Signpost 28

In a nutshell:

Our view of work is shaped by our ability to perform it, but we can learn from situations where work isn't possible. For instance, inmates in a prison seek out even the simplest tasks to find purpose and structure. This suggests that work is more than just tasks, it's about providing meaning and engagement. Understanding this can help design better workplaces.

Key Chapter: 24

• 28.1 Our predominant view about work, and thereafter the workplace, comes from our ability to work. But learning from instances in which work can’t be done, can help us design better workplaces. p.87

• 28.2 Lessons from a state of preclusion from engagement in occupations of necessity and/or meaning due to factors that stand outside the immediate control of the individual, might allow us to see work as more than a sum of its tasks. p.87

• 28.3 Inmates in a prison would get up before dawn, exchange cigarettes and negotiate privileges to be able to do a job, for the sake of having something to do. Such job was to feed the fish in a fish tank. p.87