“You’ll never lie on your deathbed wishing you had spent more time at work.” That’s how the saying goes and is repeated by many gurus. Of course it has a point, in that family and friends and other aspects of life are important and should not be neglected. But when I look back over my lifetime, I realize that some of my very best moments have been at work. So let’s not put others off the pleasures of the workplace.
There are a huge number of people in the UK who are economically inactive and there appears to be a real problem getting young people into the workplace. This seems to be due to anxiety and mental health problems. Have they come to imagine that work is a negative experience? There is so much press in recent years about people not wanting to go into the office or pushing to work from home – is this the problem? Does the daily commute and interaction with others actually frighten them, put them off?
They need to be informed of other perspectives, don’t they? We need to share stories of the fun, creativity, teamwork, belonging and the sense of fulfilment we can receive from work. A good job done, whatever that job may be, can give a real sense of satisfaction.
At the same time there is a group of over 55s who retired young and now would like to get back into work because they are missing the sense of purpose, the social interaction, the enjoyment of challenge that they used to experience in the workplace. Perhaps some of this group could talk to the young and persuade them that work is not so bad after all, that sitting around doing nothing is not good for the mind, body or soul.
Some time ago I was Deputy Chair of the Work-Life Balance Trust, and Dame Shirley Conran was Chair. We worked towards encouraging flexibility in the workplace, job sharing and part-time working. We didn’t intend, by any stretch, to put people off working. We just thought it would make life easier, especially in families where both parents are working, to allow for some flexibility.
But all that was before Covid, at which point some organisations imagined they could do without their offices and save lots of money, and individual employees took on a semi-hermit role at home behind a Zoom screen, or were simply furloughed. But none of this really works. We’re social beings and creativity requires more heads than just one and young staff can’t learn how things are done if they are sitting at home and not watching their bosses and colleagues deal with the everyday aspects of what it takes to achieve results for a business or organisation. And if you avoid work you learn none of these things.
I am not alone in saying that I miss the camaraderie, the teamwork of sitting down with a group of other minds and working out solutions to problems. I had some of the best times of my life meeting diverse groups of people I would never have met had I not worked, or sat behind a laptop at home. Zoom calls don’t allow for those off-piste moments at the coffee machine where you really get to know a colleague or client and chat about topics you might never have thought about before.
Just think how work educates people not only about the skillset required for the job, the way the organisation works, but also about getting on with diverse types of people, people they may not like but have to find a way to work with. Think of the social skills and resilience that is developed in these moments and how, when one has survived one’s first presentation, or client pitch, or even just a day at work where one has done a good job, whatever that is, one feels better about oneself, and one’s confidence grows. Some stress and challenge is essential to our growth and personal development. Sitting alone and working from home, or not working at all, does not broaden the mind with other perspectives or experiences.
There is plenty of evidence of how work is better for us than sitting at home bored or feeling useless. Work can give us meaning, even if it means doing a good job stacking shelves, sweeping leaves off the road, or cleaning a toilet. Any work we do has a purpose and meaning and our actions, small or large, can have a beneficial impact on others whether it is being a doctor, managing someone’s money, insuring their risks or cleaning someone’s house. In a recent article a woman who retired young and regretted it, tried without success to find a job of the managerial calibre of her career but is now happily working as a cleaner and being a dog walker. Doing something for others is better than doing nothing. And this is quite apart from the fact that earning money gives us motivation, choice and power over our lives.
We need to do more to help coach young people into the workplace and realize how much fun they could make it. Similarly, those with mental health problems, prisoners, or those with long-term illnesses are unlikely to find their way to fitness or to take the steps required to enter into the workplace without help. They need coaching to support them in managing simple things like cvs, budgeting rent and food, preparing for an interview, turning up on time. Step by step, people can learn to develop the life skills they need to take this leap and realize they can swim and not sink, and that they are missing out on something quite precious.
It may be quite hard to appreciate what I am saying if you are in the middle of life, juggling family and work and difficult bosses or clients, but looking back, as I do, on five stimulating decades of work, I encourage you to seek out the good moments, to appreciate that sitting at home ‘in leisure’ is far less interesting than it might appear, especially if you are likely to have another three decades out of work when you retire. It can be lonely. You have fewer choices generally, and certainly financially.
I believe individuals lose out spiritually and personally if they take shelter out of the workplace. And yes, flexible working and homeworking can be helpful but let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater. The country can’t afford it economically if people don’t go to work but it can also be a personal loss. There’s a big world out there and it can be stimulating, and I am confident that I shall feel very happy, on my deathbed, that I did spend a great deal of my time at work. So let’s give work a better press.
