In a full time job we spend approximately 2,080 hours per year working. This is, on average, 50% of our waking hours. Half of our waking life. It can often feel like more because we’re usually using our prime brain hours for work.
It’s no wonder people are increasingly talking about the meaningfulness, impact, and fulfillment of their work. I’m having these conversations with both employees and business owners. As we enter the third year of a global pandemic, as climate chaos increases each year, and as our social systems continue to be inequitable and violent, many of us are wondering what our lives (and planet earth) will amount to if we continue to do work that feels meaningless. That classic question of how I’ll feel about my life as I look back on it on my deathbed looms over my head.
There are, of course, a wide variety of experiences and perspectives when it comes to how people think and feel about work. And while we can certainly discuss individual choices and company choices, what I’m really interested in right now is how we culturally understand our relationship with work.
The dominant U.S. culture often defines people by the paid work they do. And there is a certain amount of validity to that given that we spend 50% of our waking hours working. But it doesn’t leave a lot of space for people to identify with passion projects or hobbies because people have families, they need rest, they need fun, they have commutes, they work a second or third job… they have responsibilities beyond the workplace that also require time, energy, and attention.
There’s an experience I hear a lot in relation to this conversation — a sense of feeling trapped in a system that demands we work to live, but doesn’t value many of the inherent talents we can bring to the table.
When asked the question, “What would you do if money were no object?” many of our answers would be different from what we currently do for paid work. But there’s a very real need to provide for ourselves and our families. The difference between how we desire to spend our days and how we actually spend our days (because of this need) can be depressing if we think about it too long.
There is such a large disparity between what it costs to live a comfortable life in the U.S. and what many people make that it begs the question — if we are working to live, what are the lives we lead outside of work?
Sometimes I think about the vast potential being wasted by our economic system. How many people are working jobs that don’t utilize, encourage, and celebrate their greatest gifts and skills? How much more might we know and enjoy as a society if we valued passion as much as money?
When we view it from this perspective, it’s in the collective’s best interest to create company cultures that encourage employees to explore and grow their talents, whether it’s in the workplace or beyond. And I see this being recognized more and more.
Companies are adopting more generous benefit packages, 30-35 hours is becoming accepted as full-time, employers are considering 4 day work weeks, there’s an endless supply of online resources about starting your own business, and professional development is a line item on many profit & loss statements.
This topic, like many, is something that needs to be approached at many levels, from many angles. So these moves by companies are important. But it cannot start and stop there.
Collectively, if we spend, on average, 50% of our waking hours working, the way we understand and relate to work is intricately intertwined with our culture as a whole. For most of us, influencing collective culture is best approached by influencing our own internal culture and trusting that when we do that, we subsequently influence the concentric social circles in our lives. We build the culture around us in each decision we make. Each decision is an opportunity.
We’re experiencing a unique moment in time in regards to our relationship with work. It has been building for a while, but the COVID-19 pandemic has changed things in a new and different way. While the Bureau of Labor Statistics tells us the unemployment rate is going down since the April 2020 spike, there are also countless ‘Now Hiring’ signs in cities and towns across the country. Signing bonuses are being offered and wages are increasing. Many people have now experienced working from home, with varying degrees of success. It almost feels as though employees have a new-found leverage. It almost feels as though our priorities are shifting. Living through a global pandemic should do that.