How Do You Define Work?

If you were to look up the word “work” in the dictionary, it would say something along the lines of, “to do something for someone else for pay.” Oftentimes synonyms for work include drudgery, daily grind, and struggle. It is this notion that we have built our organizations on top of for over the last 100 years. Do those synonyms still apply today? Work used to be one sided. Organizations provided jobs, and employees showed up to do them. It was a very transactional process. We are moving towards a world where work is about an experience, a relationship, and doing something with a sense of purpose. Work should be about doing something you want to do every day, not drudgery. Organizations are starting to invest in designing employee experiences, new technologies are being added and promoted in the workplace, and the focus is on creating great corporate cultures.

So if work is no longer “drudgery” then what is it? In the latest episode of The Future in 5 I talk about how I see the very definition of work changing. Let me know what you think below, how do you define work?

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Jacob Morgan is a keynote speaker, author, and futurist. To have Jacob speak at your event, see his videos, podcasts and articles, or to subscribe to his newsletter visit TheFutureOrganization.