Monday, September 07, 2009
As work sustains us, fun sustains our work
For people in the US, Labor Day commemorates our more or less continued victory in what is at heart a heart-breaking struggle. For centuries, we have been trying to protect laborers from being abused by the people who hire them. And these efforts seem especially heart-breaking today, because for the remarkably many who don't have work, it sometimes seems that tolerating the abuse is a better alternative.
On Labor Day, having fun at work is one of the last things we tend to think about. We think about having work. And we think about getting paid. And we think about getting benefits. And we dream about our once closely-held illusions of things like job security and company loyalty. But not about fun.
And yet, as much as work can sustain us, fun sustains our work.
I've created my own small glut of articles about the fun-work connection. I've been interviewed about it, analyzed it, researched it. I've found others who have made the same connection: Arvind Devalia, Chief Happiness Officer Alexander Kjerulf, and my friend of more than 30 years Matt Weinstein, co-author of Work Like Your Dog.
And, hopefully, now I've found you, who, on this day commemorating the victories and ongoing struggles between labor and management, also affirm the struggle for work sustains us and that we can sustain - work that is as fun as it is profitable.
from Bernie DeKoven, funsmith
On Labor Day, having fun at work is one of the last things we tend to think about. We think about having work. And we think about getting paid. And we think about getting benefits. And we dream about our once closely-held illusions of things like job security and company loyalty. But not about fun.
And yet, as much as work can sustain us, fun sustains our work.
I've created my own small glut of articles about the fun-work connection. I've been interviewed about it, analyzed it, researched it. I've found others who have made the same connection: Arvind Devalia, Chief Happiness Officer Alexander Kjerulf, and my friend of more than 30 years Matt Weinstein, co-author of Work Like Your Dog.
And, hopefully, now I've found you, who, on this day commemorating the victories and ongoing struggles between labor and management, also affirm the struggle for work sustains us and that we can sustain - work that is as fun as it is profitable.
from Bernie DeKoven, funsmith
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