'One third of British employees find their jobs meaningless'
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Version 0 of 1. A study has found that more than a third of British workers believe their jobs are meaningless – to the surprise of the anthropologist who inspired the research by advocating his theory on the ‘phenomenon of bullshit jobs’. Earlier this year, posters appeared in London tube trains questioning the “moral and spiritual damage” caused by meaningless employment. "It's as if someone were out there making up pointless jobs for the sake of keeping us all working" and "huge swathes of people spend their days performing tasks they secretly believe do not really need to be performed", the posters read. The quotes were taken from an article written by author and LSE professor David Graeber two years previously, ‘On the phenomenon of bullshit jobs’. In it, Professor Graeber argued that increasing numbers of jobs are not socially useful and exist only for their own sake. YouGov said it aimed to test the theory by conducting its latest research, to “verify if the attitude expressed in the article is as prevalent as it says”. But the results have surprised even him. The study found that 37 per cent of those surveyed felt their jobs were not making a meaningful contribution to the world – although half did feel that their jobs were. Men – at 42 per cent - were more likely to say that their job was meaningless compared to women with 32 per cent. But most of those who said they found their job to be meaningless said it was unlikely they would change it in the next year – 53 per cent – compared to 35 per cent who said they would consider it. The survey also asked British workers if they found their jobs personally fulfilling, with 33 per cent said they did not and 63 per cent saying they did. Only 18 per cent said they found their jobs very fulfilling. 37 per cent of British workers feel they make a meaningful contribution to the world through their work Speaking to The Independent, Professor Graeber said he did not think the figure for those who found their work to be meaningless would be so high. “20 to 25 per cent was what I was thinking it would when I wrote my piece. It’s much higher than I expected,” he said. The anthropologist’s central premise is that people are doing jobs which are unnecessary because society has attached a “moral value” to work in itself, something which must be done for its own sake, even if it is not enjoyable. Although he acknowledges the distinction between “unnecessary” work – which could be completed by a computer instead of a person – and employment which lacks meaning for an individual, he believes the “moral basis” imposed on employment by society matters. “We are told every day that anyone without a job is an utterly worthless person,” he said. “That psychologically really has an effect. “You get people saying that they get nothing out their job but they like the people they work with – that’s the weakest argument for work you can have. Join a club, a community centre, get a hobby.” Professor Graeber said people also need to make ends meet – a fundamental reason which stops the unsatisfied changing their circumstances. He said people who are motivated to do jobs “for any reason other than the money” get paid less. “The more you make a contribution [through a job], the less it pays you,” he said. Other findings from the YouGov survey included Londoners being the regional group most likely to believe that their jobs are not fulfilling – with 41 per cent of those living in the city saying they felt this way. People living in the Midlands and North had the highest levels of job fulfilment, with 67 per cent fulfilled and 26 per cent not fulfilled in these areas. Working class people were slightly more likely than middle class people to say they found their jobs are unfulfilling – 39 per cent compared to 30 per cent. And nearly half, 49 per cent, of the British workers surveyed said they would be proud to tell someone they had just met about what they did for a living. Eight per cent said they would be embarrassed. “When I wrote the piece it was almost a hypothesis because I kept meeting people who were saying they didn’t actually do anything in their jobs,” Professor Graeber added. “You never hear people talk about it as a phenomenon but psychological wounds must be created from it. “Somehow people are having to deal with it psychologically without having any support networks. “It is really high time we examine the moral basis of our society.” |