Modern Day Work

What's so bad about modern day work?

I'll address each of these issues separately in future chapters, however for now here is an overview of the obstacles facing workers today. I use the word obstacles as that's what they are. These aren't weights dragging us down, oppressive systems to be rebelled against or problems that need complicated solutions. Simply obstacles that we all need to meet head on and deal with in ways that suit each of us best.

As discussed previously work in the past seemed an altogether better experience, while we've established this is largely due to nostalgia there's still some differences between work in the past and work today. These differences have evolved in line with society and have changed the modern workplace into what we know it as today.


i. Distractions

It all seemed so straight forward in the past. You were paid to do a job, and that's what you did. However modern work seems to come with a lot more distractions which ultimately rely on skill sets you may not possess. For example, a typical office worker needs not only to be able to do the job they were hired to do but manage the distractions that come with it such as emails, chat systems, phone systems, calendars, meetings, administrative duties etc.

Distractions are plenty in modern day work

ii. Expectations

As well as employers expecting their employees to manage the extra distractions of modern work there are also more explicit expectations that are present alongside these implied ones. These expectations tend to come in the form of working longer hours, learning on the job, putting the company first and generally sacrificing certain aspects of home life in order to progress at work.

Expectations both implied and explicit are rife in the modern workplace

iii. Perspective

Perspective, or rather the wrong perspective, can be a huge factor in the modern workplace. A negative way of looking at things can turn a normal job into a chore and have a detrimental effect on anyone. Finding a way of looking at things that is right for you can open up possibilities and make work an altogether more enjoyable experience.

It's not just the approach to a job, as modern work becomes more complex it's easy to lose perspective as to what the job is. It is all too easy to focus on the systems and procedures in place rather than the end goal.

When in the modern workplace it's easy to lose perspective

iv. Communication

Although communication is a term used to the point of having little meaning, it is such as important aspect of work. However in recent years as society has been more lax in its standards of what is acceptable, communication in the workplace has also slipped. This can easily lead to problems and mis-understandings that cause so much frustration at work as well as employers trying to control communication with procedures.

Lax communication means problems

v. Time Management

Managing time well is a skill so few master, yet it is something we all need to manage in our lives and is an important factor at work. With so many distractions it is key to identify what actually needs to be done and when it needs to be done by. It's easy to mis-manage time and be forced to rush tasks and put ourselves under unnecessary pressure.

We all need to manage time better as it's ourselves that suffer