Stressing the meaning of work?

Two interesting perspectives on work and stress which have recently landed in my email Inbox this week.

“37% of British workers consider their jobs to be meaningless and absurd?” drawls Tom Hodgkinson’s ‘Idler’ newsletter, the louche sounding, but always stimulating voice challenging the nature and meaning of work and leisure, quoting a piece, by Andrew Smart which cites Amazon as a bogeyman in terms of modern work culture and stress.

Interesting, the Idler/Smart piece doesn’t mention the source of this data, a Yougov.com poll, which at the same time recorded half of British workers (50%) say their job is meaningful.

Meanwhile, the more sober-suited Harvard Business review adds: “Stress Can Be a Good Thing If You Know How to Use It”, which concludes:

As society we largely fail to frame stress as potentially enhancing and often miss opportunities to learn from and grow from stressful moments. That does not mean that we advocate viewing all stressors as a positive thing; but we do advocate that you embrace your stress response as a powerful tool for helping you overcome the inevitable challenges in life that can—and will—arise.

So is work ‘meanginless’ and ‘stressful’ for many of us?

The challenge, for the individual, may be in feeling sufficiently in control of where they are now in relation to their short- and longer-term goals. To be mindful, too, of the limits of what they can do, and what they want to do. To be clear about ‘what’s next?’ Where do you really want to be, & when?

If these are the kind of questions you’re asking, then drop me a line at nick@box5878.temp.domains so you can determine ‘what’s next?’ for you.