What does a person work for? (essay on a moral and ethical topic). Why do we go to work?

Let's start, however, with money. No matter how much you sneer about “despicable metal,” 77% of workers admit that they are best motivated by good pay. But the importance of the money earned for us does not end there.

What’s interesting is that labor income has a different “value” for us than money that we got in some other way. “Modern Western culture distinguishes between “profane” and “sacred” money depending on its origin,” explains psychologist Anna Fenko. “For example, a windfall in the lottery, an inheritance, a fee or a bonus are considered “special” money that is usually spent not on everyday needs, but on the purchase of special items or unusual experiences.”

At the same time, the “profane” money we earn can also turn out to be traps. One of the most typical is when we believe that our earnings are a measure of success. This essentially means that the amounts I receive show how much I am worth.

“People often identify themselves with the business they are doing,” comments psychotherapist and business coach Natalya Tumashkova. - This is laid down in childhood, when the child is told: “Why did you do that? You're bad! And he learns: an assessment of my deeds is an assessment of my personality.”

We strive to leave a mark on the world

Philosopher Hannah Arendt once described two types of work. One of them is necessary to maintain life, but in the process of such work we do not produce something that will remain for a long time. This type includes cooking, washing, cleaning and our other everyday worries, in which there is nothing specifically human, and therefore a person in this case acts as an animal laborans, a “working animal.” The second type of work that humanity has always valued more is the production of objects that surround us, from cups and chairs to houses, bridges and airplanes.

The “creative man” can no longer touch what he produces, so it is difficult for him to rejoice in the work of his hands

We do not live in the lap of nature, but surrounded by objects created by our own hands. The accumulation of these objects creates our world and gives it permanence. It is creation that makes a person human - Arendt calls him homo faber, “the creative person.” Today this highest kind of work - creative work - is rapidly being eroded. There are more and more of us who do nothing with our hands, but only talk and tap on the keyboard. This is how financiers, insurers, programmers, consultants work... They all generate, process and redirect information flows.

A lot of knowledge, effort, creativity and will are required from us to achieve results, but the fruits of such work are ephemeral, they do not remain in the world and do not give it stability. The “creating man” can no longer touch what he produces, so it is difficult for him to rejoice in the work of his hands. Perhaps this is why many professionals in mid-life feel a craving for manual labor, dreaming of baking bread, painting dishes or starting their own farm...

We want to develop

But in modern world Self-actualization is becoming increasingly important. This word came into use not so long ago, and different people put different meanings into it. Is it connected with an interesting, favorite job? High professionalism? With creativity? Maybe it depends on whether the person has realized his dream?

Perhaps it’s easier to come from the other side and describe it through our emotions. We feel fulfilled when we reveal our inner potential, when our abilities, knowledge and skills are involved in our work. “It’s a feeling of being in your place and enjoying what you’re doing,” says Natalya Tumashkova. “Sometimes it’s the result, sometimes it’s the process, or both.”

What motivates us most at work?

77.1% - salary
37.9% - opportunity career growth
37.3% - large-scale and interesting tasks
36.5% - comfortable atmosphere in the company
17.6% - professionalism of colleagues
17.6% - training opportunities

According to KELLY company, 2014.

Self-realization implies the ability to work, make efforts, and invest in one’s work. "It's like love relationships“In order to build them, we must invest in them,” explains psychoanalyst Maria Timofeeva. - It's the same with work. And for this, a person needs inner fullness - then he has something to invest. In essence, this is libido - understood in a broad sense as the capacity for love, which we can direct towards different objects. Those who have this internal resource, capable of working hard and hard. But they receive such a return - satisfaction, pleasure, joy - that this resource does not dry out, but is only replenished.”

Self-realization does not require career growth: building a career is considered a motivating factor by only 38% of Russians

But what about the stereotype, what gives us more satisfaction? creative work? “I think that self-realization is always about creativity,” says Natalya Tumashkova. - You can only create in different ways. There is such a parable. In the desert, a traveler meets a man rolling a heavy stone and asks: “What are you doing?” - “Don’t you see, I’m pushing a stone, I’m suffering.” Another person like him is met with: “What are you doing?” - “I earn by the sweat of my brow for my family.” Our traveler meets the third and asks him the same question. He smiles and says: “I am building a Temple.” This is just about self-realization.”

So self-realization does not necessarily require career growth: building a career is considered a motivating factor by only 38% of Russians.

“Soon it’s been 20 years that I’ve been working as a teacher,” says Sergei. - I have been offered more than once to become a head teacher, and then - who knows - maybe I would have risen to become a director. But I hate administrative work. My job is to teach. It’s impossible to work with children with sheer professionalism; they don’t let you freeze in place, they constantly force you to search and try. With every new class I discover something new in myself.”

Learning new things, getting to know yourself better, expanding your capabilities, realizing your mastery and at the same time feeling that there is still room for growth - in general, this means living life to the fullest.

We need recognition

Let’s imagine that at work we are endlessly criticized, but we don’t hear words of approval at all. If our work, our efforts, sometimes very serious, are not appreciated, we simply give up. On the other hand, a few words of encouragement at the most intense moment of work, when our strength is running out, can magically inspire us and charge us with new energy.

Why is it important for us to be recognized? "Indeed in a general sense recognition satisfies our deep, familiar desire to feel our own importance to others, says psychoanalyst Helen Vecchiali. “It confirms that we are full members of the group, part of the whole, moreover, without public recognition, self-respect is impossible.”

However, self-esteem is not so simple. “Recognition will work on self-esteem when you yourself know that you deserve it,” warns Natalya Tumashkova. - If it is undeserved, then the effect may be the opposite. And finally, if you don’t value yourself, then praise, especially from bosses, can become a drug, and we will need more and more doses.”

We should not be concerned about how creative, skillful and smart we are, but about whether our work worked out or not.

Maria Timofeeva believes that dependence on praise indicates our narcissism, this disease of the century.

“We are not always able to rely on our own assessment. In theory, we should be concerned not about how wonderful, creative, skillful, smart we are (pride and vanity lie behind this), but about whether our work worked out or not. In this case, we rely on our own assessment and experience joy not from praise, but from the fruits of our labor.”

But if it was not us who were appreciated, but the beauty, usefulness, originality, or exact compliance with the standards of our “work,” we can always rely on this achievement to move on.

We like to do common things

We spend no less time (and sometimes more) with colleagues than with family and friends. It is not surprising that we consider a good team a gift from fate. We can share joys and problems, receive the necessary support and help. “Colleagues are our reference group,” says Natalya Tumashkova. - And that’s why it’s so important feedback that we receive from them."

Getting up on time, getting to work, communicating with colleagues - all this supports people because it gives them a sense of consistency.

Work is also good because it allows us to feel like we belong to something larger than ourselves: a profession, a team, solving problems of national importance, or research that will change the future. Some of us work more effectively if we have someone to compete with.

“In a sense, these people take energy from their opponent. There is no rival - and work is not interesting. After all, it is more difficult to compete with time than with a strong competitor,” explains Natalya Tumashkova.

In teamwork, a synergy effect occurs (when the whole turns out to be more than the amount components). Brainstorming, when we exchange ideas and come up with something new together, the common victories or defeats that we experience together - all these are strong collective emotions that are worth a lot.

A sense of consistency is important to us.

And finally, it’s simply important for us to go to work. At least for those of us who have difficulty with self-discipline.

“Getting up on time, putting yourself in order, making your way to work, chatting with colleagues at lunch - all this greatly supports people, because it gives them a sense of constancy,” explains Maria Timofeeva. - The need to go to work starts the clockwork of our lives. When you work from home, it takes a lot of energy to organize yourself. And here everything has already been done for you.”

Perhaps someone thought that remote work would deprive us of these advantages in the near future? “No matter how the Internet develops, face-to-face communication, including with colleagues, is irreplaceable,” argues Natalya Tumashkova. “Otherwise, why did you come up with Skype?”

What is work? Why does a person need it? Why does it require different efforts and are paid completely differently? What activities can be classified as work and is it regulated by any standards? All these questions can be answered quite objectively if we discard a bunch of stereotypes to which we are accustomed.

“A person works to get money and exchange it for his own needs.” A very strong stereotype that has destroyed the personal success of millions. This sounds surprising, even ridiculous, but money is not the main incentive to work. Is it possible to do something you don’t like for the sake of money? No! If a person says that he tolerates his unloved job just for the sake of the salary, he is disingenuous. You can't force someone to do something you don't like! If a person does not change his job, hiding behind a salary, it means he simply has not yet understood himself, or has other interests.

Naturally, it is impossible to say unequivocally on such questions. There are criminals, robbers, people working in dangerous and hazardous industries, doing hard, dirty work. physical work… No one likes this kind of work, but they don’t do it for the money either. They're just on at the moment cannot earn money otherwise due to certain reasons.

“A person works because he needs creative and emotional self-realization.” This is an example of another stereotype. Self-realization can be, for example, in your favorite business, but your favorite business rarely brings income. So it turns out that the work is done mechanically, or carelessly, solely for the sake of salary or simply by inertia. When a person does a job with love, he gives his all, he lives with his work 24/7, and is even unhappy in his personal life.

If a person strives to rise through the ranks, then this can also be attributed to self-realization, only for the sake of this he has to endure a lot of hardships. Moreover, the emphasis on career growth is often associated with unsatisfactory pay for one’s work. It turns out that work and self-realization are two different faces human existence.

“A person works so as not to degrade.” A common stereotype regarding people who do not need money, but work “for the sake of tone.” However, such workers do not show any tone. They get tired just like other employees; give in to the temptation to cheat, are in bad mood... In addition, daily performance of the same type of work leads to such degradation and apathy that a person can completely drop out of society.

Yes, unemployed people, especially those who sit at home, are degrading due to the daily monotonous household routine. But in the workplace you can degrade even faster. Moreover, turn into a tired and dissatisfied person. But it is not work that contributes to degradation, and not home walls. The person himself, who has no interests, turns into a plant with instincts.

Now let's try to draw conclusions from all of the above. Why is work an indicator of a person’s essence? It’s very simple: there is no one specific formula for success. For example, if a person is interested in sports, then no amount of money can lure him into going to stonemasons. If someone is not used to working, it is not given to him to work and earn money, then it will be easier for him to steal, take away, kill than to sit in an office, even with a huge salary and a dizzying career. If a girl chooses prostitution instead of studying or distributing leaflets, if she really needs funds, then this is also her essence.

The most interesting thing is that people always find excuses for themselves. They claim that they do not want to change their job because it is convenient to commute and they have already adjusted to the schedule. So what if the salary is low? But my colleagues are kind. They claim that they were forced to steal something or falsify documents. They were forced to make a choice in their favor rather than defend the honor of the company. There is always a choice, only everyone makes it to the best of their abilities. And there is a cover for any occasion. They say that a person is forced to do something.

What to do to avoid getting into trouble and work in a place where it will be pleasant in a team, where creative success is possible, personal growth and other earthly joys that make us happy? To begin with, honestly determine your place for yourself. Weigh carefully the pros and cons, and not the imaginary advantages. Admit to yourself what exactly you expect from work, are you going to give your all, what and how much do you want in return. It is also worth soberly assessing your physical and mental abilities. Each person has his own limit. If you manage to do everything objectively, reflect and treat your work fairly, then you will not only get pleasure, but also material incentive, creative growth, and invaluable experience.

We strive to leave a mark on the world

The “creative man” can no longer touch what he produces, so it is difficult for him to rejoice in the work of his hands

We want to develop

But in the modern world, self-realization is becoming increasingly important. This word has come into use not so long ago, and different people give it different meanings. Is it connected with an interesting, favorite job? High professionalism? With creativity? Maybe it depends on whether the person has realized his dream?

What motivates us most at work?

77.1% - salary
37.9% - opportunity for career growth
37.3% - large-scale and interesting tasks
36.5% - comfortable atmosphere in the company
17.6% - professionalism of colleagues
17.6% - training opportunities

According to KELLY company, 2014.

Self-realization implies the ability to work, make efforts, and invest in one’s work. “It’s like in a love relationship: in order to build it, we must invest in it,” explains psychoanalyst Maria Timofeeva. - It's the same with work. And for this, a person needs inner fullness - then he has something to invest. In essence, this is libido - understood in a broad sense as the capacity for love, which we can direct towards different objects. Those who have this inner resource are able to work hard and hard. But they receive such a return - satisfaction, pleasure, joy - that this resource does not dry out, but is only replenished.”

Self-realization does not require career growth: building a career is considered a motivating factor by only 38% of Russians

But what about the stereotype that creative work gives us more satisfaction? “I think that self-realization is always about creativity,” says Natalya Tumashkova. - You can only create in different ways. There is such a parable. In the desert, a traveler meets a man rolling a heavy stone and asks: “What are you doing?” - “Don’t you see, I’m pushing a stone, I’m suffering.” Another person like him is met with: “What are you doing?” - “I earn by the sweat of my brow for my family.” Our traveler meets the third and asks him the same question. He smiles and says: “I am building a Temple.” This is just about self-realization.”

So self-realization does not necessarily require career growth: building a career is considered a motivating factor by only 38% of Russians.

We need recognition

Why is it important for us to be recognized? “In the most general sense, recognition satisfies our deep, familiar desire to feel important to others,” says psychoanalyst Helen Vecchiali. “It confirms that we are full members of the group, part of the whole, moreover, without public recognition, self-respect is impossible.”

We should not be concerned about how creative, skillful and smart we are, but about whether our work worked out or not.

Maria Timofeeva believes that dependence on praise indicates our narcissism, this disease of the century.

But if it was not us who were appreciated, but the beauty, usefulness, originality, or exact compliance with the standards of our “work,” we can always rely on this achievement to move on.

We like to do common things

We spend no less time (and sometimes more) with colleagues than with family and friends. It is not surprising that we consider a good team a gift from fate. We can share joys and problems, receive the necessary support and help. “Colleagues are our reference group,” says Natalya Tumashkova. “And that’s why the feedback we get from them is so important.”

Getting up on time, getting to work, communicating with colleagues - all this supports people because it gives them a sense of consistency.

In teamwork, a synergy effect occurs (when the whole is greater than the sum of its parts). Brainstorming, when we exchange ideas and come up with something new together, the common victories or defeats that we experience together - all these are strong collective emotions that are worth a lot.

A sense of consistency is important to us.

And finally, it’s simply important for us to go to work. At least for those of us who have difficulty with self-discipline.

Great joy is work, In the fields, at the machine, at the table! V. Brusoi.
One of the French classics said that work is satisfaction. Bryusoi calls it joy. Marxists argue that it was work that created man. “Workdays are holidays for us,” sang in one Soviet song. At all times, the hard worker was a respected member of society, and it condemned the slacker and lazy person. Religion affirms the dogma of working “by the sweat of your brow.” But no one publicly said that they work for money, for their material well-being. I think everyone understood this, but somehow it was not customary to talk about it out loud; it was considered almost shameful. This, it seems to me, is misguided shame.

Of course, a person should not work all the time just for money. But in the West (and now often here too), a student, in his free time from classes, does work that he doesn’t have the heart to do in order to pay for his education. Yes, he works for money. But also in order to work in the future where his heart called him. Work in the area in which there is inclination and interest, work following the dictates of the heart and mind will reveal in a person all his abilities, talents, and perhaps even genius. Evaluation of such work is no less important than recognition of its social significance and benefits. And you shouldn’t hide from yourself and those around you what you want to get for your work. more money. Each job must be paid accordingly, otherwise a person loses incentive to do it. It’s great when work is not only a way to earn a living.

Favorite work means so much to a person! Favorite - but not free.
A decent salary gives a person the opportunity not to constantly think about their daily bread, but to focus on improving their qualifications, studying the experience of colleagues, and, ultimately, increasing their intellectual level. This is already in the works. For the sake of such satisfaction and joy, you should work until you sweat.

When we hear that the country is being overwhelmed by bribery, we all become indignant. Taking bribes, as well as giving them, is immoral and unworthy. But I recently heard that the resuscitation doctor in the children's department at the maternity home has a low salary. And not from a beginner, but from someone who has ten years of work behind him. The most important thing - life - depends on him and his work. infant. I will not blame this doctor if he does not refuse a voluntary salary for work from endlessly grateful parents. For demanding money in similar and other situations, human judgment is harsh. And not only human.

And yet: for what does a person work? In order to keep yourself, your family, to stay afloat, so to speak, or in order to realize your abilities, your talents, your ambitions, even your ambition? I believe that the push may be the first, but any person still strives to achieve something in this life, to reveal his abilities, to show that he is no worse than others, that he is worthy of something.

There is probably no person on earth who, reluctantly getting out of a warm bed in the morning, would not exclaim at least once in his life: “And who came up with this - going to work?” But really, why do we go to work and, in general, why do people work?

There are different approaches to answering this question. You can look at the need to work through the eyes of a child, a girl or boy, an adult, or through the eyes of an old man. Another point of view is also interesting - looking at the problem through the eyes of antipodes: the employer and the employee, despite the fact that the type of activity in this case does not matter. Let's consider how attitudes towards work develop and change with age.

Why do you need to work?

So, let's start in order, that is, from infancy. Not everyone is able to look at the world through the curious eyes of a child, but everyone is able to remember their rosy childhood. And so, a five-year-old kid sees how mom and dad went to work, leaving him in the middle of nowhere. kindergarten. Why did they go to this mysterious job, why couldn’t they just stay the whole day with the child?

And then the baby remembers how his mother said that if she doesn’t go to work, the baby won’t be able to play with beautiful toys or eat delicious candies. And the baby decides that for the sake of such indescribable pleasures, he can, in principle, endure it for a while without his parents. Work is something very important. Let mom and dad work - the family will still meet in the evening and the baby will be happy, although the parents will be tired, well, after all, they came from work...

Schoolboy

IN adolescence we are no longer so “stupid” and our attitude towards labor service is painted in negative tones: we don’t want to get up for school and how come parents don’t get tired of running to work every day, and even without holidays? Especially resourceful people begin to invent different ways to evade classes: someone warms up the thermometer, someone artistically feigns a cough.

Will you really have to go to work yourself as an adult? I wish I could spend my whole life under the reliable wing of my parents! School years- a period of unbridled fantasies and now we are thinking: is it really possible that if mom and dad quit their jobs, there really won’t be a piece of bread in the house? No, let them work, we want new jeans...

Student

Student years bring revolutionary changes to our ideas about life. We already clearly understand why we work, we understand that a scholarship depends on grades, that is, on the quality of knowledge, and some pleasant moments of student life depend on the presence of a scholarship. A motive is formed: instead of having fun with friends, you can devote the same time to classes and, as a result, gain more financial independence.

Adult

Thus, a person enters adult life with a determined attitude towards work. First, you need to support your family. Secondly, everyone strives to support their social status, which is impossible without the appropriate accessories (clothing, car). An adult already knows perfectly well why to work and what can be gained from it.

Old man

In old age, work is great way“forget” about your years. Yes, formally the state assumes the responsibility for maintaining a pensioner. But, firstly, we understand perfectly well what the level of this content is. And, secondly, an increase in pension is not only a material incentive, but also an important confirmation own strength and abilities.

As we can see, a person’s motivation to work changes throughout his life. We can quite confidently assume that a responsible awareness of the usefulness and necessity of work is formed in our student years. We also conclude that looking at the nature of labor from the point of view of the employer-employee relationship does not open up any new facet of the issue.

Conclusion

Formally, work is an intellectual or physical activity that produces a tangible result that we can feel, hear, touch or see. This is not the ability to perform a certain activity, but its process itself. Labor can be assessed and measured in various appropriate systems.

It is known that labor turned a monkey into a man. Although some modern scientists this fact and disputed, giving preference to the hypothesis of the Creation of the world. In any case, it is obvious to us that the final point on the issue of evolution has not yet been set and it is likely that Darwin’s name in biology textbooks will soon be replaced by another.

In the context of our topic, the principle itself is important: work is creation. If through labor a monkey turned into a man - better motivation difficult to find. Labor lies at the very basis of life. Without labor, not only is it impossible to pull a fish out of a pond, without it existence would be impossible modern science, culture, and civilization itself.