The Search for Happiness in the Workplace

William Greider has created, in "Work Rules", an overview of the social responsibility movement that is full of hope. While he never fails to note the overwhelmingly concentrated wealth, as well as the corruption and disinterest, which keep the forces of insatiable capitalism in a position of enormous power, Greider truly believes in that the reality of human interdependence will, in the long run, yield economic democracy and sustainability, blessings and not curses. I'd agree with his arguments, but it seems to me that it's not capitalism that's the problem, but rather rampant consumerism. While I'll concede that perhaps advertisers have influenced people into believing this lie, I can't put the fault on capitalism alone. I think it's precisely their abundance that's left people feeling such despair. They work hard to gather things, and realize that they're not really any happier than before. But they haven't been forced to play the game. There are other options, but they require hard work and ingenuity, something few people seem willing or able to expend nowadays.

People are only trapped in a "master-servant" relationship because they choose to play the game. One could, in theory, play by the rules for a few years to earn enough to cash out, head out west where land is cheap, and build an earthship, grow crops, harness the sun's energy & recycle grey water, living quite comfortably off of the grid. Few people would choose this path, though, because it would require a lot of hard work, and they'd get their hands dirty. Instead, they'd rather work in soul-deadening jobs to buy their half-million dollar plastic houses, and gas-guzzling SUVs, because after all they're entitled, and they "need" these things to be fulfilled. However, when they say they "need" something we must ask the question, why you feel as though you need it. If their idea of needing something is based on the prediction that they will be happy, than we can say that their preconceived notion is nothing more than what Gilbert and Tim Wilson describe as "the gap between what [we] people predict and what we ultimately experience" (Gertner 168). People fail to realize there is always something bigger and better out there, and because of this their predictions will continue to be inaccurate and over exaggerated. For example, a person who has a Mercedes will see someone with a Ferarri and continue to convince themselves that they "need" that Ferrari in order to make themselves happy and by doing so are contributing to the concept of the "impact bias" that Gilbert and Wilson speak about (Gertner 168). According to Greider, such impact bias' are used in "the cultural stereotypes attached to work" (Greider 219). For instance, some say jobs which require "brain-work" are capable of making more money than those jobs which entail more hand work. In the same way, Greider proves that impact bias' are in effect and that "they are generally wrong-inferences made at a distance about people [or things] whom we do not know, based upon their status in the occupational hierarchies."

In a master-servant relationship, servants often lack the feeling of power and responsibilities, therefore making them feel unimportant. People do not want to feel unimportant, especially in the workplace because it takes away from the excitement and actual meaning of why people go to work besides for the money. making people feel that what matters to them and the things that are meaningful in their life don't have any place at all in what other's do, has an effect on how people react to their environment. For example, those people who dread going to work because they find no personal connection or sense of fulfillment in the job they do. People are happier about things that they are a part of, things that they are included in. A comfortable environment and sense of ownership are key. Greider supports the idea of people owning their own work and describes this idea as "individually and jointly, they own the place where they work" (219). Stress and unhappiness in the workplace are facts of modern life. With the exception of a lucky few, usually those who work from home, most of us have found ourselves feeling like the office grouch now and then. This is usually due to a lack of control felt by the employee. When circumstances occur that are continually out of our control this can lead to feelings of resentment or increased stress. Employees are energized by jobs that provide some control, both in schedules and the work setting. Unfortunately, we don't all have ideal work conditions. Many of us work more hours than we want to. We may not be able to change our work schedules, but finding areas of our work where we do have control can affect our attitude and behavior on the job. When can one say that the quality of life at the workplace is good? According to Greider it is when the workplace or job has no top down management or master servant relationships are both limited or put to an end - both stated and implied - and results in a feeling of happiness and joy. However, Gernter's idea of impact bias in affective forecasting errors may complicate Greiders idea that there are solutions explaining how Greider may be "overestimating how much of a difference they [the solutions] would make. None of them make the difference you think" (Gertner 170).

Work relationships, like other relationships, need