Subtitles section Play video
-
Here's a question for you: If you didn't have to work and you just received an endless
-
allowance, would you still choose to have a job?
-
Okay, imagine this: You're lying on a beach one day, it's very pleasant!
-
And you overhear a conversation between a tourist and a local fisherman.
-
“Why are you here relaxing, when you could be out catching fish?”
-
“I caught enough this morning to last me two days, so wanted to lie back and enjoy
-
the day.”
-
“But if you work more, then you can sell the extra fish you catch.
-
Then soon you could buy a motor, and a second boat, and maybe one day a whole factory, or
-
a restaurant, and a helicopter!” “and then what?”
-
"then, without a care in the world, you could sit here in the harbour, doze in the sun,
-
and look at the glorious sea."
-
"But I'm already doing that!”
-
And you realise that the tourist and the fisherman have pretty different ideas about why we work.
-
In part, we work so that we can put food on the table, have a roof over our heads, and
-
clothes to wear.
-
But that's not all there is to it.
-
If it was, we would all view work like the fisherman does - just as a way to fulfil our
-
basic needs.
-
American psychologist Barry Schwartz says that the way we think about work is broken.
-
And he blames the founding father of economics - Adam Smith.
-
Smith believed that humans were inherently lazy – sorry everyone! – and the only
-
way to get people to work was to pay them.
-
This is the assumption that underlies how we think of work - just working for the man
-
to bring home the bacon!
-
But Schwartz argues that it has created a system where the emphasis on financial rewards
-
stops people from finding other meaning in their work - a situation that leads to lost
-
productivity, and discontent.
-
Think about how much time we spend wishing we weren't at work!
-
There's a GIF, meme and e-card for everything from Mondayitis to 3:30-itis, hump day and
-
TGIF.
-
I must admit, I've tweeted the TGIF one before.
-
But we also know that money isn't the only thing that motivates us.
-
We do lots of work that we don't get paid for - chores around the house, looking after
-
kids, playing music or helping friends.
-
In most cases, you're intrinsically motivated to do these things - rather than extrinsically
-
motivated by a wage.
-
In fact, some studies have shown that money can actually be a demotivator.
-
In 1971, American psychologist Edward Deci conducted a study with two groups of college
-
students.
-
He offered one group a financial incentive to work on a puzzle, while a control group
-
wasn't paid to work on the task.
-
Deci observed that the people who were given no financial incentive spent longer on the
-
puzzles and showed more interest in solving them.
-
Author Daniel Pink built on Deci's work to develop the “motivation trifecta”.
-
He argues that once we are paid enough money that financial worries are off the table,
-
three things motivate us:
-
Autonomy - to feel as if we have control over things; Mastery - the feeling of getting better
-
at something; and Purpose - finding deeper meaning behind what we do.
-
But that doesn't mean we all have to work for a charity – some people find their own
-
purpose in their work.
-
In one study, hospital janitors were interviewed about their job and they identified the importance
-
of their presence to comfort and entertain patients and families.
-
Although this wasn't at all a part of their position description, many said it was their
-
favourite part of they did.
-
So if we could all find meaning in our work, would we be unstoppable?
-
Would we be miraculously in control, productive and fulfilled?
-
Well, perhaps it depends on our individual approach to work.
-
Psychologists have proposed there are three distinct ways people approach their work:
-
As a Job - as a career - or as a calling
-
So maybe you're happy with your job being just a job.
-
And it allows you to do the other things that you enjoy.
-
Maybe you want to grow and achieve great things in your career.
-
Maybe you see your work as a calling - a passion you were born to do.
-
But regardless of how you see it - finding your purpose at work might just help to make
-
those Monday mornings a little less of
-
a struggle.
-
Just maybe.
