A check of the dictionary reveals no fewer than 55 terms that include the word “work”. This hints at the importance of this concept for humans. When homo sapiens emerged from darkest Africa, they were hunters and collectors. They were mobile beings, following food sources and inventing more efficient methods of collection. Their daily “work” must have been driven primarily by the need for food and shelter.

The need for food and shelter persists, but man’s evolution has resulted in the development of a startling array of increasingly specialised occupations. The range of human perspectives on the nature and meaning of work has evolved simultaneously.

The evolution of “work”

At a very basic physiological level, we are creatures of daily habit. Your diurnal clock demands that you rest at night and become active during daylight hours. One wonders whether our relatively poor night vision has been a factor here. Did our vulnerability to predators at night necessitate protective measures (shelter)? This might then have become the time when we recharged our physiological batteries.

Great human construction endeavours, such as the pyramids and the architecture of Rome and places of worship, required massive workforces. People needed to be organised in some way to achieve these feats. Time efficiencies were not really an issue. Several generations of stonemasons from the same family would work on one major cathedral; their “life’s work” indeed.

The most visible recent change in the nature of work occurred with the Industrial Revolution, beginning in the UK and Europe in the 1850s. Before this, the average number of people employed in a business was three or four. People had very direct contact with their customers and every aspect of the production of their wares. Working hours were determined by necessity.

The birth of the factory brought major change. The principle was to use efficiencies of scale and organisation (dividing the manufacturing process into discrete tasks, each performed by specifically trained teams or individuals) to turn raw materials into saleable products. Human workers were seen as part of the economy of production, with a view to maximising profit.

Suddenly, the timing of the working day was imposed by the employer on the employee. Workers were paid for their efforts (usually poorly) and lived in centres near their places of work (towns). They depended on the wages they earned to provide for their families. Work provided a very rigid structure within which to exist.

 

The meaning of work

No matter how unusual the work we do, it still provides us with food, shelter and structure. There is considerable variation in the “meaning” we attach to our work. Society has imposed a loose hierarchy of importance on various types of work. For example, a job concerned with research to counter some threat to our species (such as disease or global warming) might be seen by some as more important than an occupation such as farming. However, a moment’s reflection would tell us that if the researcher had nothing to eat his work wouldn’t continue for long. This hints at the complex way in which human society has organised itself to provide the basics that have enabled specialisation into various fields of endeavour.

What matters a lot to us humans is how we see ourselves. Our work is an important part of that appraisal. To be doing work that’s consistent with our basic values has some benefits for psychological wellbeing. So, on the one hand is the need for work to provide the very basics of life; on the other is a complex system of values associated with the nature and perceived importance of our work.

If we are to spend a significant part of our life at work, it’s worth considering how work affects our wellbeing and how to counter any negative effects.

Work in the 21st century

The defining feature of the past 20 years of human history is the rapidity of change. Much has been made of globalisation in an economic sense. However, the emergence of net-driven improvements in communication has also resulted in dramatic intellectual globalisation. Ideas are, after all, much more pertinent in the process of our evolution than is money, though you can’t eat either!

The nature of economics and of work practices has changed dramatically over the past 40 years. In 1960, it took four years for 30 per cent of the Fortune 500’s top listed companies in the USA to change. Now it takes six months. The average number of employers of a 65-year-old in 1960 was four. Now, it is eight by the age of 30.

However, let’s not paint work as some sinister but necessary grey cloud over our existence. We have already seen how it has evolved with us as a species. It provides structure and some predictability to our lives. It buys food and puts a roof over your head. It gives you a sense of purpose (struggling with this existential issue also seems to be part of the human condition) and meaning. It provides a constant learning focus. It provides a social network. A lot of marriages begin in the workplace. When you think of it, these are the people with whom you have large amounts of interpersonal contact.

Having considered the evolution of work and its benefits, we should now consider some potential pitfalls.

 

Potential pitfalls

The open-plan office has re-emerged over the past 10–15 years as employers seek cost savings when providing space for their staff. This way of doing things works when there are like-minded, similarly qualified people working on innovation-based projects such as software development units or in R&D-based firms such as the Gore Corporation. Here, the need is for regular brainstorming and consultation. This is facilitated by an open-plan arrangement, provided there is also space for more private interactions and work.

For most people in open-plan offices, there are significant problems. The most frequent complaints concern the noise and lack of privacy when working in these environments. It’s difficult to personalise a work space. Some offices even have “hot” desks used by anyone on a needs basis — even less “personal”. The open-plan arrangement accentuates the differential status between the haves and the have-nots (of offices). The 20 per cent savings in terms of heating and lighting costs must be offset against the individual’s lack of ability to adjust the light and heat in their particular working space.

In 2008, Dr V Oommen of the Queensland University of Technology revealed decreases in productivity, increased levels of interpersonal conflict, increased staff turnover and increased stress-related illnesses from open-plan offices. Infectious diseases are much more likely to spread in an open-plan situation. The question here is whether short-term cost savings are more than cancelled out by the problems associated with working in open-plan situations. This all stresses the importance of one’s physical work environment.

Surviving the open-plan office

If you are in an open-plan situation, consider the following.

• Try to personalise your own space as much as possible. Fill it with your “stuff” of necessity — space is at a premium. Something green and growing will often break up the harshness of this environment.
• Angle your workstation to minimise visual and auditory distraction cause by movement within the office. People tend to move down well-established “corridors” in open-plan offices. These are to be avoided where possible.
• Make use of private areas as much as possible.
• Consider working from home as an option for some part of the working week.

 

The workplace bully

The interpersonal environment at work can also be problematic. Most people have encountered “the bully”. Bullies are intimidating and take pleasure from “winning” in any encounter. They are all the more dangerous when in positions of power. They often resort to personal criticism rather than reasoned argument. People around them feel intimidated and devalued and are constantly on the alert for the next onslaught.

Dealing with bullies

• Talk to the HR department if you have a bully in your workplace.
• Never speak to bullies when they are angry.
• Confront them calmly about their behaviour, eg “most people would find that language offensive”.
• Be brave, because bullies aren’t. What is the worst thing that can happen?
• Sometimes, having a third party present in discussions with one of these people can be helpful.

Manipulative co-workers

Manipulative people can also cause problems as a result of “splitting”. They work on people in previously well-established relationships. They do this by endearing themselves to one friend and then implying that the other friend “is not all they seem”. Suspicions and doubts arise between people who previously trusted each other. Manipulators can cause havoc if the two affected people don’t “compare notes”. These people often leave a trail of emotional debris behind them. They can usually moderate their behaviour for a few months in a new environment, but things generally deteriorate soon after.

Beware the person with several short- to medium-term past positions. Check with their previous employers about their behaviour.

Beware strong emotions (positive or negative) towards a person you hardly know. They may indicate a problem of this nature.

If in doubt, keep people at polite arm’s length early in work relationships.

 

Taking charge

Having looked at some factors outside ourselves that may affect wellbeing, it must be said that the primary responsibility for our wellbeing rests clearly in our own hands.

There is much that can be done to counter the negative effects of work on our enjoyment of being alive. You will note that every suggestion requires action. No one delivers happiness to your door. Failure to act could result in “burnout”.

Burnout was first described in the 1970s. It happens when a person invests too much of their time and self in work at the expense of relationships and other personal interests. People experience the insidious onset of lack of energy and interest in work and life in general. They feel physically and mentally exhausted. Those aware of the symptoms of depression will note some similarities. Left unchecked, burnout can gradually morph into a major depressive illness. This is an appalling price to pay.

Taking charge of your “work”

Relationships: The most important single determinant of psychological wellbeing is the quality of social supports, ie important relationships. They require effort to stay in contact, to arrange to do things together, to remember important anniversaries etc. Relationships provide support, can be a sounding board and can help give one perspective in difficult situations.

Goals: Review where you are in your life and whether it’s consistent with your values and your longer-term aspirations. Include non-work goals here. They are of equal importance. Do this annually, eg on your birthday. Write things down. Be prepared to alter them at any time. Consider this “a work in progress”. The more distant the goal, the less specific it can be and vice versa.

Art, music, literature, film and theatre: These are part of our culture for a very good reason. They make us feel good. To explore them needs effort, but the payoff is enormous. Remember how good you felt the last time you heard some good music? Sounds like important brain chemistry to me.

Physical wellbeing: The commonest prescription any doctor should write is for “regular aerobic exercise”. How regular? Three to five times a week for at least 30–40 minutes. Try to do it somewhere pleasant with good company. Remember to keep track of your health as the years pass. Eat more fish, eat less animal fat, eat more vegies and fruit and eat less sweet stuff. There is no distinction between physical and psychological health. They are intimately related.

Drugs and alcohol: Beware drugs and alcohol. They work as a short-term fix but produce a world of physical, psychological and interpersonal grief if abused.

Spirituality: If you are so inclined, spiritual matters also merit the time you invest. This might take the form of a formal religious commitment. It might be something altruistic such as charitable works. It might be the consideration of a more mindfulness-based approach to life. Mindfulness is increasingly appealing in Western cultures. It tailors the essence of Eastern religion to this particular environment.

The process of making personal sense of the work and non-work aspects of our lives is an ongoing pursuit. It is occurring in a changing world. It is occurring in the context of personal development. It is a full-time job.