Christopher Michaelson, professor of business ethics at the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business, recently spoke with MPR on the importance of finding meaning in work, how work impacts personal well-being and society, and why we should ask ourselves if our work is truly worth it.
From the interview:
Host: So, I’ve heard you describe yourself as a scholar who studies why people work. First of all, what led you to study this? Why are you so interested in this?
Michaelson: I was probably studying work before I was ever a scholar of work. I think back to my grandfather. He was born a peasant in China and worked his way up in society through the military. Then he lost everything when his side lost the war, and he had to start over in Brazil. One thing he took with him from China was what he called Confucian teaching – that there is a hierarchy of professions. The most important ones are those that give to others, and the least important ones are the ones that just serve ourselves. So, I think he planted the idea that I should be thoughtful about work when I was very young. ... The idea that work matters – no matter what work that is. So, I think the second answer I have to your question is that I really started studying work as a scholar after 9/11. I was actually a management consultant, working and living in New York City on 9/11. Within about a year after that, I was in my first job as a professor, and what I really wanted to study was what made work worth doing in those lives that were tragically cut short.
Host: So, having all this knowledge ... You’ve written the book Is Your Work Worth It? How to Think About Meaningful Work ... Why do you think we should be asking ourselves this question? How often should we be reflecting on the meaning of work?
Michaelson: Well, I think everybody asks it. Whether or not we should be asking that question, we do ask it – especially when we’re having a bad day at work. ... Even if it’s not possible for us to choose another line of work or another job – because, in many ways, we sometimes feel stuck in the work that we do – we still ask the question: What makes it worth it? There’s a reason that we stay, even when we feel stuck. Oftentimes, as you suggested, that reason is that we have a family to support, and that’s actually a good reason to do work. But if we’re feeling sort of deadened by the work that we do – if we come home in a cranky mood and not so happy to be with those we’re working for – then maybe we should be thinking about making a change, if we can.
