The Meaning of Work free essay sample

The New Meaning of Work When one thinks of work, one often thinks of a job, but work is far more than a job. Although work certainly provides for basic subsistence needs and decent living conditions, this is not its only function. Work is, above all, an activity through which an individual fits into the world, creates new relations, uses his talents, learns and grows develops his identity and a sense of belonging. Many people enjoy their work and take a great deal of pleasure from it.Many workplaces are pleasant places to be. Many companies have learned that it is much easier to retain employees who like what they do and have fun with their job. Organic structures such as teams and networks are usually much more engaging than traditional, mechanistic structures. Over the past 50 years job satisfaction has increased significantly and quality of work life has improved. The nature of work has changed such as work settings and organizational structures which makes more people satisfied with their jobs. We will write a custom essay sample on The Meaning of Work or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page A psychological contract is unwritten expectations that represents the mutual beliefs, perceptions, and informal obligations between an employer and an employee. The major principle that drives any psychological contract is fairness. For example, when one employee earns more than the another. The way people feel at work has an impact on how they treat customers, their relationships with fellow employees and how productive they are at their job. Unhappy employees are not as productive or as efficient as happy employees.Management can use many ways to ensure job satisfaction for their employees. Most companies have improved their work settings. Flexible work time programs, whereby an employee can set their own work schedule, this is a positive step toward creating a supportive work setting. A positive work setting also makes a working day more comfortable for employees. Accommodations such as furniture, equipment, supplies, an eating area, or a relaxation centre can increase job satisfaction. Most enlightened businesses focus on constantly improving the quality of work life. Companies that create team and networking structures provide a variety of upper management contacts, there is no one boss to deal with. In such structures, where supervisors work closely together, bad managers are noticed quickly then removed. This recent emphasis on project teams has also created more supportive work affiliations. Whereas functional departments and divisions that require employees to work alone in cubicles are often impersonal, project teams that work together in a central space are constantly interacting and try to create cohesion and co-operation among their members.When self managed teams are created, people can become more motivated and enthusiastic, develop new ideas to improve group performance, and assume greater responsibility in putting these plans into action. Boredom is reduced and creativity encouraged. it is important for job enrichment to occur, it provides challenging opportunities and engages the worker. Employees feel that they are accomplishing something significant and that they are making a contribution to the firm. They can make decisions and take responsibility for their work.It creates a sense that they belong and are valued for their contributions. Work has evolved a over the decades, due to the progress of sciences and technologies, major transformations happened in the organizational structure and culture, with their consequences on the organization of work. Compared to what workplace was 50 years ago, in todays world, the structure, content and process of work have changed. The most recent century has seen rapid change occur more frequently than ever before, due to technological developments.These developments obviously have the aim of making lives better, simultaneously bringing better producing environments to the workplace. Many companies use modern technologies to develop their productive capacity. This means that technological advance improves the quality and quantity of  products, affecting staff communication within organisations. Fifty years ago, factory jobs were replaced by work in the service sector. Now, the information  revolution has turned the ideal employee into a person with skills such as the ability to understand, synthesize and analyse information.