Amazon.co.uk Review
Do you love your job? In
Happy Mondays Richard Reeves suggests that many of us do and all of us can, yet we tend to view jobs as something to be got through rather than something to be enjoyed. This, he claims, is as much about history as about reality. He looks at both the theory of work and real situations, describing how work has changed in recent years and how it can be about more than simply money. "We spend most of our waking lives working", he writes, "To waste them in bad jobs is nothing less than a crime against humanity."
Happy Mondays charts the nature of modern work and what it can become. It looks at the notion of careers, the ways in which modern employers address the leisure, health and spiritual needs of employees and the ways individuals can choose their work and vary their hours to suit. Reeves mixes academic treatise and practical example in a thought-provoking way, the bottom line being that today we should be able to find fulfilment, expression of ourselves and pleasure in any job--whatever it pays--from supermarket checkout to corporate management. The theory is not without flaw: there seems to be little recognition for example of just how many people in the UK are tied to production-line working with no real alternatives or of the wider politics of employment. Nevertheless, Happy Mondays, like Richard Donkin's Blood, Sweat and Tears is an interesting take on the notion of work in the 21st century: an alluring vision of what it already means for some and could become for many. --Sandra Vogel
Product Description
Work has had centuries of bad press, being blamed for everything from unhappiness to lack of sex. It’s time to give work a break. This is a book for people who love what they do - or wish they could - and shows how to get the best return for your love as well as your labour. For centuries people viewed ‘work’ as something to be endured. They worked in order to live. The 9 to 5 grind, done purely for the money. Some people still endure work today - if they don’t enjoy their job. But a new era is dawning. We are in the midst of a revolution in the role of work in our lives. Work is now important - more than ever before. Work is who you are. And a growing number of people actually love to work. Work is becoming more central to all our lives. It is now a provider of friends, gossip, networks, fun, creativity, purpose, comfort, belonging, identity - and even love. In short, the things that the ‘home’ has traditionally supplied. Work is getting homely. This stimulating and provocative book will:
- Present a ground-breaking challenge to anti-work rhetoric. Addressing issues such as ‘is it stupid to work hard if you love it?’ and ‘what can I expect from my employer in return?’
- Kick-start a more honest debate about our relationship with work.
- Take a whole new perspective on work as being a positive, life-enhancing part of your life.
- Provides a current analysis of what companies are offering in return for employees time and emotional input.
- Gives practical guidance as to what you can (or should) expect from your employer
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