Do you think work creates alienation?
On the one hand, there’s an obvious case for thinking it. Millions and millions of people are asked to take on the objectives of another entity, their employer. Or their clients/customers. That’s the expectation, right? That at least for some significant chunk of our lives, we are asked to put aside our most significant concerns and adopt something other as our own.
Even for people who love their work, there’s a gap, a “not-my-own-ness.” Layoffs happen. Businesses go under.
But the love remains. We also all have opportunities to create our own bubbles of autonomy, owning our achievements, outcomes, and successes. Even in the vast ocean of the labor market, we can create bubbles of own-ness. And we can come up with strategies for maintaining and expanding those bubbles.
How do you define your purpose? How do you create your bubble of autonomy and purpose? How do you protect it?
Good questions to ask, especially in the midst of back-to-back shifts in the nature of work and employment.
Share your thoughts in the comments if you like.