The Reason People Work Is Not What You Think

Jobs are not functional.

“Ninety percent of adults spend half of their waking lives doing things they would rather not be doing at places they would rather not be.”

— Barry Schwartz

Jobs are not functional.

That’s one of the biggest mistakes most people make. They confuse a job description with the essence of a role. A list of tasks and activities just capture the functional aspect of work — job descriptions fail to address what drives people. You wouldn’t post yours and brag about it on social media.

It’s not a surprise then that, when discussing the future of jobs, many people use that same utilitarian approach — any task humans do can easily be replaced by technology.

But what about the meaning behind a job?

Every job has a (human) purpose for both the giver and receiver — it provides social and emotional benefits.

This post is not about technology versus humans, but an invitation to balance both — they must collaborate rather than compete against each other.