Assessing the Dignity of Work

Posted by Hunt Mark on July 15th, 2021

A lofty phrase that's been around for awhile, but has gained recently discovered prominence in the last few years is the term "dignity of work". It is uttered across the political spectrum, because it is widely thought to have universal respect and acceptance. Who could possibly argue with a concept which conveys cherishment of dedication, skill development, and above all personal responsibility to provide for oneself and their loved ones? Dignity of work is regarded as a sublime ending in itself. We were raised to take a lifetime of work. Function is contributing. total stranger is doing your duty. Work is good and much more selfless work is much better. Achievement of a profound sense of satisfaction that comes from a doing job well is the greatest reward for our labors we are told. The thankful pat on the back in the coworker, the grin and nod by the boss, the eloquent testimonial from a delighted customer represent only a few of those energizing commendations that make work invaluable. So why is work not felt so beneficial or rewarding for a lot of? We overlook 't have to look far to find people unhappy with their work. Dignity of work is evasive for more workers than it should be. my latest blog post in 2019 of 500 employees found the vast majority (90%) expected to find joy in their work, but awarded time on the work just 37% really experienced pleasure. A few years back Gallup reported only 30% of employees engaged with their occupations. Forbes cited a survey of 411 workers, 19 percent of whom were happy with their occupations. I could go on. Labor cannot be dignified unless certain basic requirements are satisfied. The US Conference of Catholic Bishops advocates for basic employee rights as a necessity for work dignity like accessibility to productive work, fair and adequate reimbursement, and a permission arrangement allowing for coordinating and unionization among other rights. Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio calls for enhancements of wages and benefits, healthcare expenditures, and retirement programs as a way of assuring dignity. Ezra Klein in the New York Times factors to elimination of harmful and oppressive workplaces and also for direction to encourage workers to remain healthier and have leisure and family time. source 'd add elimination of tyrannical management, poisonous coworkers, and workplace cultures that devalue portions of the work force. But beyond saying what isn't wanted to engender go to this site in work, let's focus on clinics likely to lead to dignity. There are 3 important circumstances which encourage this. As pointed out by Daniel Pink in his publication Push, fostering an environment where employees are urged to develop mastery of their profession, exercise freedom in decision making, and define personal and professional purpose in the things they do matter greatly. Workers want to be admired and given the freedom to develop. They wish to have the ability to sustain sensible financial needs by working just one 40-hour a week job. They want an executive management who understand the principal capital in their firms are their workers, who must know they are valued. They want the aid of customers who intentionally direct their dollars toward businesses who treat their employees with dignity. (It begs the question, is a business model that requires workers working for only .25 each hour worthy of staying in business in this day and age?) Dignity of work should continue for a universal value, but let's not cling to a notion it arises spontaneously, especially under adverse conditions. my review here doesn't. Dignity could possibly be felt separately, but it takes a community to see it is widely shared.

Like it? Share it!


Hunt Mark

About the Author

Hunt Mark
Joined: July 14th, 2021
Articles Posted: 40

More by this author