Are you a slave to your work?

It's difficult to be in a place where you do not dread waking in the morning to turn up for work.
Many issues come in to play.

• The amount you feel you need to earn - depends on your outgoings and the quality of life you wish to achieve - and the manner in which you perceive you will achieve such 'Quality'.                                                                             (Quality is quite a key word I guess - and the basis for a book in it's own right - I am reminded of Pirsig's 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' where as I recall it forms part of the central narrative - but I (as usual) digress.)
•  What you need to earn of course dictates, how many hours you have to work (and how many jobs in some cases) and the rate of hourly pay you need to achieve. If you have a family to support one has to factor in all the extra dependencies - and usually increased accommodation costs, utility bills, food  requirements etc etc.
•  What work is actually available. Here in the UK, Zero hour contracts have come about since I've been in my present employment - so luckily, I've never had to cope with suffering under that particular regime - but often one is forced into certain types of work - simply because it is the only employment around.
• What one has to do, the attitudes one has to adopt, the uniform one has to wear, the orders one has to give, or take.
• Overcoming barriers regarding; skill levels, disability, sexism, racism, ageism. Most 'isms' are of course legislated against by Equal Opportunity laws - yet we are all aware that nepotism and 'old school tie' behaviours are endemic - and not about to disappear any time soon. The glass ceilings or unspoken employment rules still hold sway - especially as the 'free market' forces those hard-won rights and aspirations of fair treatment out. Having to 'compete in the global market' seems to be the employer's new rallying cry to push workers into longer, harder, worse-paid employment in many/most places around the world.

Some areas seem to buck this trend. I seem to hear news out of Scandinavia about reducing the working week, ensuring maternity / paternity rights are honoured, more enlightened ways of treating those, both with and without work. Sadly such progressive ideas seem to be in a minority - but still encouraging to see.

I'm old enough to remember the aspiration of my generation, as the industrial past was still present (with phrases like  'jobs for life' and 'full employment' bandied about) - that the working week would, as a matter of course, be reduced. It seemed logical - once we mechanised production - increased efficiency and streamlined processes - then of course the standard of living would rise for all, the labour required to maintain everyone's well-being would go down - and we would all be able to enjoy increased leisure time and the real benefits - family bonding, community life, artistic and leisure pursuits. Seemed obvious and achievable in theory - but didn't exactly turn out that way.

Avoiding the thorny issues that industrialisation was at the time, based on exploitative practices by old empires and non sustainable use of hydrocarbons, (material there for another day - I'm not ignoring them) - we seem instead, to have been sold a new dream based on consumerism and avarice. Those days where we looked to happiness through bonds with people has swapped to acquisitiveness and envy of stuff. We're sold an illusory vision that depends on trading wealth for boob-jobs or curved TVs, rather than being happy with comradeship alongside the considerably higher standard of life that we've already attained.

Somehow the eternal comparison of GDP comes to mind. The measurement of a nation's standing by measuring how much MORE we've made year on year.  An ever-increasing surfeit from our finite planet - this doesn't seem like a credible way of accounting a nation's output - and seems a sure way of setting failure/crisis as the eventual goal.

With recent stats (Oxfam report I covered previously) reporting that half of the global wealth is owned by 8 men - doesn't this indicate a more likely reason why we are working longer and harder and yet still feel ever more miserable and dissatisfied. Having someone at the top skim off all the profits of all that collective labour - in order to add another digital point to an off-shore bank balance? Enabling a 1%er to order another fleet of luxury yachts, should they wish - boats the like of which no average person will ever stand upon - or be allowed in the same marina as. This seems to be why job satisfaction is almost impossible to achieve - except where one takes it into one's own hands.

So on a personal level, am I happy? Well - I am - and very blessed / lucky I feel too to be able to say that. I love my job, I am trusted, respected, valued and work in a non-hierarchical system that is making a real difference - not only for ourselves but for others we trade with around the globe. I feel privileged to be in this position - not that I don't work long and hard for a comparatively small wage, but can believe in what I do. 

So - the good news is - there are alternatives, I enjoy being a part of a 100 strong Worker Co-operative. We share responsibilities for all aspects of running a successful business - and it works well. Challenges yes - perhaps more than in many enterprises of the same size - as it is run in a democratic not autocratic manner - everything is sorted without hierarchy (but with plenty of meetings)!
I have also managed to reach a situation where I work a short week - so enjoy a work-life balance that suits me, my multitude of hobbies and interests and still covers the bills. (My children having flown and living happy autonomous lives helps) I limit my bills by not buying into consumerist culture (too much) and valuing what is truly important - friendship. As many have said before me - true happiness cannot be bought; the best things in life are free - I believe one just has to work at work - and strive to make it something that works for you.