And that's it. We've briefly discussed work history, specifically work-employment and wage-earning.
We now understand diversity better and perhaps better perceive how our society views work. Is it different from your perspective?
However, it is essential to acknowledge that many laborious activities go unpaid, although wages define work.
Housework, child-rearing, cleaning, meal preparation, and so on. Our days are filled with activities that can be considered work but are not recognized by labor laws.
According to the labor code (Code du travail in France) L 312-1 1, effective working time is when an employee is at the employer's disposal and follows their instructions without being free to pursue their own activities.
In addition to salaried work, volunteer work is on the rise, often without us even realizing it. Every day, we contribute to the economic sustainability of social networks by providing personal information. Furthermore, we have recently been enhancing the productivity of department stores by scanning our purchases.
Were you aware that most software on the market relies on users' voluntary work to finalize their products? Some large companies sell "buggy" applications and leverage early adopter feedback to complete the testing process.
While this may be normal for highly complex software that needs to undergo extensive testing in various contexts, with actual usage serving as the ultimate test plan, the fact remains that users who report bugs are rarely rewarded.
Moreover, this has become a common practice for many web companies. "Transactional" interfaces used for selling or ordering products are often launched with numerous bugs, and it is the users who report these technical issues through their poor user experiences. These reported problems then accumulate in a backlog of corrections, some more urgent than others.
The evidence of the issues encountered with these interfaces is so apparent that it raises questions about whether sufficient testing has been conducted or if delegating the task to customers has become the norm.
And the situation doesn't end there.
Two or three years ago, a banking service company contacted me to offer a card payment terminal. It was a small box connected to the telephone line and capable of processing real-time payments.
The service cost 30 euros per month for the box and an additional 50 euros for telephone support.
It was astonishing. Why do I have to pay extra for telephone support? Does the box have any defects? Should I expect malfunctions?
Well, the answer is yes. This paid service was linked to the fact that the box could have problems. And because it was "not working properly," I had to pay an additional fee.
So, we are required to pay to access a service that will demand more work from us. We have to pay more to work more!
It is important to recognize that while work should be compensated, not all compensation is solely based on work.
This is evident in the time spent on training, breaks for coffee and cigarettes, and even paid vacations. These paid hours do not directly contribute to production efforts.
The question then becomes what can be considered part of working time and be seen as a factor that enhances the quality of work.
However, you may argue that we shouldn't consider activities like taking care of children or preparing food as work since this book focuses on motivation "in the workplace."
The problem is that the business landscape has changed significantly in recent years. The concept of a company is no longer confined to a physical location. New working methods have blurred the boundaries between our private and professional lives. Telecommuting has become a way of life, and some young parents even bring their newborn children to work.
The way employees work increasingly resembles that of freelancers.
Another significant change in work organization is the growing involvement of consultants, temporary staff, self-employed workers, cooperative workers, in-house representatives, and experts. How should we treat these workers who do not directly report to the company's authority?
If the organization of work is undergoing radical change, it is essential to agree on the content of the work required by the company.
Work is an activity carried out by a subject to satisfy an explicit or implicit order from another, who benefits from its results and without whom the activity would not have been carried out. 2
[Work is] an activity consisting of mobilizing energy to produce a good or deliver services, constrained by a social and technical framework. 3
As far as I'm concerned, and to include what seems to me to be all the activities that have a mental load specific to work, I would define work activity as follows:
<aside> 💡 Work is a constrained activity.
</aside>
This simple and somewhat radical definition differentiates work from leisure, which is, by definition, an activity without constraint. 4
When an activity is performed with a specific purpose, whether in response to a request from someone else or the individual, it is considered work.
Therefore, work cannot be solely defined by salary, subordination, or effort. An employee who follows their manager's instructions works just like a freelancer who trains themselves in new technologies or a self-employed entrepreneur who launches their own business, working 12 hours a day without immediate remuneration and appearing to enjoy it thoroughly.
If there is a constraint, there is work. And this in no way diminishes the pleasure of doing it.
- 1
LINHART, Danièle. L'insoutenable subordination des salariés (Sociologie clinique) (French Edition) . Eres.
- 2
Marty, Céline. Travailler moins pour vivre mieux - Guide pour une philosophie antiproductiviste : Guide pour une philosophie antiproductiviste (Hors Collection) (French Edition) Dunod.
- 3
Louche, Claude. Psychologie sociale des organisations - 4e éd. (Cursus) (French Edition) (p. 16). Armand Colin.
- 4
In this framework, constraints are extrinsic to the activity itself. Such as deadlines, productivity, etc. An intrinsic constraint would be, for example, getting dirty when digging a ho