs is new, a consequence of developments stretching back barely a generation. But the decline of manufacturing and the rise of the knowledge economy created the conditions by which the pursuit and promise of meaning in one’s job grew dramatically. And business experts tell me it continues to grow, that young people are more than ever striving to find meaning in work. Today, some employers exploit this trend, offering employees “meaning” as well as money, claims boosted by best-selling authors and motivational speakers who enthuse that meaning can be “made” for employees. Such claims should give us pause—we’re talking about a job here, not a religious experience. And it’s notable that the word “job,” traced to its 16th-century origins, is defined as a mean and piddling affair, a crude way of turning a buck, not a passport to enlightenment. — <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/12/is-work-still-meaningful/250131/" target="_blank">Is Work Still Meaningful? - Ellen Ruppel Shell - Business - The Atlantic</a> (via <a class="tumblr_blog" href="http://pulse.infoneer.net/" target="_blank">infoneer-pulse</a>)