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> Not, for example, requiring people to work 40 hour weeks > when there isn't enough work... Indeed. And the problem isn't actually the work load - but the

> Not, for example, requiring people to work 40 hour weeks > when there isn't enough work... Indeed. And the problem isn't actually the work load - but the lack of appreciation and meaning, the former being connected to the latter. In this context: "The boss, not the workload, causes workplace depression" (http://sciencenordic.com/boss-not-workload-causes-workplace-depression http://sciencenordic.com/boss-not-workload-causes-workplace-...) - EDIT: focus is on "not the workload", I believe bosses are incidental and themselves a variable very dependent on existence meaning But even the best bosses can only do so much to make jobs that require convincing people to buy stuff you know they don't need seem meaningful. I bet after WWII when in the war countries the part of the population that remained at home had to work their asses off to produce until then unimaginable quantities of stuff nobody was depressed. The work had meaning. After it was over it helped that they had good job and income prospects - and reasonable long-term job security too. "Flexibility" is nice for those who can afford it.

imagist 10y ago
I agree on the lack of appreciation and meaning, but the problem is more fundamental than good or bad bosses: the problem is that "bosses" rarely are a needed part of the process at all. A good boss can minimize the damage they do, but in the end, most bosses are just middlemen between producers of value and consumers of value, a position which allows them to siphon off value without providing any value themselves. Giving someone who provides no value decision making power over people who provide value is always going to result in the person who provides no value overvaluing themselves. It's no surprise that many people feel undervalued, because inherently bosses are overvalued.
- deleted 10y ago
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- Noseshine 10y ago
  That's why I said that even the best bosses can only do so much to make jobs that require convincing people to buy stuff you know they don't need seem meaningful. The reason I linked that article wasn't the bosses who I agree are not the essential ingredient, but the other part, which is why I also have that last paragraph: It does not seem to be the work (load) that is the main cause. I added an edit to the comment, thanks for pointing out the possible misunderstanding of where the focus lies.

imagist 10y ago

I agree on the lack of appreciation and meaning, but the problem is more fundamental than good or bad bosses: the problem is that "bosses" rarely are a needed part of the process at all. A good boss can minimize the damage they do, but in the end, most bosses are just middlemen between producers of value and consumers of value, a position which allows them to siphon off value without providing any value themselves. Giving someone who provides no value decision making power over people who provide value is always going to result in the person who provides no value overvaluing themselves. It's no surprise that many people feel undervalued, because inherently bosses are overvalued.

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
Noseshine 10y ago
That's why I said that even the best bosses can only do so much to make jobs that require convincing people to buy stuff you know they don't need seem meaningful. The reason I linked that article wasn't the bosses who I agree are not the essential ingredient, but the other part, which is why I also have that last paragraph: It does not seem to be the work (load) that is the main cause. I added an edit to the comment, thanks for pointing out the possible misunderstanding of where the focus lies.